At Voluntario Global, volunteers can participate in which ever project they choose as much as they like. Initiative from the volunteers is always welcome, and this week one of our volunteers showed how to take initiative in classroom activities. Claire, from France, who works in the kindergarten Trevesuras, planned a special day for the kids at her kindergarten. She invited a lady to come to come over one afternoon with fragrance samples such as fruit, food and flowers for the kids to play a guess-the-scent-game. While preparing for the game, the hardest part was keeping the energetic and curious kids out of the room that the volunteers were using to prepare the game. The volunteer standing guard had a full time job trying to stop the kids eager to get past her. The volunteer set up tables with the food that matched some of the scents the kids would smell later.
This way they would have a chance to taste and smell the scent. Finally it was time to get the first team of kids lined up and blindfolded. It was not easy because as soon as the last kids were blindfolded, the first ones had already taken off their blindfolds. In the end, one by one the kids were let into the room that had been set up for the game. In the room, the kids sat down and tried to be discreet as they sneaked a peek from under their blindfolds. Identifying the different fragrances turned out to not be that easy for the kids, but everyone had a lot of fun as they were all calling out what they thought the scent might be. The lady with the fragrances was really good at helping them out and giving them clues. When it was time for the kids to taste the things they had smelled, they had a hard time sticking to only eating one like they were told. Since there were three more teams, this became a bit of a problem, so we quickly got them out to get ready for the next team – and learning from the first round, we removed the food from the table, and in the end we also gave up blindfolding them. Then it was the next group of kids turn to guess all the fragrances, and just like the first bunch, it was hard for them to sit still and not “discreetly” take a peek. Not everyone understood the game entirely; one kid kept saying ‘fideo’ (noodles) to everything, no matter if it was oranges or freesia. All in all the kids seemed to have a really great time playing the scent guessing game.
Name: Kate Gasparrini
Country: United States
Occupation: Non Profit Educator
Volunteering Period: September 2012 – December 2012
What made you want to apply to volunteer and in particular for the project in the psychiatric hospital? I’ve always loved to volunteer. I think it’s a great way to learn about different communities, people and cultures. I wanted to work in Buenos Aires because I knew it was a fun city from vacationing here before and I wanted to improve my Spanish. I chose the garden project at the Borda Hospital because studied psychology and I was interested in seeing how mental health treatment is different in other countries than my own. After I leave Buenos Aires, I want study social work, so having contact with people with mental illness is important to me. I also wanted to see more of South America, travel, and improve my Spanish.
How would you describe the project and your job and tasks? The project is in an organic garden in a psychiatric hospital. It’s a community garden where patients and members of the community come and work together. Since it is spring right now, my tasks are to prepare different plots of dirt, plant vegetables and herbs such as: tomatoes, pumpkins, corn, potatoes, basil and parsley. I prepare the earth, plant seeds, and do some watering. The patients from the hospital come and go throughout the day, so I talk with them, drink mate and at the end of the workday we eat lunch together. We are also building a house made out of mud. When that is finished, we are going to use it as another space for the patients and members of the community to meet and talk.
What are some of the best moments you’ve had in the project and what have you learnt? The best moments are when I can have good conversation with the patients, sometimes about politics, religion, or life in the United States. They always ask great questions. I have learned that mental health treatment is really different in the United States than it is here. Through this experience, I have realized that I would prefer to work with people that are less severely ill as those in the hospital, as I sometimes find it heartbreaking.
Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for any volunteers that will be taking part in the same project? Bring a pair of gloves, long pants and lots of bug spray! (Tip: use bug spray from Argentina, since those from other countries won’t work!) Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Try to be open to talking to patients, even though they might be very different from you. Listen to the psychologists when they talk to the patients, as it helps you to understand how to interact with them.
Name: Tamara Rilya Nationality: Israel
Occupation: Student Volunteering Period: September 2012 – November 2012
-What made you want to apply to volunteer and in particular for the project in the health centre?
I’m going to start studying medicine, so that’s why I chose a medic specific project and I always wanted to volunteer in a different country to understand a different culture.
-How would you describe the project and your job and tasks?
