In the Club "Casa de Voluntarios" begins the New Year's Party. Volunteers, youth people of projects and Voluntario Global team, are ready to the exchange of joy, new dance steps, innocent drinks, while they are performing their best angles for the facebook.
Diciembre nunca dejará de oler a Navidad y sonar a Fiesta de Fin de Año. Son las 11 de la noche del 18 de diciembre, y mientras la avenida De Mayo empieza a despoblarse de su habitual movimiento comercial y vehicular, el eco de un reggaetón invita a buscar el lugar donde se proyecta una gran celebración. En el Club "Casa de Voluntarios" empieza la Fiesta de Fin de Año. Voluntarios, jóvenes de los proyectos y el equipo operativo de Voluntario Global, se disponen al intercambio de alegría, pasitos de moda, tragos inocentes, mientras ensayan sus mejores ángulos para el facebook. En la cocina de la casa, un grupo de voluntarias hacen notar su pronta partida, con la firma de banderas argentinas y dedicatorias de despedida. Si bien, es la época de los reencuentros, también las despedidas se hacen presentes para quienes deben retornar a sus países de origen. Que lindo es observar ese desborde de buena energía, como cierre a las actividades del año. Las diferencias culturales se hacen imperceptibles al calor del ambiente, y la mezcla de voces indican el predominio del español sobre el nativo inglés, dejando evidencia del buen ejercicio del intercambio. Algunas horas después, los ritmos van variando desde la cumbia hasta la electrónica. Los flashes alumbran la escena, y el baile se torna incansable hasta el amanecer.
One important thing I have learned while volunteering with Voluntario Global is that volunteering abroad has become a trend that has allowed organizations such as this one to benefit from a large amount of volunteers at their disposal, however the number of volunteers who are serious about putting in the effort to make a difference seem to be far and few between.
By Tiffany Granski. I´m still in shock as to how fast time has flown, and sad to say goodbye to those who´ve shown me the real Buenos Aires and given me an opportunity like no other. 
What started as an idea to fill some spare time while studying Spanish here in BA has turned into an eye opening experience that allowed me to understand the pain, patriotism, struggle, and most importantly passion that lies beneath this tourist ridden city I´ve come to know as much more than tango and asado. 
I started 8 weeks ago with VG as a volunteer in the communications team. My first job was to visit a new project VG was looking at adding to their list of projects, and I was immediately submersed into the Voluntario Global team, getting a full understanding of how VG not only helps out local communities and individuals in need, but also other teams trying to do the same. Since then I have visited many more of VG´s projects as well as events throughout the city in order to speak to participants and those being effected, to later share my experiences and insight with future and present volunteers. I couldn't have received a better project. I was able to observe and take part in many of VGs projects, and get a great overview of not only what VG is doing to improve the lives of thousands of people, but also understand better the true Buenos Aires many foreigners never get a glimpse of.Weather it was mourning the death of an ex-president, building a fence, helping a child with their homework, or learning a song with HIV/AIDS effected children trying to find normalcy, my time with VG has been eye opening and unforgettable. 
One important thing I have learned while volunteering with Voluntario Global is that volunteering abroad has become a trend that has allowed companies such as this one to benefit from a large amount of volunteers at their disposal, however the number of volunteers who are serious about putting in the effort to make a difference seem to be far and few between. If you are looking at volunteering abroad, my biggest advice to you would be to ask yourself why, and if you decide you want to make a real difference, don't come for two weeks- come, speaking the language or willing to take the time to learn, and dedicate enough time to not only get to know the city and the people you will be working with, but to give yourself a chance to really make a difference. For my last blog, wishing you all the best of luck, and an enormous thanks to those you made my time here so real and unforgettable.
The purpose of this interview was to get an idea of how racism is perceived in Argentina from an insider's account, as opposed to the historical and technical contexts in previous weeks.
By Andrew Kahan The following is an interview conducted with a middle-aged, well-educated, professional Argentinean woman about her perception of racism in Argentina. The purpose of this interview was to get an idea of how racism is perceived in Argentina from an insider's account, as opposed to the historical and technical contexts in previous weeks.
How would you define yourself if someone asked you "what you were"?
I am an individual, I am a woman.
How would you classify racism in Argentina?
Racism in Argentina is different from, for example, the States. In Argentina people who discriminate against others do it against individuals who have darker skin (though not black in the sense of African American black), because they come from indigenous ancestry, either from the provinces of Argentina or from countries which are close, like Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú. They use the word “negro” in this context. Usually these individuals have a less privileged situation and are less well off (you can compare people who live in the northern suburbs of the Capital and people who live to the West or the South of the city and this will give you a fairly good idea). These people started coming into the city around the 1940s, and a great majority settled in the "villas miseria" or shantytowns for lack of resources or of a job.
