Teaching English and Community Development Projects in Costa Rica
Teaching English and Community Development Projects in Costa Rica
Travel to Costa Rica to teach English to children and support community development initiatives.
Program Code: CRCI0907POur Impact
Location
Volunteer in Cimarrones
Program Information
Remote-Working Friendly
Reliable WIFI
Part-Time Options
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Overview
Program details, highlights and videos.
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Dates & Prices
Choose your start dates and durations.
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Life On Base
What's a GVI base really like?
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Covid-19 Response
Read up on the response measures we have in place to keep you safe.
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What's It like?
Search for and chat to alumni who've been there and done it.
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Live Updates
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Reviews
See what our alumni have to say.
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Arrivals
Information on your airport arrival and pick up.
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Flights
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Your Impact
Our short, mid and long term objectives.
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Our Ethics
Read about GVI's Ten Ethical Commitments.
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Program Ethics
Our ethical practices and policies.
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Qualifications
The various qualifications and certificates you'll receive.
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Parent Info
Information for parents and guardians.
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Support & Safety
GVI's detailed health, safety and support protocols.
Overview
Travel to the Limon province on the east coast of Costa Rica to join other volunteers from around the world on our childhood development project. You will live and work in Cimarrones where we work on a classroom-based childhood development program focusing on topics like English language learning, life skills like physical activity and teamwork, as well as conservation education. On the weekends, you can go with the other volunteers to places like Turrialba Volcano National Park for a hike or relax on the beaches of Puerto Viejo.The schools in the local Cimarrones community often request English education to support the growing number of English-speaking tourists and to raise the employability of local community members. Local employers are often looking for English-speaking locals to assist with international visitors. Therefore, English language education often helps children with improving their future employment opportunities. While supporting English education, you will also have the opportunity to improve your own Spanish language abilities.
In addition, all children need exposure to a range of specific play activities to effectively develop the skills required at their age level. This might include sports to increase their gross motor skills, art, crafts, and music to develop their fine motor skills, and group activities like games to develop effective social skills.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Improve your English facilitation skills and develop transferable skills like teamwork and leadership.
- Learn about the unique Tico culture and the rich history of Limon.
- Learn Spanish.
- Sample local Costa Rican dishes.
Program Details
Further Project Details
Volunteers will also have the opportunity to get involved in other community development projects like setting up or maintaining in community gardens, renovating a community centre, and assisting with the organising of community events - these will vary depending on the needs of the community.
*Costa Rica is a primarily Catholic country which means that events like Easter and Christmas are celebrated with gusto. As is to be expected, school attendance tends to decrease during these times. However, we often run educational summer programs or provide one-to-one tutor during the holidays. Community infrastructure development like renovating community centers and setting up communal gardens also continues during this time. In addition, participants have the opportunity to learn more about Costa Rican customs by participating in the festivities.
*A basic level of Spanish is required to effectively communicate with children, women, and other local community members. Speak to your Enrolment Manager about adding group or one-on-one Spanish lessons to your program cost to support you in your Spanish language learning while on the project. We also strongly recommend that you start learning early in order to get the most out of your volunteering experience.
Flexibility
Payment Plans
Cancellation Waiver
Life On Base
Base Tour
Highlights
You’ll share a house that has basic bedroom and bathroom facilities with other participants and GVI staff. If you’re stationed at our main base, you’ll be in a Caribbean-style wooden house, which is situated on a 3-acre property with a river you can cool off in after a rewarding day of work. There is a shared kitchen and living area where you can plan lessons and enjoy your free time, as well as a large shaded area underneath the house with swings and tables. We have a base cat named Leo and a few dogs in the area stop by from time to time. The base and surrounds are a bird watcher’s paradise and you may even be lucky enough to receive a visit from the local howler monkeys or spot an elusive sloth.
