Intern
Long Way Home
Job Location: Chimiya, San Juan Compalapa, Guatemala
Employment Date: Semester Long
Work Schedule: Full-Time
Salary: Unpaid
Organization Description:
Long
Way Home’s mission as a 501(c)(3) is to break the cycle of poverty
among youth in developing communities by creating educational
opportunities, cultivating civic interaction, and encouraging healthy
lifestyles.
Founded
in 2004, Long Way Home (LWH) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization run
by a small group of dedicated volunteers and staff. For our pilot
project, Chuwi Tinamit, a local development organization, invited LWH to
assist in building an educational recreation/ecological park. We are
now beginning to build a vocational school for local youth. Since
February 2005, LWH has hosted over 100 volunteers and university interns
from over ten countries who have all made lasting contributions.
Job Description:
· The
project site has a tree and plant nursery, organic gardens, soccer
field, basketball court, playground, community kitchen, protected wooded
area, nature trail and outdoor classroom. Long Way Home is looking for
interns to maintain all existing projects, create educational and
recreational programs for the community, and promote the park locally.
We also need interns to help build an earth ship-style school and assist
in the construction of wood-burning stoves and water storage tanks.
· The
Internship Program leverages in-kind labor from interested individuals
from all over the world. Long Way Home has a great diversity of
programming and needs, and therefore works with a wide array of students
from various courses of study. Flexibility and an “expect the
unexpected” attitude will improve the quality of your internship
experience, as will your ability to work independently on projects that
interest you. Note for anyone wanting to help with educational
programming in the local schools: “Summer Vacation” in Guatemala starts
in October and ends in January. Fall interns will have limited time to
participate in school programs.
· Long Way Home volunteers and student interns work in the following project areas:
· MARKETING & GRANTWRITING Requirements:
Ideal students will have an academic and/or professional background in
business administration, management, marketing or other related field. Job Description:
Marketing & Grantwriting interns will respond directly to the
Executive Director. They will be responsible for creating strategic
plans for promoting LWH projects within the local community and
promoting the LWH volunteer and internship program in the U.S. and other
countries. They will also be responsible for creating and helping
implement fundraising plans for the organization as well as researching
and writing grants.
· AGRICULTURE Requirements:
Ideal student will have an academic and/or professional background in
agricultural science, botany, farming, organics or other related field.
Not being afraid to get dirty is a must! Job Description:
Agriculture interns will concentrate their efforts in the fruit and
vegetable garden, botanical garden, and plant nursery. Tasks can include
propagating, tilling, weeding, harvesting, processing compost, and
collecting seeds. This position can also involve creating educational
signs for the gardens and developing agricultural education programs for
the local schools.
· FORESTRY Requirements:
Ideal student will have an academic and/or professional background in
forestry, natural resource management, botany, environmental studies or
other related field. Job Description: Forestry interns will be in
charge of maintaining and promoting the protected wooded area and the
tree nursery. In addition to general maintenance labor, tasks will
include promoting the tree nursery to the local community and
incorporating the protected wooded area into educational programs for
local schools. Note for those wanting to work in the tree nursery:
Interns will have the opportunity to work directly with the process of
growing trees from seed from December to February, while interns who are
serving from April to June will be involved in tree-planting promotion
and reforestation education. During other times of the year, tree
nursery work is mainly weeding and watering, and forestry interns will
work more with the protected wooded area.
· ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & TRASH MANAGEMENT Requirements:
Ideal students will have an academic and/or professional background in
elementary education, environmental education, environmental science or
other related field. No beginning Spanish speakers. Job Description:
Environmental Education interns will design and implement programming
for the elementary school children who come to the park once weekly as
part of their curriculum, devising dynamic and interactive ways for the
children to learn about environmental topics. Work also includes further
developing the trash collection program within local schools.
· ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION & APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY Requirements:
Ideal students will have an academic and/or professional background in
engineering, carpentry, masonry, mechanics, architecture or other
related field. Job Description: Alternative Construction &
Appropriate Technology interns will help construct a school using rammed
earth, trashbottle, and other green building techniques. Interns will
also have the opportunity to help design and construct composting
latrines, rainwater collection tanks,and wood burning stoves. Expect
lots of physical labor.
· 2009 PROJECTS: Manage
a new project to assist the community in environmental clean-up via
trash management. Work with community members to encourage residents to
put their trash in a plastic bottle and bring the bottle to the park so
that Long Way Home can use it as building material. Community building: organize and meet with community leaders to organize the project. Youth Development: work with the older kids on the actual construction technique of using trash for sustainable construction. Environmental Sustainability: at the same time, clean up the streets and rivers, and offer a long-term solution to waste management in rural Guatemala.
Qualifications:
Willingness to work hard to help others. Desire to work in a rural,
Third-World setting without modern day conveniences. Ability to live in
rustic conditions and cook and clean on your own. Flexibility in job
duties. Desire to learn about other cultures. Physical fitness (walking
is the primary mode of transportation). Positive attitude. Ability to
work independently.
Interns are required to submit a Long Way Home Volunteer Application in addition to the IE3 application: LWH_application Note:
the majority of Comalapa's population speaks Spanish. The native
language of Kaqchikel is the first language in most homes. Classes are
available for interns in both Spanish and Kaqchikel.
Language Ability Needed:
Advanced Spanish language skills will enable you to work more closely
with the local community and within the local schools. Less Spanish
generally means more physical labor. Beginning Spanish speakers are
welcome to participate in our construction projects and or any projects
needing general labor, while interns wanting to work in educational
programming must have the equivalent of completion of second year
university level Spanish.
Note:
Although the Mayan language of Kaq’chikel is the first language in many
homes in Comalapa, the majority of Comalapa's population speaks
Spanish. Private classes are available for interns in both Spanish and
Kaq’chikel for around $7 per hour.
Duration of Internship: 10 weeks to 6 months