Tutoring Children and Teenagers in a Neighbourhood Organization

Volunteering Placement Code: 008-AR-CHT-ESQ-EC

City/Province/Country: Esquel - Chubut - Argentina

Host Organization Description: The Barrio Badén organization provides social support to children, teenagers and adults of the Baden neighbourhood in the Patagonian city of Esquel. Children of different ages participate in free activities during the morning and then have breakfast and lunch at the organization. During the afternoon, several workshops are offered both to children and adults such as cooking, sowing, handcrafts, computer literacy, etc.

The organization receives about 50 participants, most of whom live in the neighbourhood, including children, teenagers and adults.

Volunteering Placement Description: As a volunteer in this organization, your responsibility will be to tutor children and teenagers through workshops and non-formal educational activities on the organization’s premises. Activities will be organized according to your experience and preference, and the interests of the participants.

Some of the possible options are:

• music workshop
• sports, games and outdoor activities
• radio and communication workshop
• computer literacy classes
• handcrafts workshop
• etc.

Objectives: The aim of this volunteering placement is that you offer support to the children and teenagers of the neighbourhood organization, that you help them acquire non-formal education knowledge, and that you interact with them in a creative and productive way.

Requirements: For this volunteering placement you need to have studies and/or experience in the field of education and the treatment of children and/or teenagers. You also need to be flexible, proactive, creative, and able to work self-sufficiently. Good group command and communication skills are very useful for this volunteering placement.

Languages: Intermediate level of Spanish (you need to be able to communicate fluently with the children)

Minimum and Maximum Length: 2 months minimum – flexible maximum

Ideal Start Date: Flexible

Timetable: 20 - 25 weekly hours, timetable to be agreed upon with the host organization coordinator

Last Page Update: June 2008

Comments from Former Tutoring Volunteers

In the neighbourhood centre "Asociación Barrio Badén" I worked with children between 5-12 Years whose families mostly come from a Mapuche background. I helped with everyday work and offered different projects where I conveyed for example juggling or how to use the PC. I was able to use my pedagogical experiences and got a very intimate look at the lives of the children and also their problems and beliefs. Since I could offer them some new ideas and choices, I was rather popular. All the children were very curious and open-minded to learn something new.

I recommend this work very much for people who like working with children pedagogically. Here you can try without pressure to convey in projects different things to children. In any case you will meet curious children.

Johannes - Germany - January/February 2008

To work with kids was great, they were all interested and happy. We had unforgettable moments together. I´m sure that neither they nor I will forget the great times we had.

Looking after kids gave me the opportunity to understand the problems that confront them these days, not just here, but everywhere. But also to realise that these problems are not anything insoluble if we have the chance, lets support them in any way we can, from building institutions to just giving them a space to be heard.

David - Mexico - July 2009

Pictures of the Badén Neighbourhood Organization