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GYC0195 - Community work with children Country: Sri Lanka Cost: £795.00 Please note: £100.00 per week Cost Includes: The price includes accommodation, food and pickup from airport but does not include flight, insurance, kit or visas     Duration: 2 weeks (2 - 12 weeks avaliable) Company Rep Nearby: All the time 0845 344 7592 or

 

	This placement would suit... Volunteers who have a genuine love of children and young people. Although you do not require any special skills, any experience working with children or young people would be valuable. Volunteers will have the chance to work alone with the class so you’ll have the chance to show initiative work without guidance. As with all work with children bring plenty of compassion and imagination.This is the perfect placement to take as part of a gap year and can be combined with other i-to-i projects. Sri Lanka is a small island with a lot to offer, making it a great destination for volunteers. At orphanages and community centres around Colombo and Kandy, you can make a real difference to young people's lives by providing support with homework and English language lessons. You may also generate creative play through games, sports, singing, dancing and drama. There are even opportunities to participate in health awareness programmes and to improve the quality of life for local communities by planting trees. You either get to stay with a local family or in shared rooms at your project. i-to-i TEFL training is given before you depart, giving you the confidence to face your first day of class when you work with children in Sri Lanka. Project details: In Sri Lanka, we work with a variety of different community development projects based around Colombo, Kurunugala, Galle and Kandy. Many of the projects are orphanages or children's homes which house between 20 and 150 children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Generally, the ages of the children range from about 7 to 18, although some of the homes also care for infants. Many of the projects receive very little government funding and rely on charitable donations to care for the children, who often have very few possessions or clothing. We also work with some umbrella organisations which support clusters of projects in the Colombo area. These organisations run various initiatives for young people or for the poorest people in Sri Lanka, including English lessons, social activities and youth camps. The children's homes are only available for female volunteers, while the umbrella organisations in Colombo are on offer for both male and female volunteers. Male volunteers are almost always placed at projects in Colombo. Why the project needs volunteers: The projects we work with offer valuable support to children or young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are orphans. While many of the young people at the projects have access to education provided by the government, they are usually unable to benefit from it fully due to the many complexities in their lives. The support our volunteers provide allows many of them to improve their English skills, which will create more opportunities for them, and to learn about a new culture. Often, staff members do not have time to give attention to all the children, and they really benefit from spending time and doing creative activities with volunteers. Your role as a volunteer: You may become involved in a variety of activities, including homework support, arts and crafts activities, games, songs and social education. All of the projects involve an element of English teaching, but the amount required and the method of teaching will vary from project to project. Your schedule will be flexible and will depend on the needs of the project. You may be asked to help the staff members improve their English or IT skills, or you may become involved with fundraising or improving the appearance of the project. You may also be involved in various extra curricular activities such as dancing, music, art and craft. Where the project is based: The projects are based around Colombo and in small towns in the Kandy, Galle and Kurunagala area. Colombo is a bustling, vibrant city close to the coast, where you will be well placed for travel to other parts of the island and will have easy access to local amenities. The projects around Kandy are in the rural central hill country, but you will have access to internet cafés in the nearby towns and you are near to Kandy, Sri Lanka's second largest city and home to the famous Temple of the Tooth, and also Kurunagala and Galle areas. Please book your flight to arrive into Colombo (airport code CMB) on the advertised arrival date to ensure your airport pickup. Our users say: "Thanks very much for your time and help. I hope all is well both for you in Sri Lanka I still can’t believe some of the amazing experiences I had there when I reflect on my time there." Amy: Community work with children in Sri Lanka 0845 344 7592 i-to-i: We pride ourselves in a high level of service to ensure that all our gap year travellers get the most our of their meaningful travel. With Teaching, Community Development, Conservation, Sports, Media and Health placements in 24 countries, we can offer you the meaningful gap year that you want.