In October we had the pleasure to host a group of students from Portsmouth Grammar School, England. They visited Buenos Aires with his Spanish teacher, Steve Page —a Voluntario Global former volunteer and Ambassador—. This was actually the 3rd visit we receive from the school as they come and volunteer in Buenos Aires every 2 years. They take this chance to practice their Spanish and see a different side of the city.
According to the teachers “Students learn not only to speak Spanish but we also teach them about Latin American culture, as 80% of Spanish speakers reside in this part of the world”. Therefore, the school chooses Latin America, and Argentina especially, as a space for students to learn about the city, its neighborhoods, its cultural richness and diversity. Here they can also see social inequality and interact with different communities.
The trip crammed four days of tours and volunteer work. Voluntario Gobal made sure to organize this experience according to the interests of the students and the needs of our projects in Buenos Aires. Volunteer sites included a day of work at the kindergarten in José León Suárez, where they sang songs and shared art workshops and games; a day in the park with children from the orphanages; a dinner and open debate with youth from all our organizations; and finally a tour of the Isla Maciel organized with an association from La Boca, where the students also participated in a program at the Radio Station.