Location
San José, the capital city of Costa Rica, is ringed by lush green mountains, smoldering volcanos, and expansive valleys with tropical jungles. The city itself, bustling with Latin spirit, holds many a sight to see. The projects are located in rural areas throughout Costa Rica, including Agro-Zapotal, Pochete and Cabuya. These areas are surrounded by beautiful views, Caribbean and Pacific beaches, high mountains, and marshy lowlands.
Rural Costa Rica
About the Volunteer project
This program is composed of many community based related projects around San José. Participants can choose from working in a small rural farm community, teaching english in Cabuya and Montezuma, teaching english in Matapolo or working with young people and students on an education and environmental program.
The Rural Farming project is located in an area called Agro-Zapotal. Zapotal is a small rural farming community in the mountains of Miramar de Puntarenas, approximately 3.5 hours from San José by bus and jeep. In this institution, participants will be encouraged to assist and develop various activities in the community. Activities will range from teaching English to working in green houses.
The Environmental and Education project is based in Pochote. This area is a small fishing village at the northern end of Bahía Ballena (Whale Bay) about 5 hours from San José by bus. There is a public school which has 60 students, ages range from 6 to 14 years old This is a unique community project in Costa Rica, recently launched, offering volunteers a special opportunity to be involved in music/culture/education/environment/community development activities in one place.
There are two teaching programs. Teaching English Program in Cabuya and Montezuma located in the Pacific coast in Montezuma, Puntarenas province about 5 hours from San José by bus.There are two schools in the program: Montezuma School, and Cabuya School.The children at the schools are between 7 and 12 years old. Teaching English Program in Matapalo: Matapalo is located in the Pacific coast, in the province of Puntarenas, about 5 hours from San José by bus. Matapalo Elementary and High School program is the biggest school in the area. These students come from families with limited resources.The students at the school are between 7 and 18 years old. Volunteers main duty will be teaching English, or to assist the regular teachers.
Accomodation
The volunteers will live with a host family that offers them a private room and half-board, breakfast & dinner. This is a great opportunity for participants to continue practicing Spanish while they immerse themselves in the Costa Rican culture.
Volunteer work and contribution
Volunteer work in San Jose will depend upon the type of community project taken.
Responsibilites can therefore include but are not limited to:
- Help to develop different activities in the community
- Working in the green house with organic agriculture
- Working in people’s plots (farms, barns and pig sty)
- Teaching English to children and people in various communities
- Assist with actitivies relating to music/culture/education/environment/community development.
- Organizing games and recreational activities
- Assisting teachers with classroom tasks and duties
- Teaching computer skills
- Volunteers are also encouraged to be creative and to bring any of their own personal skills; new ideas are always welcome
First Week Orientation and Spanish Courses
The first week of the minimum two-week program takes place in San Jose. It consists of cultural enrichments and Spanish courses that facilitate acclimation into the Costa Rican culture before the volunteer leaves to the project itself. The courses include Spanish grammar rules, emphasis on pronunciation for increased ease of conversation and allows plenty of practice time for verbal and written Spanish. The goal of this program is to provide the student with basic language skills and functional fluency. Participation in the orientation week is mandatory as it acts as an important stepping stone for the volunteer before traveling into the rural areas where the sea turtles make their nests. (If the participant speaks fluent Spanish before coming on the project, an exception may be made to waive the orientation, though it is highly recommended in order to have the most fulfilling experience. Please contact GoEco to dicuss this option prior to registration.)
The first Monday, at 8am, the participant is asked to take a Spanish test in order to gauge their fluency level and correctly place them into appropriate classes.
Here is an example of an orientation week schedule:
9-12pm Spanish classes
12-1pm Lunch break
1-3pm Spanish classes
3-5pm (Monday-Friday) Dance classes
4-5pm (Wednesday) Costa Rican cooking classes
4-5pm (Tuesday & Thursdays) Additional Conversation classes
4-5pm (Monday) Orientation
Minimum requirements
- Minimum age 18 +
- Minimum 2 weeks stay: 1 week orientation/Spanish course + 1 week at project
- Minimum of basic conversational Spanish
- Able to cope with remote and basic conditions
- Full travel & medical insurance
- Immunizations (please consult your doctor)