2015-12-08

Why we volunteer

Written by
Rate this item
(0 votes)

Last Thursday, Voluntario Global gathered with a group of volunteers to reflect upon their time in Buenos Aires, thus far.  Muffled sounds of rainfall and cheerful protestors, marching, or rather, dancing down Avenida de Mayo flooded the room as Voluntario Global founder, Valeria, asked the golden question: why do you choose to volunteer?

 

The mate made its way around the table while each volunteer shared her own unique experiences. Though the conversation may have surfaced through a varied mix of language, our thoughts remained universal. Despite the diversity among us, of both culture and passion, one particular answer, in some form or another, rang true for all.  Why do we volunteer?  Aside from the obvious gratification one finds through helping others, volunteer work may very well serve as the ultimate vehicle in providing, a sort of, ‘inside scoop’ on places where we might typically be considered outsiders— average tourists holding cameras, stuck behind a glaring lens. 

As volunteers, we crave much more than a pretty photograph; we seek the true story behind it, as well as the chance to, if even for a moment, become part of that story. While the city of Buenos Aires certainly has no shortage in scenery, the most beautiful landmarks become meaningless without a stock of colorful people to surround it.  Volunteering, whether at a kindergarten or a medical clinic, helps each of us gain an educated and enriched perspective on a culture outside of our own.  And though some of us may already be moving on to new adventures, our time in Buenos Aires will always serve to remind us of the positive change that occurs, both in a community and within ourselves, when cultural barriers are broken.

 

 

 

Read 31532 times

Related items

Cultural Diversity: Presence and Resistance

An article written by Comunidad MILPA, one of our biggest projects, about their last Integral Health Day. Comunidad MILPA is a community center and sustainability project based in the outskirts of Buenos Aires and founded by Valeria, who's also the founder of Voluntario Global. To get to know more about it you can check their instagram account: comunidad_milpa, and also look them up in our webpage.

October 30th: 40 years of the return of the democracy in Argentina

From March 24th 1976, to October 30th 1983, the most sanguinary dictatorship of our history occurred in Argentina. This year, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the return of the democracy in the middle of an elections year, plus a really complex context. We are sharing an article written by the "ECuNHi" team, a cultural space created by the Mothers and Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo and dedicated to their dissapeared sons and daughters.

Comunicación: ¿es la clave?

Después de una hermosa conversación con un voluntario (que permanecerá anónimo, por supuesto), nuestra coordinadora reflexiona sobre la importancia de la comunicación y los espacios de presencialidad, reflexión, escucha,  y sanación.

Communication: is the key?

After a beautiful conversation with a volunteer (that will of course remain anonymous), our coordinator reflects about the impact of communications in the volunteer experience, and how important it is to create support and healing spaces.

 

Month for Agroecology: towards an economy with social justice.

Past September 30th, Voluntario Global participated with Comunidad MILPA in an activity held there on the context of the Month for Agroecology. Here's the article written by MILPA about it, translated for all of you. You can read the original in Spanish at @comunidad_milpa instagram account.

Volunteering: a learning process. Part II.

Let's deepen on the reflections about volunteering as a learning process from the perspective of Critical Pedagogy with Abi, our coordinator.

Voluntariado: un proceso de aprendizaje

Algunas reflexiones en torno al voluntariado entendido como un proceso de aprendizaje desde la perspectiva de la Pedagogía Crítica de la mano de Abi, nuestra coordinadora.

Our weekly coordination update: last week of August

This was a week with a lot of news!


On Monday we had two introductory meetings:


Johannes, now nicknamed "Yoyo", came from Germany and started his volunteering in Comunidad Milpa for a couple of months and this was his first week adapting to a new country and a different language.


Also Emma, Dominic, and now PJ from the USA who are in Argentina for an exchange abroad from their university are joining us. During this semester they will be studying and having their intercultural experience from the service learning subject teaching English, in the community kitchen and in the early childhood center.


Soon we will give you more news about their learning and feelings about the different projects. We hope you all have a great experience!

Login to post comments
Who we are

Who we are

We are a network of organizations created to foster collective action based on the principles of social and cognitive justice. Through thought-provoking spaces for reflection, we challenge the conventional narrative of "giving back" and replace it with a more dynamic approach: that of "answering back". This premise forces us to deepen our questions, confront our assumptions, and recognize the complexities that arise when attempting to help others.

Read more

What we do

What we do

Our mission is to empower and connect local organizations to promote improvement for the whole community and take a unified approach to community development. We also aim to create a network between volunteers and local organizations in order to foster an exchange of culture and ideas which can help both to grow in different ways.

 

Read more

Our Projects

Our Projects

The organizations and communities where we work are the main pillars of Voluntario Global. Together with local organizations, we determine our objectives and the type of volunteer we need. Put simply, Voluntario Global could not exist without the organizations, as we work together for their development and growth.

 

Read more

Meet the Team

Meet the Team

All coordinators play a vital part in the running of Voluntario Global. Our core of coordinators is small and each has a specific role in order to keep the organization moving forward.

Read more

How to Apply

How to Apply

As we want to know our volunteers a little before arriving in the city, we ask them to fill in our Application Form. This only takes 2 minutes and dates can also be approximate, as we may suggest a change. If you have questions, you can always write an email to jfranco@voluntarioglobal.org before completing the form.

 

Read more

Volunteer Ambassadors

Volunteer Ambassadors

See what our volunteers have to say about their experiences in Buenos Aires with Voluntario Global!

Read more