We are located within walking distance of most of our project sites in Cimarrones, with the exception of the local high school which we arrange transport to and from. The villages of Cimarrones and neighbouring Rio Hondo are small and safe to walk around. Travelling around the local area in your free time is relatively easy. To get to Siquirres (which takes about 15 minutes) the bus costs around 600 colones (1 USD) and taxis cost about 6,000 colones (10 USD). There you’ll find bus terminals to all the main national attractions. For safety reasons, when COVID-19 restrictions are in place, we require GVI participants to make use of taxi services instead of public transport.
You’ll have daily access to long-distance communications whilst on the project, but bear in mind that the connection may not be as reliable as back home. You can bring a network unlocked phone along or purchase a relatively cheap mobile phone in Costa Rica. You can then purchase a local SIM card and prepaid minutes in town, or stay in touch through Skype and calling cards. These cards are also readily available from shops in Siquirres. There is Wi-Fi available for project and personal use at the base, but it can be unstable at times due to our remote location.
You’ll take turns preparing breakfast for the group, which typically consists of porridge, cereal, or toast, accompanied by fresh tropical fruit, and tea or coffee. Lunch and dinners are prepared by a local staff member and served on base. This is a great opportunity to experience Costa Rican cuisine, like Gallo Pinto a popular rice and bean mix), or fried plantains. Other ingredients may include pasta, potatoes, yucca, salad, and seasonal vegetables.
Located in a mountainous region of central Costa Rica, and in close proximity to the equator, Cimarrones enjoys a fairly consistent climate. Temperatures range between 22°C – 30°C (72°F – 86°F) all year round. Being a rainforest, the weather is highly variable and it can rain at any time of year.
COVID-19 Safety
Enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures in place. Learn more.
Covid-19 Response
Health and Hygiene
For over 20 years, GVI has prioritised the health and safety of our staff, participants, partners and local community members. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, GVI has created the GVI health and hygiene team to put in place new standards of cleanliness, norms and behaviours that meet or exceed international recommendations to ensure the ongoing safety of GVI’s participants, staff and communities around the world. Internationally recommended practices, such as advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments Australia, UK and US, continue to be monitored and the standards are likely to change if and when international advice changes.
The work GVI is contributing to across the globe remains important and the following measures allow our participants to continue to join GVI’s programs and continue impacting positively on their world and the communities we work with. The following changes to our existing protocols have been made by the GVI health and hygiene team to strengthen our health and hygiene protocols and ensure that international standard safeguards are in place to protect our participants, staff and host communities.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
What's It like?
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
Live Updates
Arrivals
When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.
As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals. We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our staff will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile. This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.
COVID-19 Safety
Please note that the above images were taken pre COVID-19. All airport pick-ups and program operations now run with enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures in place. Learn more.
Flights
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As GVI is providing this portal as a service we are not responsible for the accuracy of this site.
We are also not responsible for any loss, damage (including loss of profits or consequential damages), injury, illness, harm or death in relation to your flight and travel arrangements.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
Your Impact
All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. Then, once on base you’ll learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
Costa Rica was the first country in the world to make primary education both free and obligatory in 1869, funding the education program through the state’s share of the great coffee wealth. In those days only one in ten Costa Ricans could read and write. By 1920, 50% of the population was literate. In 1948, the country abolished its national army and shifted the portion of its national budget allocated to armed forces to the education system. By the 1970s 89% were able to read and write. Costa Rica now boasts a literacy rate of 93% for those ten years or older. In addition, in 1994, a policy to place a computer in each of the nation’s 4,000 schools, plus obligatory English classes, was implemented.
Despite this, education is not readily available to everyone. Elementary and high schools can be found in every community, but many cannot afford the required uniforms, and rural schools often lack books for students. Children often spend as little as three hours in school as the class schedule is divided into two sessions in order to accommodate the number of students.
Cimarrones, home to our volunteer community project, is a central valley town in the mountainous central region of Costa Rica which is home to multiple volcanos, botanical gardens and some of the oldest coffee farms in the country.
