Description:
We provide Volunteer Work Projects for students to compliment their language study.
We work with a network of organizations in Quetzaltenango and throughout the region dedicated to activities that improve the lives of Guatemalans. Most organizations require a minimum commitment of three months. The question of compensation varies according to the organization, although housing is usually provided. While it is easier to offer a space for volunteer work to people with a defined specialty (agriculture, computers, research, English as a second/foreign language, audiovisuals), it is by no means a requirement.
Highlights:
Objectives
* Provide visitors with high-quality Spanish and Quicha language instruction, as well as the opportunity and means to learn more about Latin American history, society, politics and culture.
* Promote education among rural highlands Maya through a scholarship program.
* Make computer technology and other educational resources accessible to Mayan students.
* Promote and house a research center for Guatemalans and visitors to explore different fields of human knowledge.
* Promote participatory education that is respectful of different cultures and ways of thinking.
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
Students must study for at least one week at Celas Maya. During this time, the staff at Celas Maya will assist the student in finding a volunteer position that fits them according to their interests and time commitment.
Language:
Spanish
Language Used As A Medium of Teaching:
English
and Spanish
Cost in US$: 150/ week
Cost Includes:
Excursions,
Food,
Housing
and Language instruction
Tuition includes 25 hours a week of language study. Price can be modified for more or less hours of daily study. Students are housed with local Guatemalan families and will be served 3 meals a day, 6 days a week for the duration of their study. The school also offers daily activities at no additional cost to the students. These could include excursions, movies, sports, visits to local communities, interaction with the native culture and many more.
Credit Available: yes
Experience Required: no
Typical Volunteer Projects:
childcare/children,
English teaching,
environment
and youth
Typical Volunteer: Students at Celas Maya that wish to continue cultural immersion with a volunteer project after their study are assisted by the Celas Maya staff in finding a volunteer position. Volunteers that start their experience with Celas Maya will have a more advanced level of Spanish upon starting a volunteer position and therefore are presented with more opportunities. We ask that students interested in volunteering are willing to commit at least one month.
Age Range: 8 - 66
This Program is open to
World Wide
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Families, Couples and Individuals.
Typical Living Arrangement:
Home-stays
Participants Travel to Guatemala
Independently
Or
in Groups
Typically Participants Work
Independently