By thais corral | coordinator
Volunteers are one of the driving forces of Julio Otoni project. Since its inception in 2006, volunteers from all over the world have had a chance to experiencing the work with the children, the challenges of sustaining a project in a Favela in Rio, the joy of seeing the children participating and evolving through the activities. We continue to welcome volunteers especially the ones that are able to engage for a long stay. In our page http//www.juliootoni.wordpress.com , it is possible to find the current activities and the ways to engage. Here we include the testimonies of the two volunteers that have experienced Julio Otoni. Teresa Keohane from the UK is volunteering with Julio Otoni since her arrival in Brazil in 2006. Today Teresa helps recruiting volunteers to the project. Listen what she says: "Volunteering at the Julio Otoni Project was an amazing and thoroughly rewarding experience. The children at the project are so eager to learn and get the most out of the activities offered and you really feel that by being there you are making a difference. It is very rewarding to be able to offer something to these children and give them the chance to participate in activities and experiences that they otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to be part of, and interact with people they normally wouldn't come into contact with. This all helps to broaden their horizons and perhaps makes a difference to their future and the choices they make in it. Also, as a volunteer I found that the experience helped me grow on a personal level as you get the chance to learn and challenge yourself in ways that you would not normally do. The Julio Otoni Project is a unique volunteering opportunity in Rio - aside from being an amazing experience, the project is well organised and you feel that your skills or desire to help are being put to a good use. Also, it is one of the few projects in Rio where volunteers are not charged a fee to participate in the project which helps make it more accessible for potential volunteers." Laure Huys from France spent two months volunteering at Julio Otoni, May and June of 2012. Here is what she says. "I had an amazingly great and rich experience teaching at the Centro comunitario Julio Otoni. What I appreciated is that I got there from one day to the other and I was free to teach whatever I wanted. I decided to teach arts and crafts based on recycled material to educate and sensitize the kids to sustainable development and to motivate their creativity with what they have. So, I came twice a week to teach and spend some time with the kids. Thanks to this I learnt portugues very quickly and I got to know a lot about how people live in favelas, how brasilians are in a very creative and joyful atmosphere. For sure, I would recommend anyone to have the same experience and for sure, I would do it again!" Would you like to recommend Julio Otoni for a volunteer that comes to Rio? Get in contact: juliootonivolunteering@gmail.com http://facebook.com/juliootoni
By Sara Worl | Communuity Development and Marketing Volunteer
By Sara Worl | Communuity Development and Marketing Volunteer
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