GVI has been working in local communities in Costa Rica since 2011 and aims to support those communities in developing themselves and particularly in developing the younger members of the community. GVI works in Cimarrones to support community and economic development, as well as education focused initiatives. Our current partners include the Liceo Rural Nairi Awari High School, Escuela Las Brisas de Pacuarito and a local women’s entrepreneur group.
As such, the main UN Sustainable Development Goals of this project include, #4, Quality Education, and #5, Gender Equality.
Project Objectives
GVI Cimarrones Long-term Objectives:
1. Improve access to education and wellness to Cimarrones and the surrounding areas of Las Brisas and Pacuare.
2. Increase environmental awareness in the local community.
3. Improve English literacy levels in the Cimarrones community and surrounding areas.
4. Assist in building sustainable, women-led businesses in the immediate community and surrounding areas.
Our Ethics
Below is a list of core ethics and best practices we believe are essential to the operation of high quality, ethical volunteer and sustainable development programs. We believe that all responsible volunteer and sustainable development operations should focus upon these principles. If you are considering volunteering, these are some of the key considerations you should question, to ensure that your time and money contributes towards positive change.
We want to constantly develop our own understanding of ethical best practice. In so doing, we aim to provide an exemplary industry standard for other education institutions, international development organisations, and social enterprises. Our Badge of Ethics stands for the drive to always do good, better. Find out more, click on the Badge below.
Our 10 Ethical Commitments
Locally Driven, Collaborative Projects
We aim to design all our projects in collaboration with local organizations and communities and ensure that they are locally driven.
Clear Objectives & Sustainable Outcomes
We aim to clearly define short-, mid-, and long-term objectives with sustainable outcomes for all our projects.
Impact Reporting
We aim to track, record, and publish the impact of each of our projects.
Working Against Dependency
We aim to build in-country capacity by assisting local organizations in becoming self-sustaining.
Responsible Exit Strategies
For each local organization we work with, we aim to have a plan in place for withdrawing support responsibly.
Clear Roles & Specialized Training
We aim to ensure that every participant is assigned a clear role and that they are fully trained and supported to carry out their work by specialized staff.
Respect for all
In all our actions we aim to respect the skills and efforts of all and seek to protect the rights, culture and dignity of everyone who engages with GVI.
Local Ownership
We work to ensure that credit for the results of any project, along with any data collected, research conducted, or Intellectual Property developed, remains the property of local organizations.
Transitioning from the Orphanage Model
We do not condone and aim to withdraw support of orphanages and residential care centers.
Child and Vulnerable adult policies
We will live by our Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult policies.
Continual Development
As an organization, GVI is committed to striving toward best practice, and to educating both our potential participants, our partners, and the world at large about them. Both the volunteering and sustainable development sectors are increasingly, and rightly, under scrutiny. Many recent local and global articles highlight poor practices and questionable ethics. GVI is widely recognized for striving to apply global best practice in the volunteering, education and sustainable development sectors throughout our operations by reputable organizations such as ChildSafe.
However, global best practice is always evolving and we dedicate both time and resources to engage with internationally respected experts and learn from the latest research to ensure our programs both fulfil their potential to create maximum positive impact, and minimise their potential to create unintentional negative impact. Along with and as part of the sustainable development and volunteering community, we are constantly learning and applying this learning to practice. We do not always get everything right, but we seek feedback from our community members, partners, participants and our staff, and react accordingly. We know are already doing a great job, and feedback we have received confirms this, but we aim to do even better and are continuously refining our operations to improve upon our already excellent reputation.
Program Ethics
NO ORPHANAGE PROGRAMS
We don’t support or allow participants to work in institutional residential care facilities, also known as orphanages. We partner with ReThink Orphanages and Freedom United.
CHILD AND VULNERABLE ADULT PROTECTION POLICY
Our Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy requires all our staff and participants to complete a criminal background check and to learn why you shouldn’t reveal a child’s identifying factors in photographs. We support the ChildSafe Movement.
