Boomers Abroad

Highlights

United Planet Short-term Quest (1-12 weeks) offers 16 destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Middle East. Volunteers can choose a project from a wide range of projects, such as orphanage care, teaching, environmental work, women's empowerment, healthcare and more. You will be 100% immersed in the local culture though cultural activities, excursions, and host family stays. You will also be supporting essential community development work.

Long-term Volunteer Quests are available for 6 months and 1 year. Volunteers receive personal and customized support and take part in intensive pre-departure training and in-country orientations as well mid-year and final year camps with other volunteers from all over the world. You do not need any specific skills or language abilities to take part. You will attain new skills, competencies, and broadened global perspectives through your involvement in the long-term quest program!

United Planet is the proud US and Canadian partner within the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) Federation, the oldest long-term volunteering federation in the world. With over 60 years of experience, the ICYE Federation has a proven track record and upholds the highest standards for excellence in serving both the volunteers and the communities involved.

United Planet's Quests offer volunteers a unique blend of work, cultural immersion, and fun. All ages and skill levels are invited to apply. Everyone has something to offer!

Chile

Chile is one of Latin America's oldest democracies, interrupted only for a brief period during the Pinochet dictatorship. The country is known for its striking, extreme landscapes: the Atacama Desert, known as the world's driest desert, the Andes, a seriously lengthy coast, and the remote region of Patagonia. Chileans lovingly refer to their country as The Land of Poets: Nobel Prize-winning poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral are a source of national pride. Many Chileans have European heritage; the indigenous Mapuche of the South and Aymara of the North are significant minorities. About one third of Chileans live in greater Santiago and enjoy a lifestyle and diet similar to the Mediterranean region. Chile may possess one of the strongest economies of the Americas, but not all residents have benefited from recent growth. In the mid-1990s, the government began addressing uneven income distribution but is yet to fully eradicate extreme poverty. Providing all citizens with adequate housing and improving education are necessary for Chile to achieve full social equality for its citizens.

Specific projects in Chile:

* Summer Teaching Group Quest for High School Students - Summer 2012
2 weeks
You, along with up to 3 other United Planet volunteers under 18, will assist Chilean English teachers in their elementary classrooms in a poor area of the capital city of Santiago. You will have the opportunity to learn more about Chile and its culture, and to teach Chilean students English and about your own culture. This is a unique opportunity for volunteers ages 16-18 to travel to Chile in a small group with other United Planet volunteers, as well as to meet Chilean students. No Spanish is required -- but volunteers must be English native speakers or have fluent English.
These projects run for specific 2-week periods throughout the summer.

*English Teaching Quest: Volunteers work as English teaching assistants with local English teachers in government subsidized schools. A recently stated goal of the Chilean government is that Chile must become a fully bilingual country. English teaching assistants will work closely with Chilean English teachers, developing lesson plans, providing small group tutoring and correcting tests. They may also read aloud and sing songs in class with the younger students and talk about their own experiences.

* Day Care Quest: Volunteers work in small day care centers located near downtown Santiago with children ranging from three months to five years old. The mothers of these children reside at a nearby shelter for the homeless and work during the day. The children stay at the centers from 9 am until 5 pm. Volunteers may help participate in daily activities including: game playing, storytelling, drawing and riding tricycles; and use didactic learning materials. Basic Spanish Required.

* Healthcare: Volunteer at a modern rehabilitation center in the capital city of Santiago and help improve patient's lives! The facility provides care to young children and teenagers with physical disabilities. To be involved in this Quest you don't need specific qualifications, but volunteers do need to be motivated and have a strong interest in health care. Volunteers will help as facilitators and organize recreational activities for the patients while having the opportunity to learn about specific patient areas as they move from one area to another. Intermediate Spanish Required.

* Women's Shelter Quest: This Quest is open in January, February, the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of December. Volunteers work with women's children in the shelter, taking care of them and helping with daily tasks around the shelter.

* A new teaching-focused opportunity in Chile: Cultural Awareness Project!

Minimum duration: 1 week. This Quest is offered from mid March to the end of November. It is closed the last three weeks of July due to winter vacations.

No Spanish is required but volunteers must be English native speakers or have fluent English.

This project combines two teaching-focused quests. First you will help Chilean English teachers in their elementary and secondary school classrooms of 45 students in a poor area of the capital city of Santiago. This will include any tasks that facilitate the work of the teacher including giving your power-point CAP talks to older students. For your last week, you will move from Santiago to Vina del Mar, a beach side city. Here you will give several CAP presentations per day to Chilean students studying English at a technical college. This is a very challenging project where you will be speaking in public to students and leading classroom discussions.

Qualifications

None

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Cost in US$:

Credit Available

yes

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

People of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to join us. We are extremely proud of our international volunteers. Each and every volunteer strives to be a good ambassador through their flexibility, courage, open-mindedness, positive spirit, and genuine desire to make a difference. To help prepare you for the predictable and unpredictable aspects of your time abroad, you will be offered comprehensive pre-departure training and in-country orientations, as well as personal support from our Program Coordinators. We will work with you to help you gain the tools you need for a fun, safe and successful volunteer abroad experience.

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participant. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel to Chile

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Phone/Video Interview
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

24hours

United Planet's Mission Statement

As an international non-profit organization, United Planet (UP) strives to create a world in which all people understand, respect, and support one another. United Planet's global network of leaders and volunteers fosters cross-cultural understanding and addresses shared challenges to unite the world in a community beyond borders. In 2008, United Planet was one of only ten organizations selected by CNN to be part of its "Be the Change" initiative.

Year Founded

2001