Volunteer Costa Rica English & Sports Camps

uVolunteer is an organization that really values both components of our Volunteer Travel Programs. Because the dates of our Summer Camp coincide with the two most exciting festivals Costa Rica has to offer, we combine our Summer Camp Schedules with visits to these annual festivals.

English and Sports Camps

Our holiday camp programs are ideal for short term volunteer placements of 1-4 weeks. Summer vacations in Costa Rica begin in the middle of December and continue through the first week of February when the school term resumes. During these periods we run Sports, English and Restoration Camps. Our Sports & English camps are held in January and our Restoration Camps run from December to January. When camp begins, you will be working in teams of 3-6 volunteers. Each camp normally lasts five days from Monday-Friday. A typical day of teaching in a camp consists of 2-3 hours of English lessons in the morning. These lessons include games and activities to make learning English as fun as possible. The goal of this part of camp is to allow students to practice their English in a fun and interesting way. In the afternoon you will engage the attendees in 2-3 hours of competitive sports games and activities.

Sports and activities create happy and healthy children and also aids in building the foundation of a strong community. Not only are you helping to involve them in physical and mental activity, these children are also learning life skills like team work, communication, confidence, and discipline.

These summer camps are created with the funds that uVolunteer generates from the program fees throughout the year. It is our way of giving back to the community in a way that promotes community development. We facilitate the whole coordination and management of the camps as well as take part in all of the activities.

Because we actively promote these camps throughout the town, we require that all volunteers come together to run them-regardless of their current project or location. Camps involve traveling around the country so if you sign up for three weeks you will see Samara, Alajuela and their surrounding areas as these are the two towns where we have implemented these summer camps. This is a great way to see different parts of Costa Rica as well as enjoy it in a cost effective way, given that cost of travel within the country is covered by uVolunteer.

Costa Rican Folk Festivals

By signing up for the summer camp program, not only will you get the opportunity to volunteer in two Costa Rican communities, you will also get to see how these communities celebrate their country and culture. Our Summer Camp Programs are the perfect way to combine volunteer work with travel because our Camp schedules coincide with these amazing cultural activities.

The two festivals that happen during these dates are:

• "Dia de Guanacaste" in Santa Cruz, which is an annual festival, celebrates the Guanacaste heritage. This festival has many cultural events including Sabaneros, prized bulls, a rodeo, bullfights, typical Costa Rican food, marimba music, and folk dancing.
• "Las Fiestas de Palmares" is an annual extravaganza in Palmares. This festival is complete with cultural activities, equine events, bullfighting (though the bull is never killed in Costa Rica!), sporting events, concerts, carnival rides, parades, and lots of traditional food. It is one of the largest events in Costa Rica and you'll be able to be a part of it!

The volunteer will arrive for the first festival in Santa Cruz during the second week of January. This will be followed by volunteering at the first camp, held in Samara. Everyone will then travel to San Ramon where we will prepare for the second camp. Once this camp is through we will travel to Palmares to celebrate the end of your stay in true Costa Rican style.

Restoration Camp

Our Restoration and Construction Projects are based in the rural schools we work in. The schools decide what restoration work they consider worthwhile to improvement their school. We provide the funding and coordinate the construction and renovation of these projects with the help of the local community and our volunteers. We also get involved in the restoration of community buildings such as churches, village halls, etc.

The volunteers' tasks during these projects involve renovation, labour, painting, digging, decorating, plumbing and electricity installation (if skilled in these areas). Volunteers will assist with cement mixing, sand sifting, wood cutting, and the transportation of building materials etc.; There is not a lot of equipment and it is mostly manual work. Be prepared to be very patient and flexible, and to get your hands and clothes very dirty.

Our restoration and construction programs officially start in December and run until Janurary. These camps are the perfect way to gain experience, help out and have fun while contributing significantly to the local community and your own personal growth.



Camp schedules to date:

The English Camp / Festival Program schedule begins on January 9, 2008 and runs until the new semester begins in February. We recommend you apply at least 3 months before your intended arrival date because:

• Programs have limited capacity and fill quickly
• We carefully assess each applicant to ensure that they are suitable for the program
• If you apply early you have better chances of being placed into you first project choice

You must book in advance! - We are now taking applications for the December & January camps!

Read this projects volunteer stories and testimonials
Jenna Harvey, June 2007
Danielle Lowe, June 2007

View Photo Galleries for this Project
Summer Camp Gallaries
Palmares Festival Gallery