Location:

Medellin, Colombia; Barranquilla, Colombia; Cartagena, Colombia; Bogota, Colombia

Program Type:

Volunteer Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Work Types:

Animals, Arts, Economic Development, Education, Health, Social Services, Translation, Women's Rights

Duration:

1-2 weeks, 3-4 weeks, 1-3 months, 4-6 months

Program Overview

Program Description:

Ambassadors for Prosperity is an exchange program created by Partners of the Americas and Heart for Change for international volunteers. For almost 50 years, Partners of the Americas has worked with an expansive network to build a more interconnected and equitable hemisphere. Together with a new ally, Heart for Change, Partners of the Americas is offering an opportunity to participate in the exciting new Ambassadors for Prosperity program in Bogota and Leticia, Amazons, Colombia during the summer. Spend 4, 8 or 12 weeks working in several social projects. Colombia is the most happening country in Latin America and one of the most interesting leaders of social transformation in the world. A new paradigm is being drawn by Colombians and we want to invite you to be part of the change. Your skills, expertise and knowledge will be put to the test along with your capacity to adapt, understand and contribute to a new society, one project at a time. Set foot in this diverse land and get a first-hand look at the complex challenges facing Colombia today. This life changing experience will give you a 360º view of the past, present and future of a wide range of social dynamics taking place in what the New York Times calls “…a geographically arresting, culturally enthralling country without fear”.

Volunteers will learn and utilize skills in Colombia focus on environmental, economic and socio-cultural development and might include project design, strategic planning, targeted innovation, planning for sustainability, viability analysis, alliance mediation, fundraising and productive processes. Each of these are key capacities for today´s leaders of social change. Sample 8-Week Program Itinerary: Leticia, Colombia Day 1 – Tuesday: Arrival to Bogotá, welcome by a staff member of Heart for Change who will great them at the airport, and take them to the local accommodation. The volunteers will stay in an appropriate housing specifically thought for international volunteers. Once in the housing, the volunteers will have dinner and rest. Day 2 – Wednesday: We will pick up the volunteers at their housing to be taken to the place where the training will be conducted for the next 3 days. Upon arrival to the training we will serve breakfast and discuss the following topics: Logistics, security, recommendations and tips, procedures, codes of conduct, among others. After lunch we will engage in interaction activities, various speakers and at the end of the day a local transport will be arranged to take the volunteers back to their housing. Day 3 – Thursday: Pick up and breakfast at a local food market with traditional delicatessen. Here the volunteers will observe the different dynamics. Plazarte: Plaza + Arte tour while the second day of training takes place. At the end of the day a local transport will be arranged to take the volunteers back to their housing. Day 4 – Friday: The volunteers will attend their last day of training accompanied by a Heart for Change staff member who will explain the different items that will take place during the following weeks. We will discuss different aspects such as: Social work, needs, schedule, expectations and the strategic plan. Delegates from Hosts Organization will assist to the sessions. During the late afternoon we will have a parranda vallenata (live music) as a welcome party for the volunteers to kick off their adventure in Colombia. Day 5 – Saturday: On Saturday after the welcome party and the 3 days of training, the volunteers will enjoy a tour through the historic center of Bogotá including the most important highlights of the city in the Prehispanic and Colonial Bogotá Tour. Day 6 – Sunday: Off to Leticia, Amazons. The volunteers will be picked up at their housing by the guide that will accompany them to the rest of their journey. Once in Leticia, Amazons we will take taxis to our housing in Mundo Amazónico where they will be accommodated in a huge maloka (indigenous house). Week #2 The volunteers will start the development in each project at Mundo Amazónico. Each volunteer will previously have the strategic plan to develop during the following weeks depending on their academic background and skills. The main idea during this week is that the volunteer gets close to the context and needs to understand the problematic and decide on priorities in order to be more effective. During this week and all the way through the end of their trip, HFC will conduct workshops at the end of the afternoon with the volunteers, local leaders to support the creation, managing of the projects. HFC will facilitate the methodology for each of the three stages that will allow the group to analyze and propose solutions for the different communities and challenges. Weekend Tour: Omagua “On the go Tour” Week #3 The volunteers will be working in the different projects assigned at Mundo Amazónico. During this and the following weeks they will be accompanied by a HFC staff member – bilingual guide that will not only be ready to give local support but also help, guide and mentoring the development of the strategic plans along with the local leaders. Weekend Tour: Trip to Marasha Natural Reserve. Week #4 The volunteers will keep working in their projects attending the different workshops with local leaders and the HFC staff member. Weekend Tour: Monkey Island and Puerto Nariño Week #5 The volunteers will keep working in their projects attending the different workshops with local leaders and the HFC staff member. Weekend Tour: Recycling Tour and Visit to the Artisans. Week #6 The volunteers will keep working in their projects attending the different workshops with local leaders and the HFC staff member. Weekend Tour: Kayak at Yahuarcaca lake. Week #7 The volunteers would be working in their projects and attending to the workshops with the people from the community. Weekend Tour: Kurupira Floating Boat. Week #8 (or last week) The volunteers would be working in their projects and attending to the workshops with the people from the community. On Thursday HFC will make a wrap up meeting with the local people involved in the projects and the volunteers. They will discuss and analyze the results, the overall experience and memoirs.

-We have carefully engineered this program to bring out the best in you, and we want to give you the experience of a lifetime and keep Colombia in all your thoughts for years to come. -Take a break from the fast-paced student or corporate world and enjoy the warmth of loving Colombians. -You will have time to sight-see and experience the culture of Colombia while making a meaningful impact through your volunteer service. -You can cultivate skills and gain practical international experience valued by current and future employers and universities in your CV. -Earn credits toward your major. Ask about our partnerships. -Improve your Spanish by speaking with Colombians and taking lessons. -Learn through hands-on service in a field of your choice. -Create life-long memories and relationships -Learn how to dance amazing salsa, merenge and cumbia!

Setting Description:

Leticia, Colombia is located in the heart of the Amazon. Volunteers will work in the different areas of the project Parque Mundo Amazónico. All the groups will be accompanied by a bilingual guide, staff of HFC, who will conduct the workshops with the members of the community and provide general support to all activities included in the program. This magic destination exists in Colombia, even though for some it is yet undiscovered and inaccessible in their minds (far away from reality). Leticia is a kind and warm city built in the heart of the Colombian Amazon region and considered to be the starting point for those eager to immerse in the rich natural and cultural immensity of the lung of the world. Some of its most famous attractions include: The Amazon River, unique in the world for its strength, ancestral enigmas, life and nobility. Only at this river the biggest lotus in the world is found… For its touristic condition Leticia, Amazons holds an important infrastructure such as: ho

Cost:

For more details on what is included in program fees, please see the website. 4 Weeks- $3,400 8 Weeks-$4,800 12 Weeks-$6,200 Not included in the price: -International Airfares -Lunch -Items not specified in the webpage