Do you see racism in national & public policies?
Not now, though if you study the history of Argentina you have many examples of this in the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries. I only see corruption, which is democratic, since its effects are pernicious for everybody regardless of race or religion.
Do you find racism in Argentina to be ethnically or socially founded?
Both, but both are closely related. Do you find racism to be a generational issue?
I don´t know. I think it has been going on since before our country became Argentina, since the time of the Viceroyalty or even earlier. I think that strong prejudice will always exist and that it is utopic to think it can be eradicated from any part of the world.
Can you describe a significant encounter you have had with racism in your life?
As I was telling my students the other day in class, this happened to me a few years ago and it shocked me because the episode reflected how people who are discriminated against perceive themselves through the lens of other people´s prejudice. I was walking down Viamonte Street one afternoon, coming back from the office, and I do not remember why but I was well dressed for some reason, a meeting, probably. There is a building there which belongs to the public administration, and there were two men, two workers, talking in front of the building. They were probably taking a break from work. From a distance (add that I am shortsighted) one of them seemed to have a cigarette in his hand, which was dangerously extended away from his body, and I thought I ran the risk of getting my clothes burned and ruined. So I kept walking but when I was approaching the two men I moved a little away from them. Then I realized that what I had taken for a cigarette was actually a bunch of keys. And one of them then said something about my being afraid of getting too close to them because they were not like me (in a racial way, it was implied), or something of the sort. This made me feel terrible, since the simple truth was I was too shortsighted to see what he had in his hand and was afraid of ruining my clothes. This self perception of people who are marginalized by others scared me and made me rethink this whole racism issue in a new light.
The founder of the organisation joined in half way through the song, and it was clear the minute he entered the room the enthusiasm and love behind this organisation. Out singing all of us, his encouragement and leadership could not go un-noticed, and these children greatly benefit from such a great leader.
By Tiffany Granski
This week I got the chance to see up close and personal why Voluntario Global benefits so greatly from long term volunteers. I went to an amazing organization founded 15 years ago to assist those affected byHIV and AIDS, it has grown to become a home away from home for the children in the community who suffer from the effects of this rapidly spreading disease. The children in this area, along with many other areas of Buenos Aires, are only in school for half a day, and are often in the streets working for the remainder of the day. Casa Vela gives these children another option, and offers them a place to come after school where they play, eat, study english, computation and music, and most importantly learn and talk about how to live with, and how to prevent HIV/AIDS.
On Dec 5th 2010 takes place Casa Vela's 16th anual 2KM walk to raise funds for their projects, and the children are practicing a song to sing after the walk. We were lucky enough to join in on the practice during our visit, the final practice before the recital. The founder of the organisation joined in half way through the song, and it was clear the minute he entered the room the enthusiasm and love behind this organisation. Out singing all of us, his encouragement and leadership could not go un-noticed, and these children greatly benefit from such a great leader. What struck me most about this project was the childrens concerns and curiosity at having a new face in the house. Many asked who I was, if I was a new volunteer, and why I was there. Some seemed happy to see someone new and asked me where I was from, followed by a mountain of other questions, where as others seemed concerned and uneasy at my presence. 
After speaking to Josh, one of the volunteers there I realized that I was not the only one who received this welcome, as the kids in Casa Vela have had to deal with some very difficult things in their lives, especially discrimination, and as a result need time to trust new faces in a place where they feel so safe. Josh noted that it took a week or two before the kids started warming up to him and treating him like a friend, or even an older brother. This really shows how important the long-term volunteers are to projects like this, and to me really showed what a different these volunteers are making by helping each and every one of the children in this house feel more normal each day.
The following is an interview conducted with a middle-aged, well-educated, professional Argentinean woman about her perception of racism in Argentina. The purpose of this interview was to get an idea of how racism is perceived in Argentina from an insider's account, as opposed to the historical and technical contexts in previous weeks.
How would you define yourself if someone asked you "what you were"?
I am an individual, I am a woman. How would you classify racism in Argentina?
Racism in Argentina is different from, for example, the States. In Argentina people who discriminate against others do it against individuals who have darker skin (though not black in the sense of African American black), because they come from indigenous ancestry, either from the provinces of Argentina or from countries which are close, like Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú. They use the word “negro” in this context. Usually these individuals have a less privileged situation and are less well off (you can compare people who live in the northern suburbs of the Capital and people who live to the West or the South of the city and this will give you a fairly good idea). These people started coming into the city around the 1940s, and a great majority settled in the "villas miseria" or shantytowns for lack of resources or of a job.
