Cultural Exchange and Indigenous Communities
Coordinator | Sergio
Coordinator | Sergio
Book with Flex Option!
Choose new departure dates or change to a different volunteer program at no extra costs.
Highlights
Support Guna children from vulnerable backgrounds develop and grow in a good environment
Discover, explore, and put into practice your passion for education
Practise your Spanish and learn more about Panama's culture by being all the time around locals
Be exposed to a different reality than your own in a meaningful journey.
Enjoy some of the interesting and beautiful things Panama has to offer: tropical beaches, beautiful landscapes, a very rich and unique culture...
Promote participation and learning through spaces for effective participation in the community, contributing to a sense of personal fulfillment and social responsibility.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+
The children and youth of the indigenous community face major barriers to success: poverty, reduced access to education, little investment in the area and, as we have noted, loss of attachment to their roots. These factors have incredibly affected their social, psychological and personal development.
As a volunteer in this community, you can help reduce the impacts of all these problems in the lives of these indigenous children: through school review and reading/writing comprehension classes, you can help them strengthen their academic skills, while maintaining a cultural exchange. and by sharing your own culture with them, you can help strengthen the children's unique culture, which in turn makes these children feel more interested and attached to it. It is important for all children to know that their own culture and language are a valuable and beautiful part of their identity.
In our center you will work with approximately fifty children (but not all at once!), performing tasks such as school review (in subjects like Math, Science, Spanish, Reading, English or Singing), conducting cultural empowerment workshops, helping with literacy. work (the language of the people), giving workshops on interpersonal relationships and self-esteem, and helping to organize leisure activities for the children. You can also contribute by helping to record audiobooks in Spanish and your language, tell stories to local children in either language, and help children learn to read and write. * No special prior knowledge of the local language is required.
Typical day
Volunteers work on weekdays (Monday to Friday) from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Always keep in mind that the distance between the project and the place where the volunteers stay is between twenty and thirty minutes, which influences the scheduling of your day. There is very affordable and recurrent internal transportation available.
Free-time activities
A rich cultural heritage, beautiful mountains, tropical beaches, historical monuments, and a bustling capital city —Panama has it all, directly within your reach to discover while you volunteer in this exciting country. Panama is a rather small country with a high density of remarkable and memorable locations, which is something you can completely take advantage of, through cheap and accessible transportation, ease of visiting, and a welcoming people.
Some of the sites most enjoyed by our volunteers are:
- Panama city: a modern and bustling city, it's a city that may offer you both big malls and modern architecture, as well as the scenic old city (in Casco Viejo), old monuments (such as the Panamá Viejo colonial area), a natural park filled with sloths and ñeques in the middle of the city (Parque Metropolitano), plenty of museums and seaside spots (such as the Amador area). In the city you can also go visit and discover first-hand how the Panama Canal works.
- Portobelo: a city in the Colón province, it has history that dates centuries back to the colonial era, some very picturesque traditions such as the yearly Cristo Negro festival, and it has direct access to beautiful Caribbean beaches and tropical islands (most famous is Isla Grande).
- Bocas del Toro: A province in the northwest of Panama, near Costa Rica; its archipelagos and beaches are very famous among tourists, as they provide near pristine sands, near transparent water, a lot of wildlife you can see in some of its islands, and activities such as partying, scuba, or just swimming in the beach.
- Guna Yala: An indigenous region, it has 365 islands which all have a fair share of white sand and crystal clear water. The Guna people that inhabit this region have a culture that is very tied in to the Ocean and to life in these islands, so coming here will not only allow you to enjoy the beautiful and picturesque beaches on these islands (each island having something particular, such as Isla Estrella, an island filled with Sea Stars or Isla Perro, an island filled with corals and fish), but also to appreciate a unique culture tied to life in these islands.
- Valle de Antón: A very famous valley with cool weather and lots of nature, you can go hike the famous mountain of La India Dormida (the sleeping indian woman, tied to a well-known local legend), see lots of native flora and fauna, and also enjoy the beautiful scenery.
- Boquete: Located in the Chiriquí province and known as the "Switzerland of America", it's a small yet very beautiful city in the middle of the mountain, known for its tasty coffee, colourful yearly flower festival (although flowers are an important part of the city any time of year), scenic trekking routes, and all the nature around the city.
Water Sports
Swimming
Sightseeing
Diving/
Snorkling
Snorkling
Shopping/
Souvenirs
Souvenirs
Climbing
Hiking
Museum/
Opera
Opera
Requirements
In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.
You need to speak Spanish (basic level)
required
at High school level
CV
No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.
We ask our volunteers to be adaptative, creative (especially because of the lack of available learning resources), but especially to be passionate about the cause: empower children through education and culture.
Your helping hand will be required on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
What's Included
- Pick up at the airport and transfer to the volunteer's home.
- Accommodation during your volunteer program
- 3 meals during the course of your volunteer program.
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support from the adventure volunteer team.
- Program monitoring and evaluation
- Orientation and induction to the program
- Certificate of weeks completed in your volunteer program
- Accident insurance during your volunteering
- Liability for your activity
- Receipt of the program fee from the NGO
- Guidance, advice and management in the choice of the program
Volunteers will be picked up at the airport between 9:00 and 20:00. If the volunteer arrives outside these hours, additional fees may apply.
Volunteers will stay with a family from the community that is located in the indigenous population.
Three meals a day are included, usually cooked in the local, creole style.
Sorry, no access at the project site
Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.
The nearest airport is Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City. We assist you to find cheap flights to Panama.
Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Panama provides security and is a plus to have.
If you are intending to volunteer in Panama you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Panama.
Dates & Fees
NO CREDIT CARD FEES
Details on arrival
The project is open all year round, except for some holidays in Panama. But the activities are done with the community.
That said, volunteers can arrive on the day of the week of their preference, although we recommend that volunteers arrive on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, as this facilitates their induction into the program.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1 - 12 weeks
Program fees
1 week
(min. stay)
$622
2 weeks
$848
3 weeks
$1,074
4 weeks
$1,300
6 weeks
$1,752
8 weeks
$2,204
12 weeks
(max. stay)
$3,108
Average fees
$440
/week
The organization charges its fees in EUR. The price table in USD is subject to currency fluctuation.
Adventure Volunteer
will let you know about the final price during your application process.
The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.
Your final payment will be agreed with Adventure Volunteer during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.
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Cultural Exchange and Indigenous Communities
Promote participation and learning through spaces for effective participation in the community, contributing to a sense of personal fulfillment and social responsibility.
$390/week
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