Mother Mazzarello Juvenile Center,

Required level of Spanish to participate: Intermediate - Advanced
Volunteering schedule: 7:00 - 12:30 for IGER and/or 13:00 - 17:00 for the Academia in every Sunday and possibly some weekdays for preparation.
Minimum time commitment: 1 week
Donation: Please select from the following options. US$20, 40, 60, "other quantity" per volunteer. You will donate directly to the organization. (Why donate? View examples of how your donation will be put to use.)

Objectives

Offer alternative education option to teens and adults who could not study in a conventional educational system due to poverty and work situation.
Train the students for professional skills needed to produce respectable and quality work in order to improve their living condition and have better future.

Work Descriptions

In collaboration with instructors and other staffs, teach the students necessary academic and professional skills.

1. In IGER, middle to high school level academic subjects are being taught such as Spanish, math, chemistry, biology, social studies, etc.
2. In the Academica, typewriting, computer skill, cooking, sewing and patchworks, embroidery by sewing machine, arts and crafts are being taught.

In the Mother Mazzarello Juvenile Center, there are two sections offering support to those in need.

IGER (Guatemalan Institution of Education by Radio): It is offering an alternative education option to teens and adults who could not study in a conventional educational system due to poverty and work situation. During weekdays, the students self-study by listening to radio programs and come to class on Sundays.

Academia: Its main purpose is to train the students for professional skills needed to produce respectable and quality work in order to improve their living condition and have better future.

Message to future volunteers

Teaching in your non-native language and in the condition with scarce resource is not an easy task. The students often arrive late for the class in the morning because they live far outside of the city of Quetzaltenango. They may not have enough time to do their homework because they work all the time selling pirated CDs and DVDs, ushering people into microbuses, mixing cements to build houses, shining shoes, fixing trucks and batteries, etc. But when they are in the classrooms, the students are really there to learn and get ahead in their lives. Many instructors are dedicated college students working at only Q75 per month. The work is not easy but we hope that you can find it very rewarding to work with the very motivated students and instructors.

List of necessities

IGER: Radios, batteries, notebooks, pencils, erasers, money to buy the textbook, registration fee, markers, calculators, ANY materials that can be used in a classroom to support the students (All we have is a simple classroom with one marker, chalkboard, desks and chairs.)

Academia: Typewriters, sewing machines, registration fee, money to buy the foods to be used in a cooking class, etc.

Description of the organization
Maria Mazzarello was a young woman who took practical approach to help children and teens of her time. In 1872, she established with St. John Bosco a religious congregation dedicated to help poor and abandoned girls. In 1955, Sor Anita Cavallini, Sor Angela Rizzato and Sor Antonieta Perdomo came to Quetzaltenango and began the Sunday oratory service to help girls in poverty. Every Sunday, the gilrs could go there to sing and play, and learn religion and arts and crafts. There were always sisters, instructors and someone to share knowledge and faith. And taught them the way to live with dignity by working hard with human and christian values. The Mother Mazzarello Juvenile Center has always fostered the environment to have fun, learn something useful for the life and make an commitment to help other people. It has been a place where the girls can find bread, love and hope for better future. The secret has been to make them feel loved, valued, respected and accepted so that they can improve their life.

For many years, the Mother Mazzarello Juvenile Center was only for the girls, but it opened its door to help boys also by welcoming IGER (Guatemalan Institution of Education by Radio) to offer an alternative education option to teens and adults who could not study in a conventional educational system due to poverty and/or work situation. instructors, children, teens have come together with generosity, solidarity and love to help this project. In 2003, we began new project with guideline set by the Ministry of Education. The Academia had began with improved professionalism, supervision and accreditation. Its main purpose is to train the students for professional skills needed to produce respectable and quality work in order to improve their living condition and have better future. MecaIn the Academica, classes and workshops in typewriting, computer skill, cooking, sewing and patchworks, embroidery by sewing machine, arts and crafts are being offered.

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