Students Without Borders Academy (SWBA)

SWBA is a full semester program for grade 11/12 students of BC, hosted at Kalamalka Secondary School, Vernon BC.

Watch these videos of the SWBA experience


Students Without Borders Academy​


SWBA Week 1


SWBA in Kuna Yala


Panama Travel


SWBA on FaceBook

Explore this page – then click the links below to apply:
  SWBA Application  |      SWBA Info package:

START HERE

Teacher Reference Form Non-Teacher/Non-Family Reference Form

SWBA sees lasting education as a passionate journey towards a purpose-driven life with safer communities and more inclusive societies. We believe in education where success is defined beyond grades and exams, and the unknown and failure are embraced as an integral part of the learning experience. We imagine learning spaces that generate love, justice & equality – the core building blocks of a peaceful and sustainable world.


Students will complete all requirements for:

  • Intro to Spanish or Spanish 11
  • Leadership 11 or 12
  • Social Justice 12 or Social Studies 11
  • Comparative Cultures 12
  • English First Peoples Literary Studies 11 or English First Peoples 12 (Satisfying the new Grad requirements)

THERE ARE NO ONLINE COURSES IN THE PROGRAM – All courses are completed in the classroom with field study supplements.

The following are some of the typical OUT OF CLASSROOM adventures and highlights of the SWBA semester:

  • Initiation/Bootcamp at a nearby camp
  • Full week hosting of “Out Of Province Kids” with local adventures and leadership retreat (Experiences Canada)
  • Weekly connection with local community agencies – becoming community builders
  • World-renowned guest speakers through UBC and others
  • 5-week field study/odyssey to Panama Central America
    • 1-week homestay in a small fishing village
    • local artisan lessons
    • surfing in the Pacific / Scuba in the Caribbean
    • Turtle Hatchery Vigil – Green Sea Turtles
    • Primate Rehab ( Howler Monkey) volunteering.
    • Coral Reef ecology with Smithsonian Institute
    • Coffee/Chocolate/Banana Fair Trade Tours
    • So Much More……

ALSO: SWBA facilitates enjoyable employment (through a local business) for students looking for work to help pay for SWBA fees. bursaries are also available for students who qualify.

WHAT RECENT STUDENTS ARE SAYING…

  • “We started as strangers and left as a family”
  • “Challenging in the classroom and even more challenging in the field”
  •  “There is no better way to get ready for our changing world”
  • “A whole new way of learning – deep learning”
  • “The program was worth every penny – even before the field study in Panama”

WHAT RECENT PARENTS ARE SAYING…

  • “My daughter was inspired to make a difference in the very first week”
  • “I saw fundamental changes in the way my child looks at the world”
  • “We were included in the process and informed all along the way”
  • “My son looks forward to going to school like never before”
  • “The program is not to be missed – outstanding from start to finish.”

Students Without Borders Academy designed to provide a 21st-century perspective

Education is changing. The world for which we are preparing students today is fundamentally different from the one many of us experienced growing up. Today’s societies are marked by new global economic, cultural, technological and environmental trends that are part of a rapid and uneven wave of globalization. The Students Without Borders Academy addresses these changes and prepares students for the challenges of change ahead.

YOU NEVER CHANGE THINGS BY FIGHTING THE EXISTING REALITY. TO CHANGE SOMETHING, BUILD A NEW MODEL THAT MAKES THE EXISTING MODEL OBSOLETE.  SWBA Logo
RICHARD BUCKMINSTER FULLER

See more at SWBA Newsletter 

Email Questions to Dave Fehr