Volunteering

Volunteering is a rewarding and often life changing experience. It offers opportunities for learning, self discovery and personal growth, as well as excellent experience on your work and education resume. Volunteering does not just mean having to be on-the-ground in Guatemala. Some of our most valuable volunteers contribute to Seres through virtual volunteering: helping with research, grant writing, translating and other important work from anywhere in the world. If you are interested in volunteering with Seres, please see below for more information on what we have available. And, if you don’t see something that you like but have a great idea for ways in which you can help out, please feel free to drop us a line and let us know (info@projectseres.org).

VIRTUAL VOLUNTEERING POSITIONS

• We are currently looking for experienced Grant Writers and Fundraisers that can offer a minimum of 2 hours/week to assist us in grant applications and fundraising for our programs for 2012

• Do you like Event Planning? Would you like to organize a concert or arrange a silent auction? Or do you have another idea? Around the world, people are helping us raise money to support our campuses and the projects and programs that we run through them. If you would like to organize a fundraising event in honor of Seres, please drop us a line and let us know what you would like to do.
• Would you like to help with our social enterprise business that supports the Guatemalan cottage industry? Through our partners – Miracles in Action – we are going beyond fair trade to support a Guatemalan bead business. We buy beaded handicrafts from Mayan artists and are looking for volunteers willing to help us sell these beautiful items and get the message out about our work. The women benefit and the profits from the sales support or project and programs in Guatemala – further benefiting the community.

If any of these positions interest you, please email info@projectseres.org for more information.

VOLUNTEERING IN GUATEMALA

Volunteering on-the-ground with the project is a unique experience, and one in which you are guaranteed to get more out of then you put in! Our volunteer programs are structured to ensure that you get the most out of your contribution, and that our volunteer programs have the maximum benefit to the project and community. Below is a short overview of the volunteer opportunities and programs that we offer.

Short-term Volunteering Opportunities (<1 month)
For people who do not have a lot of time available to volunteer, we offer an exciting opportunity to get involved in our work and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience volunteering in one of our Youth Leaders for the Pachamama environmental leadership congresses.

Volunteers are asked to fundraise to cover the cost of the congress and are then given the opportunity to attend and participate in the congress as the congress sponsor. You will have the opportunity to be involved in the logistics and planning, and the running of the 3-day congress. The cost of the congress is $1500, and tax-deductible receipts are available for people from Australia, Canada and the United States.

There are many exciting and innovative ways to raise money and we are more than happy to assist you with ideas. If you would like more information on this opportunity to be involved in our work, please feel free to email info@projectseres.org

Long-Term Volunteering Opportunities (>1 month)

For volunteers that are able to commit to more than 4 weeks, we are interested in seeing how your unique skill set fits our needs, and how you can also try different things and gain a unique experience in Guatemala. As a volunteer, you will be expected to work six hours per day, five days per week. We ask that volunteers make a contribution to cover the cost of their room, board and expenses so that our funds are not taken away from where they are needed most. The cost is $105/week which includes room and board, high-speed wireless internet and the use of a computer if required, water, electricity, weekly cleaning and 3 healthy, vegetarian meals per day.

During your volunteering stay, you can be involved with anyone of our campuses in Guatemala City, Tecpán or Quetzaltenango or with our partner project in Lake Atitlán.

If you would like more information on this opportunity please feel free to email info@projectseres.org.

Internships (>3 months)

Our “Internship” positions are targeted towards professionals/skilled people who are committed to a long term stay with the project. In exchange to a working commitment, we offer room, board, training and the opportunity to be involved with a diverse, dynamic and high-energy team. These positions will often involve mentoring one of our local employers, teaching children or running workshops with youth and as such we do require that a minimum level of intermediate spoken Spanish is essential.

These positions will be advertised here and through our Facebook page as they become available, so remember to keep checking in regularly to see what comes up.

• Executive Assistant to the executive director. Minimum 3 months. Email for more information.
• Permaculture/Organic Gardening Project Co-ordinator with our partner organization El Infinito Cultura Permanente.