Volunteering at CPI- Heredia

  Costa Rica

• North Western Region: 
Heredia

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks

Description: CPI´s Volunteer Program in Costa Rica is designed for students who, while visiting this beautiful part of the world, wish to enrich their stay by working in an area of their interest that will benefit the country.

* Teaching or assisting in CPI's English Department

CPI has an English as a Foreign Language program, offering classes from January to November. Classes are typically scheduled in the afternoons and evenings, and participation is possible while the volunteer is a CPI Spanish student or once they have concluded their Spanish classes.

* San Angel Education Center

A private school located in San Joaquin de Flores that teaches preschoolers and primary children. Volunteers are needed to assist in the English classes.

* Group House for Girls Nino con Carino

A private entity, supported by the government through the P.A.N.I. (National Children's Bureau). It functions as a home for girls between the ages of 5 - 12 years and adolescents, living on a very low economic level; many of the girls live in impoverished as well as precarious conditions. During the week the girls reside at the group home and each Friday they leave to spend the weekend in their own houses with their mothers. Volunteers must be female.

* Flores Arroyo Foundation

This is a center that helps adults with special needs to learn a craft or an occupation. This is a part-time or full time option, classes are typically scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and participation is possible while the volunteer is a CPI student (during the afternoons) or once s/he has concluded Spanish classes. This option is often suggested for medicine professionals.

**The volunteer may receive a participation certificate upon the request of the director**.

Highlights: The province of Heredia has a comfortable climate year round. Due to the altitude, night time temperatures of about 18 °C (64 °F) are quite common in San Joaquin, so it is recommended to bring a jacket or a sweater. During the rainy season, (May-December) it often rains in the afternoon so an umbrella and/or a light rain coat are essential. During the dry season, umbrellas and raincoats are not needed.

Activities in Heredia include visits to a butterfly farm, a tour of a local coffee plantation, waterfall rapelling, hiking to the Barva Volcano, rain forest canopy tours, river boat excursions to Sarapiqui, as well as trips to museums, theatres, movies, and nightclubs in San Jose. The staff at CPI also arranges planned excursions throughout the week. San Joaquin is an excellent base from which to visit all of Costa Rica. This central location makes travel to San Jose easy, where bus connections to any part of the country are readily available.

Qualifications:
* at least 18 years old
* volunteers should be registered for classes at CPI for a minimum of two weeks

Cost in US$: Contact us for more information

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18 years old and up

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Costa Rica Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Written Application

Centro Panamericano de Idiomas's Mission Statement: To be the best language school in Latin America. Today, with three campuses across Costa Rica, each operating independently with the same high quality service, CPI is working to achieve its mission. We continue to accomplish the following goals year after year: * To invest in the quality of our professors by attending annual language conferences, providing regular training seminars, and consistently updating our teaching methodologies and materials. * To provide superior student services by reviewing and incorporating student feedback into our programs, improving our educational facilities, and attending to each student's individual needs. * To offer high quality education at a competitive price. * To increase global communication through language immersion and cultural education.

Year Founded: 1991