Hiya Idealists!

I’m currently working a new project to help English-speaking foreigners connect with local opportunities for action here in Latin America—and who don’t want to or can’t pay by going through a voluntourism company. (I want to stress first that I don’t think those companies are bad; the focus on my project is just on the community of people who aren’t involved with them). A big part of this project is to showcase stories of people involved in interesting and engaging community work through a variety of media, including but not limited to blogs, podcasts, video, traditional print media, etc…We’re looking to put these stories not only up on our site, but disperse them to other media outlets as well (e.g. Buenos Aires Herald, Lonely Planet, etc…)

But this is where we need you. I know there’s great community work going on out there, but I need some help in finding those fantastic narratives of awesome experiences.

Specifically, I’m looking for experiences of English-speakers involved in their communities who ARE NOT paying through a voluntourism company. This could mean volunteering with a local NGO on your own or with a group, heading an independent project, working for a NGO, etc…Really, I’m open to anything. If you’re giving, teaching, sharing, learning, and more with the Argentine or Ecuadorian community, I’d love to hear about your meaningful experience.

Ideally, it’d be great if I could go around with the person and have an intimate look at what they’re involved with. I'm currently living in Buenos Aires, and will be traveling to Ecuador in March.

If you have a story yourself or know somebody who does, please respond to this thread or email me directly through celeste@idealist.org.

Thanks!
Celeste