Over the past few weeks, I had a chance to meet with four energetic volunteer coordinators at nonprofits based in Antigua, Guatemala, with programs all over the country. For the next few posts I’d like to share some of their thoughts with you on volunteers and volunteering. I started out each inte[...]
Author Archive
Panning for Gold: Plucking Out the Nonprofit Gems
I have to admit, when I first applied to be a volunteer at Common Hope, I was a little wary of a nonprofit that promoted individual sponsorships of children. Upon hearing “sponsorship,” my mind filled with grainy television images of a malnourished child standing in a desert plain while a boomin[...]
September 11th, 2009 - 4:58 pm § in In the Field, Tips & Resources
Help! I’ve Reached the Foreign Language Flatlands!
I’ve often thought that one of these days, after I’ve mastered Spanish, I’ll take on Italian, or Portuguese, or perhaps even Kaqchiquel. Yet after a total of 18 years of study (12 years of formal Spanish classes followed by six years of immersion in a Spanish-speaking country), I still make pl[...]
Volunteering 101: Interview Yourself
There’s been a lot of exciting dialogue lately on the blog about how to get started on an altruistic adventure in Latin America. I’d like to take a step back in the process, suggesting a few key questions for volunteers to answer before getting in contact with nonprofit organizations: What are t[...]
Shared Dreams
In a serendipitous coincidence with my new tasks on the Literacy Spark Team, an invitation found its way into my hands from the Riecken Foundation to attend a presentation about their local programs. I’d previously heard great things about Riecken’s work with libraries and was curious to learn m[...]
Spark Teams: Promoting Innovation
Chispudo refers to a person who is proactive, perceptive, curious and clever. It’s a guatemaltequismo, a word found only in Guatemala, which plays with the word in Spanish for spark, chispa, turning it into a personal attribute for those people capable of generating sparks in the different facet[...]
Tropicalizándose: From Temporary Volunteer to Permanent Resident
The term “tropicalizar” graced my ears during my first year in Guatemala when I was working on a research project with a dear former colleague. I’d written up a brief status report about the course of our investigations, evaluating our organization’s impact on education and health measures, [...]
