OUR Programs
Forum Foundation programs focus on increasing and expanding access to learning support opportunities in the mountains of rural Cocle. Providing the resources, guidance, and tools communities can use to build a more prosperous future.
All of our programs are made possible by parents, teachers, community members and returning beneficiaries who work together to help make change sustainable.
John Keffer Community School Scholarships
Our student outreach helps us identify learners in need of support who are attending public schools in the area. Financial aid is awarded for academic acheivement.The assistance provided helps cover the costs of transportation, lodging in school dormitories, uniforms, cell phone data, and food.
John Keffer University Scholarships
We provide, guidance counseling, and assistance for students to prepare, enroll and graduate from universities. Learners may also apply for financial aid scholarships to help cover the cost of university in Panama or abroad. For example, financial aid often helps cover the cost of renting apartments closer to the universities in Penonome.
Helping Make Change Sustainable
This means inspiring life-long learners who are eager to inspire others. Former Forum Academy and Community School students, many of them university students, or recent graduates, have returned as volunteer tutors.
Guided by Forum Foundation Administrative staff, they travel to community schools to offer in-person learning support. They have also helped by offering online support through chats or online workshops. Their support is essential in maximizing the number of students who complete high school and apply to university.
In 2021, twenty volunteers, conducted 7 visits to 4 rural schools to deliver learning support, through one on one tutoring and workshops, in mathematics, science, and English. Helping 166 students complete assignments successfully.
Bridging the Digital Divide
As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, technology and education are now inextricably linked. Aware of the growing gap in digital literacy, which deeply affects rural schools. We are committed to helping bridge this digital divide.
Forum Foundation grants and donations help provide access digital resources and the internet.
The John Keffer Library and Community Center locations also provide digital literacy courses, access to laptop computers with internet connections, as well as printing and photocopying machines.
Annual Reports
Our Annual Reports provide information regarding the impact of our learning support programs during the school year. These publications also help celebrate the accomplishments of the inspiring people who we are able to help through our scholarships and programs.
Download a copy of our digital annual reports.
Program Heritage
The COVID-19 Pandemic forced the closure of Forum Academy. Nonetheless our resilient staff and volunteers quickly adapted to the new digital technology and connectivity needs of learners. This important shift in our programs allowed us to reorganize, and tailor our student focused learning support.
COMPUTER DONATIONS: Among the first projects that Forum Foundation undertook in conjunction with I.P.T. José de Los Reyes Vásquez in the town of Caimito. Computer literacy, continues to be an essential skill for a successful professional career. The community in Caimito came together to make this initial program a success, building tables and desks to form its first computer lab. Completed in 2011, the addition of computers has not only benefited students but working adults as well: Weekend computer classes are offered in each we support. Computer classrooms and courses have been established in Caimito, San Miguel Centro, Bajo Grande, Pajonal, and Chigoré.
SOLAR PANEL DONATIONS:
Most students attending school in Bajo Grande had never seen a computer before, much less taken a computer course. Forum Foundation was eager to help, but a lack of electricity on site presented serious challenges. However, what the school lacked in reliable energy was made up for by a strong and active Parent-Teacher Association and a well-respected and effective school director. Forum Foundation, in conjunction with these actors and the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, worked to solve the energy issue by installing solar panels to support a computer lab in the school. UTP worked tirelessly to design and execute the plans for the installation, while the community supported the project through fund-raising and volunteering. In 2011, it was completed.
Transportation: Many students in rural Coclé have limited access to transport services, leaving some with a 2+ hour walk to school in all weather conditions. To eliminate barriers to school attendance, the Forum Foundation purchased a bus in 2009, which helped to carry nearly 500 students to and from school in Coclé Province.
In some areas, public transportation is the only option. In these instances, Forum Foundation has awarded individual transportation scholarships to students in need of assistance. In 2011 Forum Foundation expanded its transportation service to schools by partnering with I.P.T. La Pintada to refurbish a bus for the students attending school in that town. With this addition, Forum Foundation supported a further 600 students.
Dormitories: In some cases, students need to travel so far to attend a school that simply providing transportation for them is not enough. Rural high schools frequently have dormitories for students who are unable to make the daily commute. However, many parents are unable to fund the costs associated with dorm life, including meals at school. Forum Foundation provides subsidies for students whose parents cannot afford to have their children live in a school dormitory.
Support for the arts:
Forum Foundation financial aid helps support the arts, so that schools can celebrate their Cocle’s rich culture and heritage through folkloric dance, choir, and culture programs at Colegio Ruben Dario Carles.
Meal Assistance:
Disparities in education, as in most countries, are key causes of poverty, malnutrition, and inequality in Panama. Education is therefore a crucial elevator. In an effort to address theses issues among student populations, Forum Foundation began meal assistance programs in 2010. By the end of 2012 over 400 students had benefited from meal scholarships. But Forum Foundation discovered another issue: Many school kitchens were not equipped with modern appliances. Parent volunteers frequently prepared food over open wood fires, creating serious health complications. In 2011 Forum Foundation worked with C.E.B.G. Mercedes Bustamante in Toabré to revamp their kitchen facilities. In 2012 Forum Foundation renovated the school kitchen at I.P.T. José de Los Reyes Vásquez in Caimito. Projects for 2013 include renovations to the school kitchens in Chiguiri Arriba and Bajo Grande.
New Classrooms: Many of the schools in Coclé do not have adequate space to accommodate those enrolled. Some classes still meet outside or in rough concrete structures with roofs made of native materials.Between 2009-2012 Forum Foundation helped 1,151 students from Caimito and Tulú by renovating existing classrooms and by building new ones. Forum Foundation worked closely with school directors and the Parent Teacher Associations to fully realize these projects. Many parents volunteered their time and skills to build the schools while others organized fundraisers and helped transport materials.
Uniforms: A key to maximizing enrollment (and thereby graduation) is making education affordable. School uniforms, which can cost up to $125 per student, can prove a real financial hurdle for struggling families. By providing uniform scholarships to needy families, Forum Foundation removes yet another barrier standing in the way of students and their education.
English Language: The importance of learning English cannot be overstated in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world. Having a firm grasp of the English language can optimally position students toward higher paying careers as well as curb the cycle of poverty in rural Coclé. English is therefore an important part of the learning support we offer.
Forum Foundation is responsible for starting the first advanced English preparatory course at the Centro Regional de Coclé, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá in 2012. Nine graduates from high schools in Coclé attended the six-month program, which involved rigorous English classes as well as other courses, for which they earned college credit.
Upon completion of the program, three students were selected to receive full scholarships to the Hun School of Princeton in Princeton, NJ, for a year (2012-2013) of post-graduate study in the United States.