Youth volunteering in Costa Rica
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world.
Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are dedicated to responsible tourism. All of the projects that we support directly benefit the environment, the local community, or both. All projects are carefully chosen to offer our volunteers sustainable and responsible travel, with specific attention being paid to their involvement in the sustainability of all their practices / project goals.
All of our projects issue the participants with clear guidelines on responsible tourism and ecotourism, all specific to the particular environment / region. These cover a number of issues, ranging from waste disposal in remote areas, recycling materials and buying from local businesses, to not exploiting the area’s wildlife or harming the environment.
Our programs often work to rectify damage done to the environment by humans. By encouraging everyone to engage with climate change, we work towards the sustainable development of the environment and the future of our planet. On all of our programs around the world we aim to keep our impact to a minimum and many of our activities directly affect the environment, for example:
Across Latin America and Africa we are working with communities to replace and sustainably manage forests in areas where there is a high demand for wood as fuel. In Kenya we have trained community members in alternative methods of charcoal production which are sustainable, generate income and protect the forest. In Latin America we build and provide simple energy efficient stoves to poor communities which reduces firewood consumption by as much as 70% and dramatically improves living standards.
Community
Our first projects in Costa Rica were launched in partnership with the Costa Rican Ministry for the Environment back in 2005. We started with rainforest research and conservation projects before creating a sea turtle conservation project and various community-based early childhood education and development projects. Our 12 dedicated Costa Rica staff members have trained and assisted over 600 volunteers to achieve admirable and ongoing impacts: building and maintaining a new community center, providing English and environmental education to over 100 schoolchildren, and maintaining the largest and most consistent turtle conservation program in Costa Rica…to name just a few.
Quepos is located on the Costa Rican Pacific Coast, close to the world famous National Park of Manuel Antonio. This beautiful area relies heavily on the presence of ecotourism but sees not nearly enough resources in the area of education. The families in this community have access to basic education but the education centres are under resourced and have no formal physical education, arts, music, or remedial assistance programs. Education is key to allowing the community to improve its economic situation and this project supplies additional personnel and funding to the local community centre. As a volunteer you will personally provide the opportunity for children to receive additional assistance, enrichment and the necessary fundamentals of their education. The project and volunteers supply resources which the under resourced community centre is not otherwise able to supply.
In addition to the educational assistance you are providing you will also help renovate (and possibly construct) community owned education centres, such as town halls, schools, community centres.
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