Early Childhood Education and Youth Mentoring / Summer Camps
Assist teachers in a child care center in the indigenous community of Lumbisi that gives kids, age two to five, the tools, skills, and confidence they need to get a head start to success in elementary school. In a country often plagued by teenage pregnancy, drug use, dropouts, underemployment, and gang activity, the volunteer’s contributions to youth development can really make a difference in their day and their life. In the afternoons, the facility is converted into a Learning Center for youth aged 5 to 16 who need academic tutoring and mentoring, among other after school activities, including sports, theatre, music, arts, dance and more. Volunteers can also help in this organization’s organic gardens which provide fresh vegetables for the kids and the elderly in the community. Volunteers live with native, host families to get a sense of daily life in a traditional, picturesque Andean village, from the typical food to communal festivals, while still accessing all the culture, amenities and nightlife of historic Quito, just thirty minutes away by bus.
Role of Volunteer/Skills Required
Volunteers assist the teachers in their daily education and entertainment activities for the kids at a newly constructed center in the community. Volunteers will also help the community mothers in preparing and serving lunch to the little kids in the group comedor, making sure they have enough energy and sustenance to help them learn. The center is open from 8 a.m. till 12 noon. It re-opens in the afternoon as the Learning Center. Summer camps run from mid June through August. Volunteers should be open, flexible, patient, creative and come with a spirit of collaboration and solidarity. Experience in early childhood education or any of the arts is a plus.
Details, Dates and Costs
Dates
Year-Round, Scholastic Year (Sept.– May) with summer camps during June – August, with placements from 2 weeks to 3 months
Fees include airport pickup, homestay accommodations with three meals/day, health/safety/cultural orientation, program supervision, local excursions, and 24 hour staff support
Volunteers Must be 18 and over, with valid passport and health insurance. Fees do not include airfare, insurance, any VISA fees.
Optional Spanish classes can be arranged at additional expense