By Flickr user KitKat (Creative Commons)

You may have noticed there hasn’t been much going on with La Vida Idealist since 2011 began.

We haven’t forgotten about you. Our bloggers are still making a difference. And we’re still striving to make this blog your one-stop shop for learning about the world of free service opportunities.

The truth? We’re bringing on a brand new editorial team. But we need a bit of time to make that transition.

So please hang on tight. We’ll be back up and running with voices old and new from the field shortly.

The city of Culiacán in western Mexico is rife with gang violence due to the ever burgeoning drug trade. So Reyes thought one way to tackle the problem was by asking people in the community to voluntarily give up their guns. Idealistic, yes. But a waste of time, no.

Television ads invited citizens to hand in guns in exchange for coupons they could trade for appliances and electronics. Strikingly, 1537 guns were collected. What Reyes did next was melt the weapons, and sent them to a factory to be turned into shovels. The shovels – with this story imprinted on its handles – were then passed along to schools and art institutions so that people could use them to plant trees. Says Reyes of the project, “This ritual has a pedagogical purpose of showing how an agent of death can become an agent of life.”

Photos of Reyes' shovels from Flickr user dalbera (Creative Commons)

An inspiring, poetic sentiment. I love how these guns – ugly, harsh, destructive, heavy – were transformed to create something beautiful, ethereal, nurturing and protective.

But in such a violent city, did the handing over of guns compromise the safety of its citizens when it came to self-defense? Just who are the people who turned them in, and was that number enough to make an impact? Could the guns somehow have been utilized differently to generate money for youth educational programs or create alternative opportunities for those looking to get out of the drug trade?

Regardless, I’m amazed by the community’s solidarity in response to such a widespread and deep-rooted problem.  And how this project — started in a small city – has since planted its seeds beyond Mexico. Those shovels broke ground in places such as Vancouver, San Francisco, Paris, and Denver.

What do you think? Is this a good idea that could work elsewhere in Latin America?

Celeste Hamilton is back in the United States after living in Buenos Aires for 2 1/2 years. At the time of writing, she is pining for Argentine humor, dramatic tango performances and gritty graffiti.

As I write this post, it’s 2:19p.m. in Portland, Oregon. Over the last 24 hours I’ve played Bananagrams, eaten bulgogi, walked through a rose garden, read a few pages from a novel, wrote a paragraph in my short story, and was introduced to zumba. But what about the rest of the world? What did my friends in Buenos Aires do? Or the Guyanese host family I used to live with when I first started the Peace Corps? On 10/10/10, thanks to One Day on Earth, I’ll be able to find out.

One Day on Earth is asking you, me, and the rest of the world to film something you’re inspired by on that day, with the hope of creating a time capsule that documents our collective struggles and triumphs. You don’t have to be a seasoned filmmaker to participate—cell phones and digital cameras work just as well—and everything is fair game. The collected footage will then be archived in a database for anyone to access at anytime, with select footage to be used in a feature documentary.

If you’re passionate about social change, One Day on Earth might just be the platform for you. One goal of One Day on Earth is to highlight stories that can have a potential impact. For individuals, it’s a great way to raise awareness about issues you care about and provide nonprofits with media they can use in the future. For organizations, it’s a great way to gain support, promote your mission, benefit from media creation, and of course, showcase all the amazing work already being done. Rally for Iraq, for example, will be filming challenges faced by Iraqi students. The Red Cross, on the other hand, will be reaching out to their community in a call to action called My Day, My Impact.

Sure, coordinated international movements aren’t a new thing. (Think everything from Pangea Day to simultaneous dancing of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to 350.org’s Global Work Party.) But while One Day on Earth is still very grassroots right now, its scope is wide and its heart big. “We are creating a unique collaborative global venue and community dedicated to gaining a better understanding of humanity,” says director Kyle Reddick. It’s citizen journalism on a truly worldwide scale—and it’s it’s no surprise that almost 3,000 participants from over 150 countries are already on board. There are also more than 200 schools around the globe whose students will have a lens in hand.

As for me, I’ll be in New York on October 10, having friends film my wedding. What about you? Which story will you tell?

If you know any individuals and/or nonprofits in Latin America that might want to participate, please help spread the word.

They were able to get married because Argentina just recently passed a law that legalized gay marriage. Even though same-sex couples in Mexico City can wed, Argentina’s law is the first of its kind in Latin America, as it applies to the entire country. One of the most traditionally Roman Catholic nations legalized gay marriage. (Do you hear that U.S.?) Of course, it wasn’t without opposition from the church. But president Cristina Kirchner - typically perceived as corrupt and calculating – signed it into effect anyway.

