Volunteer and Intern for a Non-Profit in Costa Rica

  Costa Rica

• North Western Region: 
Nicoya Peninsula,  Guanacaste
• Central Pacific Coast: 
Cartago
• Eastern Lowlands: 
Bribri,  Talamanca,  Puerto Viejo

Term: Academic Year, Spring, Summer, Winter 
Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Ongoing

Description: Tropical Adventures is a non-profit organization based in Costa Rica, offering volunteer tour packages for individual travelers, families and groups interested in exploring the culture, contributing to the communities, learning the language and discovering the natural beauty of Costa Rica.

Internships we are offering:
Marketing Internship to start August 2009 and be with us for a minimum of 6 months. The intern will work as part of our small, close-knit team as the Marketing Coordinator in the organization's headquarters in Paraiso, 1.5 hours from San Jose.

The intern will be in charge of a wide range of marketing tasks, such as organizing sponsorship, managing photos and our Facebook account, writing descriptions of our projects on various volunteering websites and coming up with ideas to help our growing organization become even more successful in helping some of Costa Rica's communities in need. An intermediate level of Spanish is required.

Community Development Officers - are needed to work with the Bribri indigenous community in Limon province. This will involve speaking to the individual residents, assessing the needs of the community and developing ways that our foundation can help them. This will involve investigating medical care and street drug problems in the area as will as helping to organize a 'Sponsor a Child' scheme and looking into how we can better preserve the Bribri music. An excellent level of Spanish is required for this role. Please see our individual listing for Community Development Interns on GoAbroad.com for more information.

Grant Writing Intern
The intern will be responsible for preparing, submitting and managing grant proposals to foundation and corporate sources. They will perform research on foundations and corporations to evaluate prospects for grants and gather the financial information necessary to report to funders. They will also be responsible for coming up with creative fundraising and sponsorship ideas to help our growing organization become even more successful in helping some of Costa Rica's communities in need. An intermediate level of Spanish is required. Please see the individual listing for Grant Writer Internship for more information.

Each of our programs offers participants the opportunity to experience the culture and spirit of Costa Rica by living and working with the local people and personally contributing to the much-needed community development efforts.

Tropical Adventures offers a number of Volunteer Projects for individuals wanting to discover Costa Rica whilst making a difference to those less fortunate.

Volunteer in the Caribbean beach town of Puerto Viejo, the beautiful Central Valley or exotic Guanacaste or volcanic Arenal. Join some of our fun projects with local kids, teach English, help out on the indigenous reservation or get wild with one of our environmental or animal projects.

In addition to our regular projects, we also run a Spring-Break program and a Summer Camp. Volunteers will be participating in a wide variety of service projects and tours throughout Costa Rica, while at the same time making new friends and learning about the culture, language and beauty of Central America.

The full range of our exciting programs is listed below, but check out the individual profiles that we've listed on Volunteer Abroad or visit our website for more details:

Holiday Projects
These are designed specifically for those wanted to make the most of their vacation times by combining volunteering on several projects with a number or tours and activities.

- Spring Break Volunteer Adventure 2009
- Summer Volunteer Adventure 2009

Children and Education:
- Teaching English
- Teaching in Elementary Schools at locations throughout Costa Rica
- Working at the Daycare and Nutritional Center, Guanacaste

Conservation and Wildlife:
- Sea-Turtle Conservation, Camaronal
- Wildlife Rescue Center, Arenal
- Monte Alto Nature Reserve, Guanacaste
- Bosque Eterno de los Ninos (Children's Eternal Rainforest), Arenal

Community Development:
- Bambu Indigenous Project, Bribri
- Community Work in Hojancha, Guanacaste
- Bambu Asilo de Ancianos - Retirement Home, Bribri

Our programs, which volunteers can start on any date, are a minimum of 1 week long. We are able to adapt and customize these programs to suit the volunteer's personality and interests - it is possible to combine different volunteering projects and we can even arrange tours if you wish to spend half your time volunteering and half your time vacationing.

Please visit our website photo gallery to see photos of our projects and read what past volunteers have said about their experiences in our volunteer blog.

Highlights: Life-changing experiences, unrestricted glimpses of the Costa Rica most visitors don't know, and a way to have a positive and lasting impact on a community are all major components of a volunteer vacation with Tropical Adventures.

Live among locals, learn from them and share talents that can make a difference in a society often forgotten.

Take advantage of the Spanish immersion program to enhance communication during the project work. The vacation is not all work; plenty of play is available: snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, river rafting, canopy (zip line) tours, chocolate factory tours, and several sights to see (waterfalls, butterfly garden, volcano, etc.).

Build bridges and return home fulfilling a community's hopes and feeling fulfilled.

Qualifications: We are seeking volunteers and interns who have a good work ethic, a friendly attitude and be willing to immerse themselves in another culture.

Cost Includes:

* Airport Pick-Up
* Accommodations with host family*
* Up to 3 Meals Per Day
* Volunteer Project Placement
* Project Training
* In-Country Support
* Medical Insurance
* Country Information and Orientation
* Assistance with Planning Excursions and Activities
* Reference letter or evidence of volunteer service hours
* 24 hour in-country emergency service

** Spanish language lessons, excursions and cellphone rental are available at an extra cost.
** Accommodation in guesthouses and hotels can be arranged at extra charge.
** Children 12 and under are charged USD 799 for 1 week and USD 999 for two weeks.

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: The typical volunteer at Tropical Adventures is someone who wants to experience the rich bio-diversity of Costa Rica, while learning Spanish and sharing their time, skills and love. Our volunteers like to work hard and play hard. They work well with others and enjoy submersing themselves in a different culture. Typical volunteers are college students, families or retirees.

Age Range: All ages welcome - under 16s must be accompanied

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Phone Interview

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network

Tropical Adventures's Mission Statement: The Tropical Adventures Foundation is a resource for empowering individuals and communities inside and outside of Costa Rica. Our goals are to: Support the inherent value of the individual, reduce poverty and injustice, help communities achieve sustainable growth, create safe environments, promote international learning and cooperation and foster personal and worldwide peace. Every community around the world faces the fundamental challenge to create social and economic systems that promote peace, human welfare and the sustainability of the environment on which life depends. We meet this challenge by supporting and encouraging initiatives by those living and working closest to where the problems are located. We promote collaboration among diverse individuals, nonprofit organizations, government and businesses from the local area and around the world, as well as from every level of society. Our experience shows such activities help build common understanding, bring forward and reinforce the inherent value of the individual, strengthen a sense of local and worldwide community, and ultimately enable people to improve their lives and reinforce their commitment to society.

Year Founded: 2005