Work at the Street School - Volunteer Opportunities:

The Street School has a great need for the expertise and support of caring people. Volunteers have come to the Street School from the United States, Austria, Holland, Germany, England, and Scotland, just to mention a few countries. They have worked in a variety of ways to help the school including: public health surveys, nutrition evaluations, grant writing, outdoor education, homeless shelter creation and management, medical services, teacher training, psychological health services, fundraising, tour guides on camping tours, and, of course, reaching out to the children who are still in the streets.

In general, the School asks that volunteers commit to work for about a two month block (daily time can be split with Spanish school which is generally only half-day). This is to give the children a sense of continuity. Also, some proficiency in Spanish is important. Folks wishing to improve their Spanish will find working with the children to be extremely helpful (the kids love to teach adults), and the ready availibility of Spanish schools in Xela is a plus.

Possible work at the School is only really limited by the imagination and funding resources. Current needs include:

• Social workers (professional or in training)
• Teachers (professional or in training)
• Health care workers (professional or in training)
• Homeless child services (professional or in training)
• Grant writers and fundraisers (very crucial at this point)
• Business consultants (to help the School run the businesses it has which are designed to make the School self-sustaining)
• Backpacking/camping guides (for eco-tourism trips that raise money for the School)
• People with experience riding and caring for horses (for horse trekking)
• Persons with not-for-profit managerial experience
• Just about whatever it is that you’re talented in combined with compassion for children.

Application Requirements:
Each volunteer candidate will need to submit the following:

• a resume
• two letters of reference (please include phone numbers)
• a brief statement of your interest (why you'd like to work at the Street School and what you'd like to do there)
• dates you'd like to volunteer
• your level of experience travelling in the Third World
• your level of Spanish. 

These can all be in English or Spanish, though Spanish is preferred.  It's a standard part of the volunteer screening and application process.  Please send these items as an email or fax them to Basilio Alvarez, Volunteer Coordinator in Guatemala. If you need help or have questions, please don't hesistate to contact Michael Shorr in the U.S. or Lise Bagger in Denmark. Full address information and fax number may be found on the Contact Us page.

Important Notes:

Cost: The Street School is able to raise just enough money to pay for its social service programs. There is not yet funding to help pay volunteers' expenses. So, while there are no fees for volunteering at the Street School, volunteers need to be able to pay for their own food and housing. Most living expenses are inexpensive in Quetzaltenango -- room and board can be had for about $50 a week, especially when in conjuction with a Spanish language school. (One-on-one tutoring, fours hours a day, five days a week plus a room and board usually runs about $125 per week.) The Street School can help locate housing, Spanish language schools and other things needed by vounteers.

Donation: The Street School asks that each volunteer bring something symbolic to give to the children who are served by the Street School. Examples include table games, pencils, pens, story books, sketch books, video tapes, medical equipment (stethescopes, e.g.), medicine (for colds, parasites, etc.) and so on. Any volunteers who would like to gather supplies (especially medical supplies) or conduct fundraising prior to coming to Guatemala, please contact Basilio Alvarez,Volunteer Coordinator in Guatemala.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information about volunteer opportunities.

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