Photo from Creative Commons via Flickr user blmurch

So what does this legally mean for gay Argentine couples? They’re able to adopt. They have the right to inheritance. And of course, they have all the other rights that hetereosexual couples do, the most important right being the one to love each other without shame. On public record. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about all of my gay friends back in Buenos Aires where I lived for the past 2 1/2 years and it’s taking a lot of self-control to just make this blog one run on sentence full of exclamation marks. I also can’t help but think of all the people I’ve known throughout my life, gay or not, whose small contributions to this important struggle for human rights have led to this moment.

What does this mean for gay foreigners who live or travel to Argentina? Can they marry? Gay tourism is huge in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, and its expected to increase because of this law. But same-sex couples will need to become residents of Argentina before becoming eligible, a process that I can attest to can take years to happen.

Argentina has its fair share of problems, including a horrendous subway system, outdated bureaucracy, government corruption, and remnants of a brutal dictatorship. While legalizing gay marriage doesn’t make any of those problems go away or seem okay, it gives me hope that things can change. And when people ask me about why I love Argentina, I can now proudly add gay marriage to the roster of steak, ice cream and tango.

What do you think? Has Argentina set a precedent that other Latin American nations will follow?

Celeste Hamilton just recently relocated to Portland, OR after living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a couple of years. If you’re excited as she is about the new law and are interested in becoming involved with LGBTQ causes in Argentina, check out Federación Argentina LGBT, Comunidad Homosexual Argentina and Sigla.

Every year more and more people are traveling to Latin America to live, work, travel, and learn. And while these adventure seekers continue to check out the vast cultural, social, and environmental riches of the region—from the samba to tango, the Panama Canal to Patagonia—they are also increasingly looking for new ways to get involved. Instead of simply being a guest in their host communities, many are seeking to connect on a deeper level by helping out in whatever way they can – as volunteers, interns, friends, colleagues, and leaders.

Bloggers Dan Malin and Lauren Foukes spell out LVI pride

If this sounds like you, share your experiences via the La Vida Idealist blog!

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, then you’ll know that La Vida Idealist is a group blog that gathers stories and resources from idealists throughout Latin America into one space. From simple steps for volunteering abroad to dealing with conflicting emotions post-experience, creating your own volunteer project to musings on what it means to be a foreigner, the wealth of information you will find spans a wide range of topics. By including an array of voices that speak to the positive and not-so-positive aspects of community work abroad, we hope to inspire you, to support you, but most importantly, to help you remember that you are not alone in your own journey.

Currently, we are looking to expand our community of bloggers to include voices from countries we haven’t yet covered. So if you’re already rolling your r’s (or are about to) and have a knack for storytelling, we’d love to hear from you. To learn more and apply, go to: http://idealist.org/lavida/bloggeropp

From doing Google searches and coming across threads like this one on Lonely Planet’s Thorntree Forum, I knew it was going to be controversial. In a way, though, that was part of the reason why the description about Marcelo Armstrong’s tour in the Lonely Planet book was appealing:

The pioneer of favela tourism, Marcelo takes small groups to visit the favelas of Rocinha and Vila Canoas near São Conrado, where he does an excellent job explaining the social and political context of the favela in relation to greater Rio de Janeiro. Marcelo’s outfit donates a portion of its profits to favela social projects.

I wanted to go because I was curious, especially after reading fellow blogger Jamie Worms‘ insightful posts into favela life. I didn’t want to just spend time on the beaches in Copacabana and Ipanema without ever knowing what more than half of Rio’s population lived like. I wanted to learn more.

But I admit I was initially hesitant. I was worried that it would be a voyeuristic gawking at the poor, and I would be stuck with loud travelers who would make ignorant and inappropriate comments. It turned out to be neither.

Instead of Marcelo, the very knowledgeable Simone was our English-speaking guide, and she set a respectful tone from the outset. (There was one American who joked,”I need to put my wallet away before it gets robbed,” and she quickly gave him a look. There were no more jokes after that.) We all got in a large van and went first to Vila Canoas, a smaller favela, where we were allowed to get out and walk around.

It was what you would expect – houses upon houses on top of each other and narrow alleyways right across the street from an affluent neighborhood. I don’t know Portuguese so unfortunately I couldn’t speak to any of the residents, but it was cool just to be able to walk around in their footsteps, albeit briefly. I was most struck by a mural of the garbage collectors which was painted as a homage to their hard work, some of which includes making sure trash doesn’t clog up the dam in a small river that randomly runs through the favela. We also had the chance to visit Para Ti, a school that has already sent an unprecedented 70 kids to university, thanks in part to proceeds from the tour.

