Do you have a strong environmental awareness and already previous knowledge in the field of environmental education? Do you want to help raise a generation of young people who understand the importance of caring for the planet and are prepared to take action? Then join us in Peru as part of the Otra Cosa Network team!

About Otra Cosa Network

Otra Cosa Network is a well-established UK Registered Charity and Peruvian registered not for profit (NGO),addressing the educational needs of children and vulnerable adults in an extremely impoverished area of Northern Peru. We work in informal settlements where many community members have been displaced by climate change, disaster and political instability. They live in precarious circumstances, few have running water, sewage provision and there is only sporadic electricity. Additionally, many children are forced to work instead of continuing their education, in order to boost family finances and there are no community-based facilities for learning and developing new skills in a safe environment.

Our dynamic range of activities address language skills, environmental awareness, women’s entrepreneurship, youth, employability and gender empowerment. we are seeking volunteers to work in project implementation in our new Recreation and Education Centre as well as our field office. Projects will restart as soon as the community is safely able to come out of isolation, post coronavirus. Our range of activities are implemented by national and international volunteers, allowing them to express solidarity whilst boosting their field experience.

About the Environment Activity Lead position:

As an Environment Activity Lead you will work under the guidance of our Community Education Project Coordinator and make sure that our Environment awareness teaching is meeting high quality standards and is carried out successfully. You could be leading several volunteers in their work of delivering Environmental classes and activities. The main goal of the role is to develop a program whereby the community understands the importance of protecting our environment and acts in an environmentally sustainable way. In order to complete that role, you will be also responsible to carry out environment awareness campaigns for the community with the help of volunteers.

This role may only require a few hours a week but also gives you the chance to work on other projects within the OCN portfolio to top up your hours to around 25 hours/week.

Please note that all volunteer positions are also available as Internships. With this add-on you will receive an extra level of mentorship and where necessary all appropriate liaison with your academic institution to ensure compliance with internship placement requirements. Please see our separate internships listing for further in-depth information or check out our website at www.otracosa.org.

This position includes tasks such as:

• Facilitate weekly meetings with volunteers to plan lessons
• Help volunteers to deliver high quality lessons and guide them with your specific knowledge in this field
• Assist in delivering lessons if required, depending on your own language abilities.
• Improve and add to the Environment curriculum
• Be creative in coming up with new ideas to actively involve children in fun and educative activities
• Plan and carry out Environmental campaigns and events
• Have weekly meetings with the Project Coordinators and participate in the Coordinators meeting

What you can expect from us:

• Personal pick-up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Working with an organization that has many years of experience teaching Environmental awareness to vulnerable communities.
• Possibility of contributing with your own ideas
• Thorough introduction to the organization
• Certified training in First Aid and Child Safeguarding.
• 24/7 emergency support
• Personal pick-up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Organized activities & trips (barbeques, game nights,

volunteer-lunch, team building trips) with like-minded people from all over the

world

• Working in a friendly beach & surf town right next to many

historical sites

• The satisfying feeling of committing your work to a good cause

whilst gaining insight into a new culture.

• Certificate of completion detailing your role, the project(s) you

participated in and the dates you volunteered in.

Requirements:

• Current background check from your home country.
• Spanish level: Not required but desirable *
• Time commitment: 2-3 months

* We can arrange Spanish classes in advance (by Skype) for you if want to improve your Spanish.

Volunteering Hours:

• Total 25 hours per week: 5-10 hours in this lead role, in addition to 15-20 hours spent on another activity

Desired Skills & Competencies:

• Practical experiences and/or knowledge in the field of Environment
• Teaching experience beneficiary
• Innovation and creativity
• Good team player
• Leadership skills
• Ability to cope with active children
• Flexible, responsible and open-minded personality

Related Fields of Study:

• Environmental Engineering
• Environmental Studies
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Climate Change Adaption
• Human Geography
• Conservation
• Education
• Spanish

Typical day:

Whilst there is a lot of variety in this role, on a typical day as an Environment activity lead you will start with planning the structure of the lessons for the following weeks in cooperation with the Community Development Project Coordinator. Therefore, you will work closely with other volunteers to decide on topics and teaching measures. You will guide your group with the implementation of efficient lesson plans and curriculum. You are also going to have the possibility to teach in front of children and to work on environmental awareness campaigns. Part of your time will be also used to prepare our monthly "yo cuido mi playa" event where kids will be involved in cleaning the beach and participating in fun activities.

You will spend some time on the Activity Leader Role and some time as a Community Education Volunteer, or another project, depending on your specific interests.

After work there is plenty of time to catch one of Huanchaco’s world famous sunsets from the tranquility of the beach, or indeed from a surfboard. Then there are various options to fill your evening, socializing with local and other volunteers, sampling the famous Peruvian cuisine, attending talks and cultural events, music, dance, theatre, movies- the list is endless.

Huanchaco and free-time activities

Huanchaco is a beautiful coastal town where the waves are perfect all year long, which makes this place popular among surfers. The long beaches and relaxed atmosphere attract both Peruvians from nearby cities and backpackers traveling through Peru. This gives the small town an extremely welcoming and friendly vibe where the locals, volunteers and travellers interact and getting to know each other on a daily basis. The city has adapted to this mix and hosts many cafés, restaurants, yoga studios, surf schools, gyms and other activities and sports that are available for everyone. However, the town still remains a quiet, easy-going place that retains its fishing-village ambience. Over the last three millennia, locals have stuck to traditional ways of fishing, going out on their caballitos de totora (traditional reed fishing boats), and using their nets to gather their catch for the day. Furthermore, Huanchaco is surrounded by mountains where it is possible to go hiking (tours are arranged by local guides, at reasonable prices). If you prefer cultural activities, the district is home to Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian city in South America and is only a few minutes away from Huaca del sol y de la luna, which are among the most well-preserved temple ruins of the old Incan empire that can be found in Peru. Trujillo, Peru’s third biggest city, is only a 30 minutes bus ride far away. The colonial city of Trujillo offers many shopping and sight-seeing opportunities accompanied by a lively big city feeling.

Enquiries and Applications

To make an application, please visit our website at www.otracosa.org or contact us on info@otracosa.org for further information.