Our tasks vary from day to day as they would do in a normal hospital at home. We shadow the doctors and surgeons and go to different types of health clinics in the local area. We travel around 1 hour to 1hr 30 mins everyday dependent on the type of clinic we go to. Every day we discuss as a group of student doctors what we think the patients diagnoses are and after the doctor has spoken to the patients he explains to us whether we are right or wrong.
-What are some of the best moments around the project and what have you learnt?
I have loved being able to visit the surgery’s as this is an area of medicine that I am most interested in. Also, by meeting other doctors and nurses I have developed my understanding of medicine in different cultures, and can see how it varies to my country.
-Do you have any suggestions or recommendations to look forward to for any volunteers that will be taking part in the same project?
Bring your own scrubs and medical accessories such as gloves and stethoscopes, you should look forward to experiencing medicine in a completely different way and meeting a lot of very helpful and welcoming doctors and nurses. http://www.voluntarioglobal.org/
Once a year in Buenos Aires, usually the 1st week in November, over one hundred museums open up to the general public for free admission. By printing out a free bus pass which includes over 40 buses the general public can travel from museum to museum completely free of charge from 7.30pm to 3.30am!
The museums are all over Buenos Aires and include world famous museums such as Museum de Arte Moderno y el Planetario, with usual admissions costing around 40 pesos. Twelve of the Voluntario Global volunteers took the night to explore the museums, however we were slightly delayed due to the gay pride march down our road! (Also Amazing).
We only managed to visit two museums, the Evita Museum; here we saw a band playing tango music and the Polish museum where we saw a classic Polish dance. Both of which were in Palermo and so we didn’t need to take the bus, however if we had been more organized we potentially could have seen a lot more! I would advise to arrive early to museums as you can see from the picture above the queues were HUGE!
By Charisse Hazlett Whether you are going on your next big adventure across the globe or you are taking a vacation to your dream resort, it is important to practice responsible tourism. Responsible tourism creates a relationship of respect between the tourists and the natives of your destination. In essence it “creates better places for people to live in, and better places for people to visit.” 
A responsible tourist promotes growth economically, socially, and environmentally. So how exactly can you be a responsible tourist? When visiting a country it is important to use the products which are produced in the country. When using their products you help support their companies and therefore enhance their economy. For example, try not to search for brands which you are familiar with because they are produced in your country, try something new and use their brand for the same good. Socially, it is important when traveling to learn common phrases using the native language. When you take the time to learn some polite words in their language, it shows respect for the people. Remember that even a few polite words really goes a long way. Responsible tourism seeks to sustain cultures which are vulnerable and struggling to maintain their heritage and traditions. Do not bombard the native people with your culture and way of living, but instead try their food, music, and traditions and keep an open mind. 
Responsible tourism focuses on the environment of the area and seeks to decrease global warming and environmental decay. Wildlife preservation is one way a responsible tourist can help the environment. Tourists must be aware of the species living in the area and take care to not endanger their habitats with something they may have brought with them from their countries. Using modes of transportation which are carbon free, for example biking instead of taking a taxi, are ways to be a responsible tourist. Educate yourselves on the environment and be able to make good global decisions while traveling abroad. 
Voluntario Global is an organization which is part of the Responsible Tourism Network in Argentina.
We all have it, it’s not always that we think about but we do – generalized thoughts about other countries. When I think of a country there always follows a stream of thought about what I believe the country and the people are like. That’s why I decided to reflect upon my own opinions, the general misconceptions about the Argentina, what I thought before leaving for Argentina and what I think now after spending three months in its capital, Buenos Aires.
Before leaving for Argentina I had my thoughts about the country and its people for example the great vineyards and cattle not forgetting the people – wow – they will be beautiful Latin Americans – tall, dark and handsome. But of course it was not all positive, I expected to see a macho culture, where the men were dominating womanizers and a lot of women would be housewives. I also expected to see a huge difference between rich and poor. It turned out that my thoughts weren’t that far from reality, but as it goes for so many things, there are always exceptions and two sides to every coin. So even though Argentina contains a huge country side with vineyards and a lot of cattle it contains so much more. It is such a huge country that it contains all sort of different nature, everything from mountains and waterfall to sunny beaches. At the same time its capital, Buenos Aires, is a cosmopolitan city, clearly influenced by European countries, with everything you can desire from a big city, shopping, great nightlife, parks etc.
