Ecuador Volunteering-Education-Antioquia Tutoring School

Description

The main mission in Antioquia Tutoring School is to work to help children and teenagers in the North of Quito escape from the cycle of poverty by providing educational services. This organization also strives to nurture the spiritual awareness of the students.
To achieve this mission, the staff in Antioquia teach values based in God´s precepts and teachings. The organization offers after school tutoring for the children in different parts of North Quito. The children come to Antioquia Tutoring School to receive assistance with their homework and for extra lessons in areas that they require assistance.
Many schools in Quito are underfunded and overstaffed, often the student to teacher ratio is so high that students do not receive extra help if they do not understand the subject matter. The teachers in Antioquia are there to assist the students after school so that they can better understand the material.
Antioquia was founded in August, 2003 by Jenny Olivo and Mario Mosquera, when they realized there was a significant need for the children and teenagers from their community to have somewhere safe to go after school, where their educational and spiritual goals could be developed. The organization also strives to build the children´s self esteem by letting them know they are smart and capable in anything they want to achieve.


Why does this organization need volunteers?

The education system in Ecuador is broken down into four distinct sections similar to systems used in the west: pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher education. Although public education is free for pre-primary to secondary, many schools lack the funding to hire enough staff to provide dedicated attention to the students.
Many students struggle in learning the concepts taught in classes, and without one-on-one attention, they face the possibility of falling behind their peers. Students who fall behind, or feel frustrated at not understanding the lessons are more likely to drop out of school. According to research conducted by Unicef, roughly 76% of students completed their primary education in Ecuador. This means that almost a quarter of the students will leave school and start to work in the markets or on the streets before they are even teenagers.
It is important for children to complete their education so they may have more options for their future. Volunteers can help them achieve this by assisting them to complete their school work,to understand the material and also by sharing their time and experiences with the students and teachers.

What tasks will you be required to fulfil?

Volunteers assisting at this school will start their placement in the afternoon by calling in the children from the grounds. You will then go to your assigned class,(based on a pre-determined plan for the day) and help the teacher. You will be able to share your thoughts and ideas with the teacher on how to present the topics in an engaging manner.
The Antioquia School places emphasis in four specific areas: Cognitive, Health, Spiritual and Social Emotional. Each area has instructions about what topics must be covered by the instructor. In this case you will be able to follow the curriculum in the booklets to help plan the lessons, and using your creative side, ensure the activities are engaging and relevant to the topic.
Volunteers will also be asked to work one-on-one with the students to assist them with their school homework, or with specific children who have been identified as needing extra assistance.

Requirements:
It is desirable volunteers have experience with children and be able to create ideas for teaching many things.

Requirements

Language

English

Upon arrival in country our staff will pick you up at the airport and return you to our Orientation Center for a safety briefing and general country orientation. For this program you are required to complete one - 4 weeks of language training and orientation which is included in the cost of the program. At the end of that week you will transfer to your placement to begin volunteering. Our staff are available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week should you require help of any kind.