Do you see racism in national & public policies?
Not now, though if you study the history of Argentina you have many examples of this in the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries. I only see corruption, which is democratic, since its effects are pernicious for everybody regardless of race or religion.
Do you find racism in Argentina to be ethnically or socially founded?
Both, but both are closely related.
Do you find racism to be a generational issue?
I don´t know. I think it has been going on since before our country became Argentina, since the time of the Viceroyalty or even earlier. I think that strong prejudice will always exist and that it is utopic to think it can be eradicated from any part of the world.
Can you describe a significant encounter you have had with racism in your life?
As I was telling my students the other day in class, this happened to me a few years ago and it shocked me because the episode reflected how people who are discriminated against perceive themselves through the lens of other people´s prejudice. I was walking down Viamonte Street one afternoon, coming back from the office, and I do not remember why but I was well dressed for some reason, a meeting, probably. There is a building there which belongs to the public administration, and there were two men, two workers, talking in front of the building. They were probably taking a break from work. From a distance (add that I am shortsighted) one of them seemed to have a cigarette in his hand, which was dangerously extended away from his body, and I thought I ran the risk of getting my clothes burned and ruined. So I kept walking but when I was approaching the two men I moved a little away from them. Then I realized that what I had taken for a cigarette was actually a bunch of keys. And one of them then said something about my being afraid of getting too close to them because they were not like me (in a racial way, it was implied), or something of the sort. This made me feel terrible, since the simple truth was I was too shortsighted to see what he had in his hand and was afraid of ruining my clothes. This self perception of people who are marginalized by others scared me and made me rethink this whole racism issue in a new light. Although this is just one take on racism from an Argentinean perspective, in the weeks to come, different interviews from different generations and social classes will yield greater comparison and analysis on the issue.
By Olivia Puddicombe
This week we had the opportunity to go to La Boca, somewhere we’d never been before. We were incredibly impressed with how unique this neighbourhood was, and how greatly the touristy area varied from the local neighbourhood surrounding El Caminito. After a stroll around El Caminito and a delicious asado we were met by Johan who walked us the few blocks to El Centro Comunitario de Los Pibes. It was amazing how fast the buildings changed and how quickly it became apparent the low economic status of this section of the neighbourhood.
The centre was started over 15 years ago by 6 families who united to help each other through the financial stress of the economic crisis and since has grown to more than 100 families. With this growth the centre has also moved to a new location which impressed us with its size and capabilities. Complete with a library with books donated by the local community and the government, two kitchens, a sewing room, offices, classrooms, large area for playing sports and most recently a computer room filled with computers which Voluntario Global helped to procure. Whilst being given our tour we came across a meeting of the project directors as well as community members discussing current political issues and the centres involvement in them. It was amazing how passionate they were, and to us it seemed more like a political debate than a meeting. When the children arrived from their long day at school they greeted us with kisses and got straight to work. The centre runs a voluntary after-school help session where volunteers help the children with their homework, talk about their days, and play games. It was clear in their smiles that this was surely one of the highlights of their day, and we were amazed how focused and well behaved they were after an entire day at school.was such a treat to see how this centre manages to help the lives of so many people. It has become a fundamental part of the local community and its great to see how much Voluntario Global and the volunteers help contribute to its long term success.
By Andrew Kahan For a city of 3 million people, there is marginalized diversity for Africans. This is in stark contrast with other major cities in the Americas and Western Europe. Yet, this wasn’t always the case. In the early 1800’s, Afro-Argentineans made up as much as one third of the population. After doing some research, I found a few plausible explanations for their disappearance. One, is the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1871. The other is that the government sent a disproportionately large number of blacks to fight in the 19th century wars, most notably the War of the Triple Alliance. Other explanations span from low birthrates to high mortality. It is also possible that the African population gradually blended into the increasing Caucasian one during the wave of European immigration. Duro de Domar is a comedy show that remains very popular in Argentina. Although comedians often walk the fine line between comedy and unacceptable discourse, this is the source of their material. Racism recently appeared on this show in the form of two overtly racist jokes against African-Americans. This is interesting because occurrences of racism in popular culture in the United States often is taken very seriously, por ejemplo, Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) or Mel Gibson who both took very serious hits to their careers after public racist rants. It seems to be that this type of rhetoric is voices more openly here than in the US. This doesn’t mean that Argentineans are more racist than Americans, but maybe that racial pejoratives (pertaining not to blacks but to Bolivians, Paraguayans, Peruvians, and Jews) are voiced with a nonchalance that is less prevalent in the US. “Argentina is not a racist country. We don’t even have black people. How could we be racist?”