Our stereotypes are never perfect and so of course the people of Argentina are not all beautiful Latin Americans who are tall, dark and handsome. Just like every other place there are beautiful people and some who are not so beautiful. But I must say a lot of them have beautiful features both men and women. What turns out to be very true was the prediction that the men will be womanizers, you can’t walk down the street without being approached by men of all ages. In the bars and clubs they will say what they think you want to hear when they are chatting you up, when in most cases it is quite the opposite! It turns out to be a misconception that the women primarily are housewives, obviously there are still a lot of women who do that, and even though the macho culture does exist in Argentina there is also a strong culture for women working as well. It might be the strong European influence, but it seems to me that a lot of women are getting educated and are working more or less equally as the men.
The difference between the rich and the poor neighborhoods is very clear. There is no doubt when you are entering a poor or rich neighborhood. But what I wasn’t aware of is the effort the government here puts into the welfare system, there is free education, and the poor families get support from the government. So although there is a huge difference between rich and poor, the government’s efforts don’t seem to be sufficient enough to create a large “middleclass”. After living in Argentina for three months I haven’t exactly been proven wrong on my preconceptions about Argentina and its people. But now I have a better perspective on everything and how both the good and the bad come together in the everyday life here in Argentina, and don’t get me wrong I love it.
"It was kind of a life decision I made", an interview with The Laundry Project Founder
Armin, the 26 years old co-founder of the Laundry Project, was waiting for me at the train station with his motor bike 'el pequeño bandido II'. He invited me to his hometown ‘Villa Soldati’, a small neighborhood in the South-West of Buenos Aires, where most of the teenagers of the Laundry project live. Villa Soldati is a small neighborhood with nine blocks, in each block there are more than one thousand people living within less than 120 sq meters. It is one of the poorest areas in Buenos Aires with its living standards characterized by substandard housing, squalor and little security. "Only ten years ago, it was not possible for cars to enter the villa", Armin explained.
The small paths that connect the houses are very characteristic for villas but also very dangerous. "If there was an emergency ambulances wouldn’t be able to enter and neither would the police" This lead to numerous problems in Villa Soldati, for both health and crime. But over the past 20 years Villa Soldati has developed through improved living conditions. As part of the improvement programs for slums in Buenos Aires the Argentinean government has regulated the building of new properties, with new builds and improved infrastructure. However living in a villa like Armin's hometown is complicated. In the same way that water and lights only work two out of every three days, only every second teenagers will finish secondary school.
For this reason various social organizations and volunteer groups try to support and improve the situation for the youth. It was in an after school center in Villa Soldati, where Valeria, the founder of Voluntario Global was teaching art, and the idea of the Laundry Project was born. The aim was to create a student-run cooperative which allows young men and women to gain valuable work experience while financing their studies. "It was an answer to a need", Armin explained. Back in 2009 when the cooperative was founded, only a few students finished secondary school, the rest felt obliged to support their families by working in low-skilled jobs and in bad working conditions.
When I asked Armin how the cooperative helped him the most, he answered that at first it helped him to finish secondary school, which as a result gave him a better education and more possibilities. In his years with Voluntario Global he finished secondary school and started studying at university. "I am now only missing six more subjects to receive my university degree." But the Laundry Project is more than just the possibility to work in a secure and uplifting environment. "It helps in a different and more sustainable way", Armin tells.
In a cooperative like the Laundry Project the teenagers do gain work experience and are given the ability to finish their school, but more importantly is the life experience they gain. For most of the teenagers escaping from their poor life in the villas, becoming professional and earning a lot of money is the most important thing. But "It is more important for them to feel useful, to feel responsible and be part of something." Armin explains. Looking back at his own experiences he knows that in the end, to him, this is what counts the most. "With my qualifications and contacts it would be easy to get a better job and start working in a big company," he admits.
But this is not what he wants anymore. He has followed the growth of the Laundry Project from the beginning and knows how important projects like these are for young people. For him the Laundry Project is more than just a job. "It was a kind of life decision I made, a political vision." He enjoys working with the teenagers and wants to give them a helping hand."I want to pass on what I have learnt. I want to show them that it’s not only me who can get somewhere, it is them as well." The co-operative can be an example for other projects, but most of all, for the youth. "Because they see that it is possible, they are able to work together, to organize themselves and to improve their future!" Thank you, Armin! Y buena suerte!
