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Tätigkeiten, die mich interessieren:
I'm in Toronto right now and will be ready to continue volunteering starting April 9th
Beschreibung
Hey there! My name is Valentina and I'm a 28 year old visual artist and chef living in Montreal, QC Canada. I am originally from Bogota, Colombia but I grew up all around the world, moving to Panama, Dubai, Malaysia and Canada. I've lived in Montreal for about 9 years now and I'm ready for a change! I have a BFA in Studio Arts, and a double minor in Psychology and Sustainability Studies. Currently, I’m getting ready apply for a Master’s degree in Art Therapy. My career interests are quite varied, including childhood, mental health, and marginalized communities, including refugees, and neurodivergent and disabilities communities.
I've been very blessed to have been able to travel with my family to many places all over the world. Because of these experiences, I have come to understand that going to new places and meeting new people and their traditions is the best way to grow as a person since you have to constantly go outside of your comfort zone, problem-solve, and rely on the kindness of strangers. I'm interested in visiting new places with cultures that continue to have strong ties to their ancient land and traditions, like Portugal, Turkey, Nepal, Tanzania, and Namibia.
My first workaway was back in the summer of 2015 (May, June) at a small organic farm in Chenaud, France. To this day, I look back at the two months I spent working and learning from Genevieve and Eric, with their horse, Tania, working in the garden, meeting and training other volunteers, spending my spare time reading, making art and socializing by the river, as some of my best memories. This experience only served to strengthen my passion for hard work, nature, creativity, and living and sharing with new caring, diverse and inclusive communities of lovely people.
It wasn’t until 2024 that I began volunteering again, this time in three places across Colombia- a farmstead in Suesca, Cundinamarca, a small English institute in Barbosa, Santander and Colegio Fundación Marillac, an incredible school run by catholic sisters providing care and a decent education to vulnerable children and youth with various physical and mental disabilities. The experiences I had while volunteering and the people I connected with made this time in Colombia a truly magical learning experience. I am absolutely thrilled to continue volunteering at places like these.
I love to make art and read and learn about anything and everything. I also love cooking, hiking, gardening, connecting with children, being helpful, and I looove animals. My curiosity and yearning for personal growth continually drive me towards my dream to be an Art Therapist, and keep me always motivated to do and give my very best and learn as much as possible from every experience.
Lao Tzu said, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Every day I take a new step, and I am now well on the journey of my lifetime. Will our paths cross?
I hope they do :)
Interessengebiete
Wassersport
Radfahren
Erlebnissportarten
Natur
Politik & Soziales
Yoga / Wellness
Outdoor-Aktivitäten
Selbstentwicklung
Nachhaltigkeit
Haustiere
Fotografie
Gärtnern
Geschichte
Wandern
Film & Fernsehen
Gebirge
Gartenarbeiten
Farmarbeit
Kultur
Heimwerken & DIY
Zeichnen & Malen
Kochen & Backen
Karitative Arbeiten
Camping
Bücher
Kunst & Design
Strand
Architektur
Tiere
Sprachen
Gesprochene Sprachen
Englisch: Fließend
Spanisch: Fließend
Französisch: Gute KenntnisseMehr Infos zu meinen Sprachinteressen
I have a little experience teaching english and I'd be happy to do it again.
Bereiche, die mich interessieren oder in denen ich anderen etwas beibringen kann
Interessiert mich:
Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten
Betreuung von Tieren
Babysitten und Kinderbetreuung
Unterrichten
Bereits etwas Erfahrung vorhanden
Gartenarbeiten
Handwerkliche Arbeiten
Ökoprojekte
Tourismus / Gastgewerbe
Hilfe mit Computer /Internet
Karitative Arbeit
Seniorenbetreuung
Hausarbeiten
In der Lage, anderen etwas beizubringen:
Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie
Sprachen
Kunstprojekte
Was könntest du arbeiten?