Our next and final stop was the Rocinha favela, the largest out of the 800 favelas that are related to the drug trade. Some interesting facts I learned while standing on a rooftop overlooking the community:

* The drug lord has been in the game for over 20 years now, and moves houses every eight days.
* He WANTS the tour. So do many other drug lords. That way, it shows favelas are safe. In fact, every Saturday night there is a Baile Funk party for cariocas and residents alike.
* And you know what? For the most part they are. Well, so they say. The drug lords are determined to make sure that the drug hand-offs happen only at the gate, where people from different social classes come to get their fix.
* The police stand next to the gates and often, turn the other cheek. Anybody who has watched Season 3 of HBO’s The Wire and remembers Hamsterdam knows what I’m talking about.
* Speaking of The Wire, there is a hierarchial system that involves managers, watchers, and dealers who are the drug lord’s eyes, ears and hands. Kids as young as ten years old will be watchers and the problem is, once they’re in they can’t get it out. Sadly, they’re in the game for life because they know the faces of all of the players.
* If you see different colored fireworks set off in the favelas, something is up: Green = Marijuana shipment; White = Cocaine shipment; Red = Gang war.

Of course, it’s not all about the drugs. The city government, for one, is currently building a large hospital in Rocinha. And there are a ton of awesome social projects created by the communities themselves that are positively addressing problems in the favelas.

At the end of the day, I can’t say that I know what it’s like to live in a favela. I couldn’t communicate and really learn about what daily life was like, something I loved as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guyana. But the tour was informative, interesting and useful – and I left not only eager to learn more but wanting to do something, anything, to contribute to the communities I visited.

What do you think? Do tours such as these hurt or help the favelas?

La Vida Idealist was created in August with the goal of better supporting you, from helping you take that first step toward volunteering abroad to providing you with information on how to make the most of your experience in-country. Most importantly, however, we want to build a community of like-minded idealists who have a specific interest in Latin America. And a community only thrives if everyone’s voice is heard.

So if you have any ideas, questions, and/or problems related to the site and its content or simply want to shower us with love, please let us know. We promise we’ll listen.

Interested in learning more about what others are doing in Latin America? Stay updated by subscribing to our feed, following La Vida Idealist on Twitter and/or joining our Idealists in Latin America Facebook group.

Even though I now love the color pink (and I don’t wear make-up or feel affection toward cats), I still felt a little uncomfortable when I heard about the pink taxis in Puebla, Mexico. To reduce the amount of sexual harassment, the city has made available taxis for women and driven by women, including offering free beauty kits in the backseat. Besides giving women a safe haven from leering and jeering men, this new service has also opened up a traditionally male-dominated profession, increasing the amount of jobs. It’s a direct nod to the ladies special trains in India, and the all-female train cars in countries such as Japan and Brazil.

While I do think it’s an interesting idea as rapes and harassment still happen frequently, part of me can’t swallow not only the color but how it promotes segregation (Civil Rights era, anyone?). And as a band-aid solution, it simply isn’t sustainable. More than just reacting to the situation, a proactive approach needs to be taken as well. Help to alter existing attitudes by empowering men and boys, and a deeper seeded change might just happen. The Working Boys Center in Ecuador – whose programs seek to “strengthen union, mutual respect and solidarity of the family and the community” – is a great model to look to.

Still, while it hasn’t happened to me, I’ve had female friends who have been rubbed up on in subway cars and flashed at in metro stations. They’ve felt frustrated, violated and angry. So if being able to sit in peace on the way to work or school makes women’s lives easier, why not have ladies-only rides? And as a woman myself, I can’t deny it’s appeal.

What do you think? Is this a good idea that should continue to be replicated in other cities around the world?

Of course, this blog is for you, the reader. We hope you learned about what it’s like to be a volunteer in Latin America, felt more confident to take that first step, found some opportunities, were inspired to have your own adventures, didn’t feel bored and more. Thanks so much for following along.

So what’s in store for 2010? Well, for one, we’ll be adding 14 writers to the roster. The new bloggers range from a Kiva Fellow in Bolvia to a volunteer empowering girls in Costa Rica to a co-coordinator of a nonprofit in Mexico, just to name a few.

We’ll also be incorporating more good ideas from around Latin America, and will be adding two new regular features: one that highlights the work of photojournalists traveling around the continent and another that showcases local perspectives.

As always, we welcome guest writers to submit an entry or two from time to time. So if you have a great story or resource you would like to share, please let us know.

Thanks again for reading, and see you in 2010. Feliz Año Nuevo!

Check out this one-minute how-to!

Erin Barnhart, Idealist.org’s Director of Volunteerism Initiatives and mastermind behind our International Volunteer Resource Center, gives a brief step-by-step guide to help make your dream become a reality. When’s the last time you heard inspiration in just 60 seconds?