NO MEDICAL VOLUNTEERING
We don’t offer any programs where our participants engage in medical treatment. This is because our participants aren’t typically qualified to do this work and would therefore not be able to do this work in their home country. Our participants only assist with public health programs.
NO DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAMS
We don’t offer any programs where our participants work directly with people with disabilities. This is because our participants aren’t typically qualified to do this work and would therefore not be able to do this work in their home country.
Qualifications
GVI Online Community Development course (optional)
In this course, you’ll explore the most common pitfalls of community development initiatives so that you can avoid them. You’ll also learn how to carry out community development work effectively and ethically and how local context impacts program development. After successfully completing the course, which you have the option of doing prior to your in-country program, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Richmond.
This online course, valued at $395, is included in all volunteering programs. Full course details can be found here.
Parent Info
‘If only every student could do this. It changes your life in all the right ways,’ says Chris Heritage, parent of Luke Heritage, one of our teen volunteers who has participated on two GVI programs, one in Costa Rica and another in South Africa.
We are a parent-run organisation that is incredibly serious about health and safety, and increasing the impact, as well as the long-term career benefits of our programs. Our programs help young people develop the skills to select a career path that is personally fulfilling, and live a life aligned to the well-being of our planet and the global community.
Ken and Linda Jeffrey, whose son Sam volunteered with GVI in Thailand, talk about how the experience affected Sam. He also went on to volunteer with GVI again in South Africa. ‘I know it sounds like a cliche but in a sense, he did go away as a boy and he came back as a young man. Both of us could recommend GVI without any hesitation to any other parent thinking about exploring an opportunity for their children to explore the world and to see different parts of it.’
Parent Info Pack
Download the Parent Pack and learn more about:
Our staff: All our projects are run by staff, selected, vetted, trained, and managed by our central office.
Health and safety: Our safety practices include a child and vulnerable adult protection policy and high participant ratios.
Staying in touch: See what’s happening on base, by following a hub’s dedicated Facebook page.
Free parent consultations: We would love to talk to you about exciting opportunities available for your child.
Support & Safety
We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
COVID-19 Safety
Enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures are in place throughout each GVI program. Learn more.
Support
Once a participant books, they will be assigned a personal support coordinator who will oversee their pre-departure journey. The support coordinator helps to bridge the gap between program enrolment and arrival at one of our field bases. Your personal support coordinator will ensure that you are provided with all the necessary information required to apply for visas, background checks, and any other documentation.
Safety
Upon arrival at the airport, participants will be greeted by a GVI staff member. All GVI staff are our own and all our programs around the world are run by our staff. All GVI field staff are background checked, Emergency First Response and safety trained. The minimum staff to participant ratio on GVI’s programs is one to six, although on several bases we have a ratio of one to three. When finishing the experience, participants will provide feedback on all aspects of their program.
Essential information you need to travel safely during the COVID-19
pandemic – including destination ratings, flight bookings, and tests.
Health & Safety Case Studies
HOW GVI UPHOLDS HEALTH AND SAFETY
It takes courage to book a GVI program, get on a flight, and head off to somewhere new. Volunteering offers a level of cultural immersion that typical backpacking or holidays just can’t achieve. This is why thousands of people around the world participate in paid GVI programs.
GVI’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SECURITY
As the saying goes: ‘Expect the best, plan for the worst’. Cliched or not, we take it to heart. This tenet is at the core of how GVI operates when it comes to promoting the health and safety of our participants, staff, and local community members at all of our 20+ bases around the world.
HOW GVI REMAINS PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS
The weather isn’t just a topic for polite small-talk here at GVI. We have emergency action plans in place for all scenarios. So when the weather, or other natural forces, takes a nasty turn, we are prepared to respond to stormy situations.
HOW GVI MANAGES PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS
Once GVI has matched a participant to a program that suits their passions and goals, our team aims to set the right expectations for them. In the event that false expectations around a program are created, the GVI team takes immediate action to ensure that the situation rectified.
