Giving Back To Costa Rica
“Ask not what your country can do for you,” famously began John F Kennedy during his inauguration speech, January 20th, 1961. This quote is so famous it doesn’t even need an ending. You know it. We all do. Even if we are from someplace other than the States. Now Kennedy wasn’t specifically talking about performing volunteer work in Costa Rica, but he sure was implying it. Fine, he wasn't. Just play along.
The message in Kennedy’s words is universal: stop being such a taker and start giving, buddy. Something like that.
As you consider your life in Costa Rica, and wonder how you may fit in, or fit in better, a good place to start is with looking at the ways you can give to Costa Rica before you ask anything of her. The needs and applications for volunteer work in this little country are beyond the scope of this article. We will however, discuss some of your options.
Schools
This is the most common way volunteers will find a place to work. The need is multifaceted. Of course there is a need for people to teach English to those who don’t know it, but there is a growing population of people who need to learn Spanish as well. The thing to consider is that this extends beyond teaching English and Spanish. Tamarindo is a landing place for many cultures. There are transplants from Italy, France, Germany and much of the Americas.
There is also a need for help in the local schools teaching other subjects. Some of these opportunities could turn into paid work, but then you won’t be volunteering anymore. Not as a teacher at least. Here is a very short list of some of your options around Tamarindo. If you are looking for more tradition school volunteer options, we suggest you read our blog on local schools, and follow the links to contact them about opportunities.
Wayra - The Wayra program is diverse, offering opportunities for those who speak Spanish fluently, and for those who only have a basic understanding of the language.
ISLS - This school combines surf and Spanish in one package. Volunteering doesn’t appear to be free, but in this case you get more than you pay for.
Surf Camps
The number of surf camps in Tamarindo is brimming these days. They have been for a long time. The good news is they don’t seem to be going away, and that means there are way more opportunities to learn surfing than we have time to go into here. For this reason here are two outfits which should be able to point you in the right direction if they can’t use your services themselves.
Dreamsea - This surf school has a big campus just outside central Tamarindo. They are regularly looking for volunteers.
Tamarindo Surf School - This school guarantees students will stand on their first wave. They also conduct outreach into other arenas, where volunteers are needed.
Farms
Learn to farm organic crops, pick up old school farming skills, or rescue animals in need. There are probably more variables for working with nature in Costa Rica than the other two categories. The challenge is finding those opportunities without going finger-numb from searching all the interwebs. To help you out here are a few you can try first.
The Monkey Farm - Located in Guanacaste, this animal shelter and petting zoo is completely run by volunteers.
Gaia Vista - Learn organic farming with a view of the Pacific on this Central South Pacific farm.
Osa Eco Experience - Another organic farm experience, also south of Guanacaste, near Osa Penninsula.
So that's your starting point. This topic is really a Pandora's Box, but worth the time and effort if you have the motivation. Volunteering will forge in you a deep connection to Costa Rica and her people. What's that have to do with JFK? “Ask what you can do for your country.” is the ending to the quote. (Just in case you really didn't know.)
While Costa Rica may not be what you consider “your country” at this time, you never know. Give it some time and you may think differently. Plenty of expats have come for a vacation and never gone home. Put a little labor into her soil and you may be find yourself emotionally tied Costa Rica too
Ironically, two-years after his famous speech, in March of 1963 Kennedy spent some time in Costa Rica. He was here as an extension of the Foreign Assistance Act. Since he was getting paid to be here it would be a stretch to call JFK Costa Rica’s first foreign volunteer, but the message in his speech, combined with the very words “Foreign Assistance,” certainly earn him honorary mention.
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