Needs From: MC Serves!

BECA is seeking Summer Camp Counselors for our annual Summer Camp, a summer bridge program for 1st – 6th-grade students from our partner schools, San Jeronimo Bilingual School and Santa Monica Bilingual School, in Honduras.

For interested volunteers who are not available during our summer camp weeks, we offer similar service learning volunteer opportunities for small groups - including student groups, families, and other organizations/companies.

The three-week summer camp (that happens annually - typically the last week of June through the first two weeks of July) includes fun games, activities, and literacy and math enrichment. The camp contributes to preventing summer learning loss and offers BECA's students an enriching opportunity during a time when many of their peers are still in school (public schools in Honduras operate on a February - November schedule). Our camp counselors and Counselors in Training learn just as much as our students do and have just as much fun too. 

Our counselors are a wonderfully varied group - including recent high school graduates, current college students on summer vacation, educators looking for service learning summer opportunities, and even retirees from all over the world. 

All Summer Camp Counselors (and other service learning volunteers) connect with the BECA team and each other via email and two onboarding video calls prior to coming to Honduras to discuss the following:

packing/arriving in-country

brainstorming the summer camp theme

lesson planning topics for reading & writing, arts & crafts, and physical education

 
 Once you arrive, here’s what you have to look forward to:

We kick off with a 3-4 day orientation in-country (shorter for shorter experiences)

Summer Camp runs 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday

In the afternoons, the team is busy completing a service project, participating in a reflection series, going on home visits, or participating in team bonding activities

On the weekends, we take team trips to various parts of Honduras, such as La Ceiba, Cayos Cochinos, Copan Ruinas, las cascadas de Cusuco, or Lago de Yojoa

RESPONSIBILITIES

Plan, execute, and document daily activities for students in a collaborative environment Make summer camp a fun way for students to maintain/increase their English language ability Work together to plan activities across disciplines including art, reading and writing, and physical activity

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

A commitment to BECA’s mission and a dedication to social justice Fluency in English Experience working with children (preferred) Willingness to operate and be creative in a low-resource environment Foundational knowledge of Spanish (not required but helpful)

Because the Summer Camp is a supplemental program, BECA recoups the program’s expenses through donations paid by Summer Camp Counselors and CITs. We ask that you contribute or fundraise $1,500 for the BECA program to help defray costs (staff support, food, accommodation, and training). A limited number of reduced contribution slots may be available. If you are interested in a service learning experience for your group, we are happy to discuss a fee structure that makes sense for all. We can also help groups/individuals set up a fundraising page using our networkforgood platform.

For current college students and educators, please note that volunteers in the past have successfully applied for on-campus grant monies or local grant opportunities to cover this expense and travel. We encourage you to explore what opportunities your college/community offers to subsidize summer experiences. Please contact us if you have any questions; we will try to help you in any way possible.

*** STUDENT SERVICE LEARNING: Students will earn hour-for-hour the amount of time serving when they are directly supervised (typically an average of four hours/day during summer camp and similar service learning trips).***

Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian  and must be completed outside of school hours. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns.

Regarding Virtual (zoom or whatsapp) Orientation Sessions:

A student’s parent/guardian must provide BECA with written approval of the student’s participation in the virtual training (see waiver below) prior to the student serving/volunteering. Students must use personal/private accounts (not MCPS student accounts) to engage in the virtual platform. Students will only engage with others under the direct supervision of a BECA supervisor. The nonprofit supervisor will be directly present in the virtual space (including any breakout sessions) at all times. The BECA supervisor will initiate and host all virtual sessions. If the BECA supervisor is not available to initiate and host the virtual session, the session will not occur. Virtual sessions will not be recorded. Students should not share or upload any videos, pictures, or images of themselves, unless BECA has obtained a signed form/waiver from the student’s parent/guardian authorizing permission/release. Students’ email addresses/home addresses or any personally identifying information will remain protected and not shared.

Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety and privacy at any time the student is interacting with the nonprofit and its clients. The nonprofit organization will determine the number of SSL hours awarded based on the evidence submitted. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns. This service activity is designed to be completed within the safety of the student’s home.