By Marie Gradman Andersen Even though we volunteers are here in Buenos Aires to work, we have plenty of time to experience the city and all it has to offer – and that is a lot. Buenos Aires is a versatile city, where you can experience everything from cosy café visits during the day to tango dancing at a ‘milonga’ until the early morning. 
There is something special about the life in Buenos Aires that you don’t see in other places. Whether it is the European inspired building, the kind and accommodating people, who are eager to help you and learn more about you and your country, the laidback culture, where no-one is ever on time and there is always time for a ‘mate’ or the cafés, restaurants, bars and ‘boliches’ (clubs). I guess it is all a part of what makes the unique and captivating atmosphere in Buenos Aires. It is hard to describe this complex mixture of things that makes this city so special but I’m going to give it a go anyway. The people and their history Buenos Aires is a city full of history just like any other city. However this city’s history is very apparent. You see it every Thursday at the demonstrations on Plaza de Mayo where “the mothers of the lost sons” demonstrate for their lost sons who were taken by the military regime. Here there is also monthly demonstrations all over the country against the government expressing a wish for more democracy for the country, who throughout history has been ruled by various dictators and military regimes. Argentina has been fighting a long time for democracy through really tough economic periods and struggling with inflation both of which the government does not acknowledge. Therefore, as soon as the topic of a conversation changes and you start talking about the economic situation in the country, the Argentinians tend to get more passionate. And what really can divide the waters is to talk about politics, the current president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is as unpopular in parts of the society as she is popular. 
The amazing thing about the people of Buenos Aires is that they are as hot headed as they are kind. They are always eager to tell you about themselves and their city and if necessary help you out with your Spanish. They are also very interested in hearing about you and your country as well as learning English themselves. The people of Buenos Aires seem so relaxed in their way of life, really enjoying every moment of every day. It does not make that much of a difference whether you show up on time, everybody is more or less late for times of meeting. It is a less stressed and uptight way of living then in the western countries. One thing you never will hear a ‘porteño’ say is the phrase “no I can’t go out tonight it is a school night”. They are always up for a good time and the streets are full of people into the late hours of the night every day of the week, whether they are meeting in a café or getting together for an “asado” - a barbeque with a lot of different kind of meet that everybody just shares. 
The life of the city In Buenos Aires there is always something happening. Every day of the week there is this a ‘buzz’ in the city, whether it is demonstrations, parties in the streets or the general atmosphere in the cafés, bars, ‘boliches’ (clubs) and restaurants. The city is full of life all week even though many of ‘porteños’ (the locals) in the weekends go out of the city to their houses in the provinces. The city offers so many possibilities of things to do. Regularly there are huge street parties, where they close off, for example Avenida de Mayo, (one of the large streets) to celebrate something like the celebration of the Brazilian culture. At this celebration they put up a stage in the middle of the street and a lot of stalls here people were dancing, eating and having a great time in the street. During the week there are also a lot of events going on in the city, if you are interested in practicing your langue skills you can go to events like ”Mundo Lingo”, where people with all sorts of different linguistic backgrounds get together. Here you chose the flags that represent the language skills that you possess and wear them on your shirt. Here you will meet a lot of people and if you are lucky learn something new, if this interests you a visit to the Spanish English speed dating event ”Spanglish Exchange” is also an option. 
At the cultural center Konex you can visit through the week to experience all sorts of events. Every Monday night there is a big drum show on with the band ‘La Bomba de Tiempo’. This show is amazing and every Monday it fills up the entire warehouse with people dancing, smoking and drinking all night. If you are not up for a major party you can go to one of the many small cosy bars with live music like ‘Jazz y pop’, where you just can sit down with a glass of great wine and enjoy the music and the atmosphere. If you are looking for a local experience you should go to one of the ‘peñas’ where they play with local music live or why not try one of the many places where you can dance tango called ‘milongas’ like ‘La Catedral’. If you are not up for dancing tango yourself there are plenty of experienced dancers who you can watch dance instead. It is a must to go to a ‘milonga’ when you are in Buenos Aires! 
