Kids Explorer (Scouts)

Our Kids Explorer Program is an holistic program focusing on environmental education and social integration of local kids. During the week volunteers will offer different workshops to teach ways to safe the environment and during the weekend volunteers and staff members will take the kids on small camping trips into the rainforest.

Our ‘Explorer’ kids program (scouts) is another strategy that we are developing to give a new perspective of life to this Amazonian community. Our vision is to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children by creating a safe environment for healthy physical, social, and emotional development. We want to encourage a passion and respect for the natural world to help transition eager young minds into caring, socially-conscious global citizens. Through connection with nature we can nurture a better understanding of the environment while improving their interpersonal skills with one another and other adults.                                                                                                                                                  

This trips need to be well prepared such as packing equipment, informing the kids about risks and rules and sharing out tasks. During the trip volunteers not only assist us with supervising the kids, but also introducing games for social interaction and group connection. Another focus will be nature education. Therefore, we are not asking volunteers to have the specific knowledge about Amazonian animals and plants, but together with the kids ask curious questions and search for answers. Ideas could be: to make research diaries with photos, sketches and data or to start making a herbarium (press leaves and label them), experimenting with filtering river water, making fire by friction with sticks or stones, etc. The idea behind this is to protect what your love.

Volunteers will be trained to develop hands on ideas for different workshop such as paper making, upcycling art, building a compost, making paints out of soil and flower or guiding discussion groups about global environmental problems. After this training volunteers are welcome to work independently in small groups with our students. Volunteers are welcome to develop their own ideas. There will be regular staff meeting to exchange ideas and to report the progress. Volunteers will also receive a first aid training.

We are also starting a reforestation project in areas damaged by mining and illegal logging and, we will need volunteers to make this possible.

Volunteers support to the Kids Explorer program up to 20 hours a week.