My first workaway was back in the summer of 2015 (May, June) at a small organic farm in Chenaud, France. To this day, I look back at the two months I spent working and learning from Genevieve and Eric, with their horse, Tania, working in the garden, meeting and training other volunteers, spending my spare time reading, making art and socializing by the river, as some of my best memories. This experience only served to strengthen my passion for hard work, nature, creativity, and living and sharing with new caring, diverse and inclusive communities of lovely people.
It wasn’t until 2024 that I began volunteering again, this time in three places across Colombia- a farmstead in Suesca, Cundinamarca, a small English institute in Barbosa, Santander and Colegio Fundación Marillac in San Gil, Santander, an incredible alternative school run by catholic sisters providing care and a decent education to vulnerable children and youth with various physical and mental disabilities.
— Skills —
Experience with Children:
Back in 2016, I lead a short MAD science workshop in a primary school here in Montreal with 3rd and 4th graders. I have experience generally working with children and running workshops.
In December 2024 I worked with children again in an English institute, helping to run an educational english-langauge summer programme in Colombia. The best part of this experience was bonding with the children, and witnessing and supporting their development.
Experience working with people with disabilities, people who are neurodivergent, and other marginalized communities:
I spent the last two years volunteering at the Center for the Arts in Human Development, a non-profit org in Montreal which focuses on including people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent into the greater university and city community through creative arts therapies in individual and group settings. This was an incredibly inspiring and humbling experience which continually drives my passion for art therapy, as I just felt so much joy and fulfillment helping others and belonging to such an inclusive and kind community.
In February of 2025 I had one of my best volunteering experiences yet at Colegio Fundación Marillac in San Gil, Santander, an incredible alternative school run by catholic sisters providing care and a decent education to vulnerable children and youth with various physical and mental disabilities. Here the curriculum is tailored to the needs of the students, with time included for hydrotherapy, equine therapy, music therapy, physical education and ecotherapy. The experiences I had while volunteering and the people I connected with made this time in Colombia a truly magical learning experience. I am absolutely thrilled to continue volunteering at places like these.
I am currently completing a counselling certificate, which is already teaching me a lot about what it means to support someone else's growth, and the qualities and skills that I need to become the best healer I can be and help as much as I can to ease suffering.
Art Projects:
I'm a visual artist so I have a lot of experience brainstorming, visualizing and executing works of art including commissioned works and murals. I have a strong knowledge basis of many art techniques and materials, which I can teach others through classes and workshops.
Gardening/ Eco-projects:
When I worked in the farm in Chenaud, France, some of my tasks were: sowing seeds, watering plants, laying down watering systems, placing hay as mulch to protect growing plants and retain water, planting seedlings, weeding, transporting hay, soil and organic fertilizer on wheelbarrows throughout the farm, reaping harvest, weighing and preparing freshly picked veggies for the Sunday markets, and tending the market stall, interacting with customers. I also really enjoyed helping to train the two volunteers who arrived after me.
I also have experience with urban food production, and I'm currently on my fourth year of having a balcony garden. I live on the third floor of a triplex here in MTL and even though I only have my back balcony to work with and a short growing season, I have managed to grow tomatoes, potatoes, beans, peas, strawberries, herbs, kale, spinach, swiss chard, and even a small watermelon and squashes! (as well as different kinds of native and wild flowers for our pollinator friends!)
Housekeeping/ General Maintenance:
In the farm, we lived communally, so we had house keeping tasks like preparing communal meals, cleaning the main house, tending to Tania, the horse, and other general handy-person chores that we would take turns doing.
Cooking/ Food Production:
I have four years of professional cooking experience and love experimenting with new ingredients and techniques, like fermenting, curing, baking, canning, and making things like yogurt, breads, conserves and even summer wines! I love food and believe that to make the best dishes you just need high quality simple local ingredients, in a true soil-to-mouth relationship. I would love to learn about foraging so if you know anything about it, I'm all ears!
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