In Argentina, as in many other parts of the World, “racismo” exists. Not only is there racism towards different groups of ethnicities and skin color, but also of socioeconomic and political groups too. The most common term used is “negro”...
This article was written by Andrew Kahan, a 24 year old student from Philadelphia, United States. In Argentina, as in many other parts of the World, “racismo” exists. Not only is there racism towards different groups of ethnicities and skin color, but also of socioeconomic and political groups too. The most common term used is “negro”, which is difficult to describe with clarity, but includes many portions of the population such as the working class, lower class, the poor, as well as criminals. Also, attitudes of racism developed, along with xenophobia, as a result of a wave of immigrations during the 1940s. Anti-Semitism also grew after the immigration of many World War 2 survivors to Buenos Aires as Argentina was one of the only countries in the world who opened their doors to war refugees, and consequently, to the perpetrators of the war crimes as well. In 1995, Law 24515 was created, National Law Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism to make an official, and coordinated attempt to eradicate racism throughout Argentina. Some racist terms include “Negro” or “Negra”, which are used by the upper and middle classes to refer to the lower class, independent of their racial identities. This problem is primarily generational as many of the older generations of Argentineans have not experienced the diversified Argentina their children and grandchildren are growing up in. However, “negro” or “negra” can also be used as a term of endearment amongst friends and family. For example, a famous singer, Mercedes Sosa, is referred to in admiration as “La Negra”. “Grone” is also used, not to refer to a black person or a dark skinned person, but as a degradation of social conditions, for example, a worker or son of a worker found in the lower class. “Groncho” is also used, with racial connotation, referring to a despicable act or something ridiculous or grotesque. Finally, “Cabecita Negra” is used by the people of the north and central of the country to refer to the rest of the population of dark skin and lower classes found in the southern region as well as immigrant populations. Although racism in Argentina is not more or less than other countries in the world, it is important to recognize the existence of it as well as identify certain terms that are used so that they can be placed into context, both socially and historically. In the future weeks, I will post more information that I will discover through research and interviews with Argentineans.
This week Voluntario Global visited an organic garden located within T. Borda, a psychiatric hospital in Barracas housing more than 1300 patients. The garden serves as a free space for patients, volunteers and members of the community to do as they please.
By Olivia Puddicombe.
Last week whilst at work I was invited to observe a talk about HIV and AIDS given by Clarisa to a class of children from the next door school. Clarisa is in charge of the social work done by the salita and she works closely with many schools. The children attending this talk were aged between 11 and 12 years old. 11 seemed to me to be too young but Clarisa explained that once children are 12 it is often too late for the talks and the difference a year can make is huge. I soon understood what she meant. T
he talk was well organised and presented. Starting with the topic of HIV and AIDS Clarisa with the help of the paediatrician Guillermo explained what the two words meant, the differences between them and the ways one can catch the virus. The amount the children knew varied immensely. Some knew more than I did, whilst others thought you could catch HIV through saliva and mosquitoes! They were relieved to learn that was not possible! In discussing the ways to prevent catching the virus the talk moved on to protected sex. It was during this section of the talk that it became easy to see the difference between the 11 and the 12 year olds. Whilst the 11 year olds blushed and giggled nervously when given condoms the 12 year olds seemed much more confident and comfortable. At the end we played a game to test how much the children had learnt and I was impressed with how quickly they had taken in the mountain of information they had been given.
At the beginning of the talk Clarisa had explained that I was a student from England which was greeted by many oohs and aahs. I had been aware of stares and points throughout the talk and then when it was over, the children ran up to me and bombarded me with a thousand questions in a mixture of extremely fast Spanish or nervously broken English. ‘What is your name?’ the bravest one asked me – ‘My name is Olivia. What is your name?’ I replied.
Suddenly everyone wanted me to ask them their name and then how old they were etc etc. This continued for several minutes until harassed by their teachers they were told it was time to go. Then the questions came once again in rapid fire Spanish – What is your country like? Do you live in London? Do you know the Queen? Did you come here in an airplane? Was it scary? Etc etc! As they were being physically forced out of the door and walking down the corridor I could hear the excited shouts ‘I can’t believe we met someone from England!’ They made my day and made me feel so welcome in a country where it is easy as an English person to sometimes feel unwelcome. What great children!
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.
Read more...
CONTACT
Location: General Pacheco. Buenos Aires. Argentina
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.