Young Adults with Disabilities Empowerment

Project Information

Our volunteers work with young adults at high school level to create a variety of projects which help to give direction, purpose, responsibility, and in some cases financial assistance to the students. This program involves a project, such as building at-home gardens for the students in which they are able to plant vegetables for their family to eat, as well as ornamental and medicinal plants which the students are able to care for and later sell to help their family financially. These projects are a great way for the student to feel that they are helping their family and feel good about themselves through responsibility. These projects are long-term and have long-lasting positive impacts far after our volunteer leaves.
Our volunteers also attend high school with the students and participate in their lessons by offering emotional support, educational assistance, socialization, creativity development, and more. Volunteers with a desire to contribute to the development of students with intellectual and physical challenges are welcome to join our project in Costa Rica. Volunteers. Volunteers will work with students with a wide range of physical and intellectual disabilities.

Volunteers in this project will be expected to be open minded, patient, caring, and self-starters (able to recognize what needs to be done or who needs to be helped). Volunteers will take care of children and should do so with a caring, positive attitude. Volunteers are expected to maintain a professional attitude and help with whatever task needed. Volunteers will also be asked to tutor or teach a special skill set and create a class or workshop for them in a particular skill the volunteer has. General tasks include providing care, feeding, physical therapy, education, vocational skills-development, recreation and stimulation, as well as help with cleaning and maintaining facilities. The objective of the volunteer is to work closely alongside the center staff to promote better health and wellbeing outcomes, while engaging in a two-way cross-cultural learning exchange with the people you are working with and caring for.

Additional Information

It is incredibly beneficial to have exposure to native English speakers, and it is also a wonderful opportunity for participants to brush up on what they learned in school! If you are interested in also obtaining a TEFL certification while volunteering with us, please contact us directly.

Skills & Qualifications

Beginner to intermediate knowledge of Spanish is preferred (but not mandatory). If a volunteer cannot speak Spanish, we suggest that he or she enrolls in our Spanish language program. There are no specific qualifications needed to join this volunteer project in Costa Rica. All volunteers are expected to be open-minded, flexible, patient, and to possess a passion and love for the volunteer service they are providing. This project is best suited to volunteers of a caring and compassionate nature who are patient, and willing to help with a range of duties. Medical students or healthcare professionals who are seeking physiotherapy volunteer opportunities are also able to support physical therapy while volunteering at the centers.
*You will have the opportunity to become involved with numerous volunteer projects while in Costa Rica. You will not be confined to the one project you register for; there is a lot of flexibility. Volunteers typically work on numerous projects with different partners and you will be able to learn about other options available upon your arrival..

PROGRAM

FEES