Volunteer in an Urban Education Centr

Project Summary: This volunteer project is based in an educational centre for underprivileged children in Quito that serves to help these children overcome the socio-economic disadvantages that they experience. The centre recognises the lack of educational resources available to these children and offers workshops and classes to these children. These interactive workshops and classes teach them beneficial life lessons that can be used to enrich their lives.

Why the placement needs volunteers

Our volunteers help to run the workshops and classes alongside local teachers. The educational centre relies upon private donations in order to maintain its operations. The financial resources of the centre are severely limited, so volunteers play an important role in providing aid to the centre in the form of human resource and skills training.

Program Requirements

A basic level of Spanish is encouraged as you will be communicating with these children on a daily basis. You should also enjoy working with children and be able to think on your feet and come up with creative ways of educating the children.

Your role as a volunteer

There are 6 different types of workshops that you may become involved in. Depending on your skills, interests and the needs of the centre you may participate in any of the following:

Arts Workshop: Drawing, ceramics, painting and more.
Corporal Expression Workshop: Theatre, juggling, dance and ballet.
Music Workshop: Construction of instruments using recycled materials, the development of vocal sound, sound identification, and more.
Visual Arts Workshop: Teaching the children to use a digital camera, graphic software, photography, and more.
Cultural Workshop: Filed trips and excursions to museums, the cinema, art exhibits, and the theatre.
Workshops for the parents: Assisting the parents to develop better parenting skills.

Program Schedule

8am - 12pm and/or 1pm - 5pm, Monday- Friday. you have the choice of volunteering for either the full day or just half a day; If you would like to mix an intensive Spanish language course with your volunteer placement please inform us during application.

Project dress code

because you will be teaching students, you will be expected to dress appropriately. But as some of these workshops will require different attire, you will be provided with detailed project information upon completing an application. Regardless of project dress requirements, provocative and revealing clothing is prohibited and strongly discouraged.

Suggested resources to be brought to project

Donations of books, pens, pencils, notebooks games are always welcomed. If you are considering large quantity donations, please confirm this with uVolunteer so that we can ensure that it is the right kind of donation for the project you will be placed in.

Accommodation

Private Roomed Home stays
For a full cultural immersion, we recommend you stay with an Ecuadorian host family. These are comfortable, secure and sociable lodgings. In addition, you will receive 3 daily meals during your project placement, a private room, laundry service, cleaning service and you will be living in a residential area.
By choosing this type of accommodation you will also be contributing to the economic well being of the participating families by providing an additional source of income and thereby raising their standard of living.

Shared Rooms
If you prefer to share an accomodation with other volunteers or cook and coexist with other foreigners, we offer shared rooms in a hostel. This accommodation will include sleeping quarters, shared showers, kitchen (where you can prepare your meals), dinning room, social area and a small yard. This accommodation does not include food, laundry or a cleaning service.

Activities and Excursions around project location

Quito has plenty of colonial architecture and modern building have been strictly regulated in the Old Town since 1978, when it as declared a UNESCO cultural heritage site. The old centre is full of white washed houses, red tiled roofs and colonial churches, with no flashing neon to disrupt the ambient of the past.
The northern part of the city is the new town, containing modern offices, embassies, shopping centres and airline offices. It is very popular with tourists and almost all travel agencies can be found here. Some of the major sites include the 16th century monastery of San Francisco, a 16th century cathedral and the historic alley of La Ronda, which is the best preserved street in Quito. Other sites include El Panecillo which is a hill with fabulous views of the old town, topped with a statue of the Virgin of Quito. There are a wide variety of museums, numerous colonial churches, several spectacular plazas and open markets at the foot of El Panecillo.