what can i do as a volunteer?
The activities our volunteers are conducting at the moment are...
Aditional Notes: We expect tutors and assistants to have initiative and work together. For example, to arrange meetings outside the normal volunteer meeting times, to swap ideas,activities, and worksheets for classes. This really keeps everyone motivated and improves the experience for both kids and teachers.
Also please note that since we are a small grassroots organization with very limited funds, we really appreciate it when volunteers can help provide class materials. (Pens, pencils, colors, etc.) out of your own budgets. You should plan to spend about $10USD a week on photocopying and transportation to and from the schools. All materials you need can be bought in Santa Marta, we encourage this as it supports the local economy.
1. Morning Class Tutors/Classroom Assistant:
The focus of these classes is mostly on numeracy, literacy, social skills and behaviour. Tutors and Classroom Assitants work together, and utilize varied activities and worksheets to engage with the students. Tutors will organize the class curriculum and lead classes on ocassion. Extra support will be necessary for some children therefore the Tutors and Assistants will be requiered to work one on one with those children that ned extra help in certain subject matters. School supplies are basic and limitted.
Class Size: 10 - 15 Kids on average
Student Age Group: 5 - 10 Years of age
Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Barrio Fundadores
2. Afternoon English Classes:
These clases are based on basic entry level English. Most students that would attend these clases have never been exposed to foreign language lessons. Currently these classes are not taking place because we don't have enough volunteers to lead this program, if a volunteer were to express interest in reinstating them they would be able to do so with full support from the FMA team. When applying please include or mention any interest you may have in this or any of the other activities.
Class Size: N/A
Student Age Group: Adults and Adolecents
Schedule: N/A
Location: Barrio Fundadores and Barrio Oasis
Aditional Notes: For this particular activity it is important that the volunteers have an advanced level of Spanish in order to properly comunicate with their students.
3. Community and Health Development Workshops
These workshops are intended for the families and other residents in and around the neighborhoods where the organization is located. Topics that should be explored within these workshops include, but are not limitted to; sexual health, proper nutrition, and parenting education. The volunteers that would like to participate in this area are expected to develop and lead the workshops, and most importantly they are expected to utilize accurate information. The purpose of these workshops is to ignite human, social, and economic development thru the use of education. You do not need to be an expert in any of these particular fields in order to create and lead an adequatte workshop but you must come prepared to do some research and to properly present the information.
Class Size: Varies
Student Age Group: K-12, Adults, and Adolecents depending on the workshop that has been prepared
Schedule: Classes must take place in the afternoons but a specific scheule is to be set at liberty by the volunteers
Location: Barrio Fundadores and Barrio Oasis
Aditional Notes: The workshops program can be approached in several different ways. Volunteers could prepare their workshop content and activities before arriving to work with the organization, which would mean that upon arrival their only task would be to lead the classes according to the schedule they will pre-determine with the help of our local coordinator. This could be an ideal alternative for those who would like to get involved while maintaining their travel liberty a priority. Whether you are here for a short or long term period, you could schedule as many or as little workshops as you like. In any case, we expect you to be fully committed if you do choose to schedule a workshop.
Another considerable approach is to arrive at the site of the organization to begin preparing your workshop material here. This allows you to work in other areas of the organization as well as the workshops. You can also work with other volunteers and develop something together! This would be a great option if you are really looking to imerse yourself in the volunteer experience. We are open to working with you in order to allow flexibility when it comes to schedules and your creative process so let us know how you would like to help.
MY SPANISH ISN'T VERY GOOD! CAN I STILL HELP?
A self-starting, committed attitude and the capacity to work hard and take initiative is more important to us than fluent Spanish. If you are not so confident in Spanish, you can still help out with publicity and fundraising activities such as blogging, updating our website, taking pictures, maintaining Facebook and Twitter, writing funding grants etc. We could possibly need people to help out with construction work on our new school, or perhaps you could organise a football match or music jam for the kids?
Get in touch with us to see what type of work we currently have available. Let us know what skills you have, and we'll make a plan for you.