Even though there is this vibrant life in the city during the week, the people of Buenos Aires don’t slow down at the weekend. The bars and ‘boliches’ are packed with people chatting, drinking and dancing. One of the most popular places for a Friday or Saturday night are one of the many ‘boliches’ in Palermo. Sundays are spent with the family eating an asados (barbeque) for lunch, or at a football match in the afternoon cheering on one of the many teams in Buenos Aires. You can also spend your Sunday in San Telmo where there is a street market every Sunday. Here you can spend your day shopping, eating great street food and watching the street musicians. Later on if you hang around long enough there is tango dancing and drum shows in the street. There are of course also other more relaxed activities that this city has to offer. For example can you go to one of the many restaurantsin this city, where you can sample one of the great Argentinean steaks. If you want to enjoy an amazing steak you can go to San Telmo, here is “El Desnivel”.This restaurant is famous for its steaks and they fully live up to your expectations and then some. This city holds so much! There is so much to see and do that I could write all day about it, but you should just know that this city is so unique and full of life that there always will be new things to experience – it is a city worth your time!
By Lauren Wilkinson 
After taking a short bus ride from the VG house to La Boca, we were greeted by Johan, one of the men who runs ‘Los Pibes’ and one of Voluntario Global Coordinators. Los Pibes is a community centre in La Boca run by the community where there are numerous facilities including a soup kitchen, library, computer clusters, classrooms for after school, space for boxing training and a radio station. We arrived at about 10am and after a quick tour of Los Pibes, Johan introduced me and Marie to the three ladies we were going to help cook. There were already two volunteers there who we had met previously and who volunteer on a regular basis at los Pibes. We started by washing and preparing the vegetables for a beef and vegetable stew! Once all of the vegetables were ready we let it cook and had chance to talk to the ladies we were working with. They are all very friendly and welcoming and are interested in why we are there and where we are from. In some other volunteer programs talking Spanish is made easier as there is usually someone who can speak English to help fill the gaps. However the ladies knew no English so there was a slight communication barrier; despite this we all seemed to get our points across! 
Once the food was ready we began serving it to those from the community, we served around 20-30 people within about 30 minutes. They were each given a huge portion of rice with the stew we had prepared and some rolls of bread and to wash it down some orange juice. Everyone who came for food was friendly and wanted to make conversation. Once we had served everyone, we sat down with them and had our lunch (the same as them). A lot of the community made conversation with us, which was a great opportunity for us to practice our Spanish again! 
La Boca is an area of Argentina which outside of its colourfully painted houses, has quite a bad reputation. Los Pibes allows people in the community a place to go for education, food, warmth and a friendly face. It Is refreshing to see that within a community with many problems people can still come together to look after each other and los Pibes and the people who volunteer there offer exactly that.
September 15th of each year was established as the International Democracy Day, created in 2007 by United Nations with this year’s theme being “Democracy Education” aiming to encourage younger generations to support democracy and be educated in what it will achieve. Democracy is the universal value stating that everyone should have the opportunity to determine their own future, through all aspects, whether that be economic, social, cultural or political. The creation of the Democracy Day is to encourage the continuing promotion of Democracy on an annual basis. In order to promote Democracy each year, various activities take place including conferences and talks to try to spread awareness of this day. Some of the things which democracy aims to promote are:
· supporting the rule of law,
· promoting gender equality,
· guaranteeing civic rights,
· establishing accountable institutions,
Here at Voluntario Global, we aim to empower people from disadvantaged backgrounds by giving them the education, training and support needed to succeed. Through our monthly meetings with local young people we are able to share and exchange experiences. We invite young people from poor areas and from all the neighbourhoods and organizations that Voluntario Global work with to talk about the participation, commitment and solidarity needed in order to reach a better quality of life. Our youth Brigade... Our Brigade is a decision to change reality by building possibilities. The young people decide, announce and organize specific activities spreading the need for exchange, integration and social and political participation. Share knowledge and make social changes. Become visible and self confidence to people who are involved in poverty and marginalization.
VOLUNTARIO GLOBAL
Voluntario Global helps local communities by being available to discuss anything that local organizations need, and offering ideas for further change and development.
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CONTACT
Location: General Pacheco. Buenos Aires. Argentina
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