Michael Everts, Montana State University
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I am a professor of architecture and was travelling with 11 architecture students to Buenos Aires on February 2012.
Our visit and work in the ecological and cooperative farm was a great chance for the architecture students to experience concepts of sustainability. The class volunteered and learned with Voluntario Global team in a farm located outside of Buenos Aires. The farm will become a market for local farmers to sell their crops. The students worked to build a bamboo fence around the property.
All the South America trip full of learning and volunteer: http://merge-emerge2012.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/ecological-farm.html
Patrick Bourgeois, Cégep Régional de Lanaudière à L'Assomption
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This is Patrick Bourgeois from Canada. I had the first opportunity to meet Voluntario Global with my group of students in 2012. We had the opportunity, through you and Voluntario Global, to visit the community center in La Boca and the kindergarten in the outskirt of Buenos Aires (I still have the little puppet we made with the kids!) and last year we had the chance to have you present the actions of Voluntario Global at your office. This was a very touching moment for me and my group! They talked a lot about our meeting and how they were impressed of your actions and I think they were inspired by it (I know I was!).
Our last visit in 2014 was amazing as usual. Rocio, the coordinator was very friendly and I and students appreciated talking to her! I hope she did'nt thing we were talking to much! I know I talk a lot! Still, I've let her talk enough to learn a lot about Argentina!
It really was a memorable experience for me and my students! Some of the students are aiming for a career in education, so I think that it will be even more interesting for them!
Steven Page, Portsmouth Grammar School
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I am a graduate of Modern Languages (Spanish, French & Catalan) and am a fully qualified secondary school teacher with 20 years of Spanish teaching experience with students of 11-18 years old in England.
As a teacher, my aim was always to convert my experiences of volunteering in Voluntario Global's projects into a new initiative involving organising a regular school trip to give young students an opportunity to see, at first hand, what life in Argentina is like for its inhabitants, not least those living in barrios lacking the resources and facilities that they, at home, take for granted. I have accompanied school groups to Buenos Aires to work with Voluntario Global in 2009, 2010 and 2014, so over 50 students in total. But the initial idea has become so much more than a mere "school trip".
Students have also returned independently to work with Voluntario Global in 2010, 2011, 2012, and next in January 2016. Voluntario Global have supported this initiative 100% and have enhanced our plans taking us to projects in La Boca, Isla Maciel & José Leon Suarez. Understanding, trust and co-operation have been the keys to our mutual success. In 2015 I had the chance to welcome 2 students from Argentina to experience life at my school and gain teaching experience. I look forward to working with Valeria and the whole team of co-ordinators again in the near future. I cannot recommend highly enough the professionalism and care that Voluntario Global shows to its foreign volunteers.
Paul Von Zielbauer, Roadmonkey
Roadmonkey Adventure Philanthropy
Santa Monica, California, United States of America
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Roadmonkey and Voluntario Global created in two opportunities a 10 days volunteer project and community based exchange 2011 and 2012 for group of around 8 young professional people each time. We spent 1 week working in cooperation with Voluntario Global in March 2011. We'll be working side-by-side with the community renovating a local primary school for 3-5 year old children and build them a community garden.
In our second visit we help to improve a Laundry cooperative youth painting, fixing an improving administration and management meanwhile we learn Spanish and share the Argentinean culture.
Michael Flynn, Global Work Camps
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Website: http://www.globalworkcamps.org/argentina/
Global Work Camps a non-profit organization from USA. I have great memories about 2011 collaboration and partnership. We have successfully included in website the programs offered by Voluntario Global for volunteers and student groups. We would be more than happy to resume our previous collaboration and continue further more studying abroad, learning Spanish and making tourism.
Beatriz Comte, Academic Coordinator
Luz M. Avruj, Service Learning Teacher
Fundación Ortega y Gasset, Argentina
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In the class of Service Learning at Fundación Ortega y Gasset, students have the responsibility to attend class and participate in a voluntary activity selected for them, based on their interests and training. And our students choose to do their volunteer experiences with Voluntario Global. We understand that meeting local people, not just those that kindly smile at them behind the counter of a tourist attraction, contact with reality in all its complexity, not just what is carefully prepared to look like tourists, be able talking with real people in real contexts, travel there as do the people who live there, it all helps in understanding the complexity of our reality. Also these communities provide students with opportunities to think and act differently, to facilitate the construction of a different world.
For all this, when we think about volunteering for our students not only we not only think that preparing or serving food in a soup kitchen or playing with children living in disadvantaged areas, but we think of a comprehensive process that includes such tasks associated with a process learning and wider and Global Volunteer helps us to meet our and our students goals.
STUDENT'S TESTIMONIALS
Sophie Whitehead
Portsmouth Grammar School, UK
My experience in Argentina was a life changing one that allowed me the opportunity to throw myself into a totally different and exciting culture. My work with Voluntario Global was by far one of the highlights of my trip, allowing me the unique opportunity to work with nurseries over there and meet a range of wonderful people. Playing with the children was such a special opportunity and truly one of the most enriching experiences, sharing stories and playing with toys. I would recommend volunteering here wholeheartedly, it taught me such a range of skills and also allowed me to grow as a person. The people are so friendly and truly make you feel so much at home. A life-changing trip.
Darcy Hyatt
Portsmouth Grammar School, UK
My visit to Buenos Aires was a great experience, one I will never forget. I have a lot to thank to Voluntario Global as I would have never had so many opportunities to discover Buenos Aires without them. I would thoroughly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a life changing educational experience.
