About the project
A research collective that investigates social practices while exposing the structural violence and institutional invisibility faced by unhoused populations in Buenos Aires. For more than four years, it has produced the Annual Report on Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness, a key reference for data and critical analysis in the field. In 2024, the group published Las Mil y Una Noches en Calle (A Thousand and One Nights on the Street), a book that brings together testimonies, drawings, and photographs from people living on the streets, fostering collective memory and public reflection; a second volume is currently underway. Beyond its publications, the team promotes community-based initiatives such as long-running radio workshops, where research, cultural expression, and social action converge.
About the grassroots organizations involved
Founded on principles of creativity and solidarity, this space offers support to people experiencing homelessness through radio and community workshops. Every Thursday, participants gather for icebreakers, segment planning, and storytelling. These radio programs are not only platforms for reflection and expression but also spaces of healing and connection. Despite its religious inspiration, the space is inclusive and open to all. Additional workshops in digital literacy and cooking foster further community building on tuesdays. AD is a grassroots organization committed to social justice and human rights for unhoused populations, AD runs weekly radio sessions where participants co-create broadcasts on relevant topics like housing, violence, rights violations, and resistance. The open-mic format allows spontaneous and deeply personal contributions, turning lived experience into public discourse. The radio sessions unfold alongside everyday services, meals, rest, hygiene, making it a uniquely holistic space. Art and digital literacy workshops also run throughout the week.
Volunteer’s Role
Volunteers are integrated into both the research and community aspects of the project, contributing to knowledge production, relationship building, and creative expression.
Key Responsibilities:
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Participate in and support weekly radio workshops twice a week.
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Engage with participants to build trust, promote dialogue, and amplify their voices respectfully and ethically.
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Observe and document workshop dynamics for collective reflection with the research team.
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Assist in logistical tasks like workshop setup, tech support, and food distribution.
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Contribute ideas or co-facilitate mini-activities that align with community values and goals.
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Learn from and support the development of ongoing research projects and the upcoming second volume of Las Mil y Una Noches en Calle.
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Attend to monthly meeting with research team and potential training
What Can You Learn as a Volunteer?
- Participatory research methods: How to conduct ethical, collaborative research with marginalized populations.
- Social vulnerability and exclusion: A deeper understanding of the realities faced by people living on the streets, including the systemic injustices that shape these experiences.
- Empathy in practice: Opportunities to listen to and learn from powerful stories, challenging internalized stigmas and promoting personal growth.
- Collective care and solidarity: How mutual support, storytelling, and community-building foster resilience and resistance.
- Critical psychological practice: Insights into how psychologists and social scientists can engage ethically with communities and contribute to social justice.
Availability
From February through mid-December
Requirements
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Language: Intermediate to advanced Spanish is essential for effective communication and meaningful participation.
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Background (recommended, not required): Psychology, social work, journalism, communications, filmmaking, human rights, or community-based research.
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Personal qualities: Openness, humility, and emotional sensitivity are fundamental.
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Reflections from a Volunteer
Antuaneth Sosa Mejia - Why would you recommend volunteering with the research project?
From the start, I was welcomed with warmth, care, and genuine support. The Voluntario Global team checked in constantly, helping me navigate the city and settle in. Thanks to them, I never felt alone in Buenos Aires. At the research team, I was treated not as a guest, but as part of the group. They included me in meetings, explained their work with passion, and taught with patience. I felt respected and valued as a learner and collaborator. But what impacted me most were the people in the workshops. Each gathering was a lesson in humanity, connection, and care. They shared their stories, food, mate, and laughter with me, without hesitation. There was a strong sense of community and mutual support. Their kindness showed me that care lives in everyday gestures. I left with gratitude, new understandings, and many voices in my heart.
This experience changed me. It taught me that listening is also a form of resistance and love.
