Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
2 Mar 2024
Reply rate
81.8 %
Usually responds within 12 days
Feedback
39
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Details
Description
We are a catholic school. We have 40 students from ages 7 to 35. The school is also a boarding school for 24 children who live in villages outside of San Gil. School goes from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. In the afternoon students have arts and crafts, music and dance, theater, swimming lessons, speech therapy, and sports. After 4 pm those who live in San Gil leave, and the boarding school kids stay, and the afternoon program starts. You will be welcome to support us during the mornings or afternoons.
We provide innovative neurological rehabilitation programs for kids with cognitive, physical, and intellectual disabilities as well as a personalized educational program that enhances reading, writing, and memory skills. We are a diverse group of professionals working together to create a loving, positive, and caring environment for our students and the best programs to develop independence, inclusion, productivity, and excellence in all areas.
It is our goal to educate families and communities about the great potential of those kids with special needs and to provide a space for our volunteers where they can learn to accept and believe in their capacities and develop compassion and kindness towards this vulnerable population.
In the last few years, we have been affected by the financial crisis after the pandemic, so your help and your expertise are highly appreciated during this time. We are absolutely sure you will live an experience of a lifetime. Their love is definitely the most wonderful skill they have, the one that really matters after all.
Can't wait to meet you!!Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity WorkArt ProjectsHelp with Eco ProjectsTeachingGardeningDIY and building projectsFarmstay helpBabysitting and creative playHelp around the houseCultural exchange and learning opportunities
Learning to believe in the potential that special needs kids have and contributing to their learning and rehabilitation environment, not only creates big and important changes in their lives but whoever is involved in any of these processes is impacted in every way. We believe that developing compassion, kindness, understanding, tolerance, patience, caring, and love while caring for those in need is to make this world a better place. The prejudice and negative approaches to this vulnerable population are something that must be changed. Our families, communities, towns, and countries will be less hostile places for these kids to live if we all learn to appreciate their joy, innocence, intelligence, and love.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are looking for compassionate, patient, kind, energetic, caring, fun, creative, and responsible young professionals that would like to participate in the everyday activities at the school and teach our students: Languages (English, French, Italian, Portuguese), sports, culture, arts and crafts and of course be willing to create a big impact in our students and the school community. If you have worked with youth with special needs, or you have been a camp counselor, special needs teacher or teacher assistant, English as a second language instructor, or have any experience working or living with special needs people, we are looking for you! we believe that the interaction, challenges, and learning experiences you will have by working with these kids will change your life completely, and together we can contribute to making their lives more exciting, fulfilling, and magical. You may be shadowing a specific student with autistic, cognitive, or physical impairment or assisting a class of 15 students. You will definitely learn Spanish! so basic Spanish skills are required. You can contribute in any major area which you feel more comfortable with such as academic activities, cooking classes, art and crafts, sports, horse therapy swimming lessons, agriculture...etc.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.Accommodation
The school will provide a private room with a shared bathroom for the duration of the volunteer program. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner will be provided from Monday to Friday with the students (except bank holidays). Vegan and gluten-free diets are difficult to accommodate, but if you bring your own food will be easier. Most of our volunteers like to travel around San Gil and visit local towns during the weekends, you can leave your stuff at the school and travel around on Saturday and Sunday and enjoy the cool vibes of San Gil and Barichara.
What else ...
San Gil is the Adventure Capital of Colombia, there are beautiful sights and places to explore. You will have weekends packed with extreme activities. We recommend you budget your stay at a local hostel during the weekends so you can have more time off and explore this magical territory. The school is located in a rural area 20 minutes by bus from San Gil downtown. Barichara is only 30 minutes from San Gil, Bucaramanga 2 hours, and the spectacular Chicamocha Canyon is only 45 minutes away. You can do bungee jumping, rafting, caving, ziplining, paragliding, rappeling, mountain biking, and hundreds of hikes!!! believe us you will never get bored!!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (13)
Feedback
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Los alumnos son increibles apprendí mucho con ellos !
Este momento quedara grabado en mi corazon para siempre !
Un abrazo !
MERCI mon ami!!
Carolina welcomed us all with open arms and made us feel so loved and cared for during our time there, always going out her way to make sure we were looking after ourselves and balancing our needs.
The teachers at the school are literal hero’s,… read more
To give us a full morning workshop in Spanish about sensory integration and help our team side by side with our autistic kids never putting a tired face in front of them for a month! just showed me how incredible her determination, knowledge, courage, and love for our kids were!!!. She is truly… read more
Fui por un mes, y me quedé tres. En ese tiempo recibí más abrazos que en muchos años, pude vivir el amor y la felicidad
Los niños son adorables, los profesores son extraordinarios, las hermanas, la Dra Carolina, Carolina Villamizar, Sergio, la Sra… read more