Rising Minds
Focus: Community.
Become a Fan. 
Follow Us. 
Subscribe To YouTube.
Project Description
Rising Minds aims to inspire locally committed and globally active leaders through personalizing complex global issues, empowering proactive change-makers, and facilitating contextualized educational outreach.
We partner with locally founded and run community partnerships such as cooperatives, educational programs and government sectors. Our community partners solicit our help to address economic, educational and technical gaps within their programs. Together we collaborate to support equitable, empowering and sustainable development. Rising Minds offers a variety of volunteer opportunities around Lake Atitlan – ranging from sustainable construction projects to teaching English, and beyond.
Rising Minds highly values volunteers’ interests, passions, and skills by creating a space for them to personalize their role. Our volunteer program is aimed at providing cross-cultural dialog, supporting local communities, and empowering both Guatemalans and visitors so as to address social, economic, and environmental needs.
The foundation of all of our work is empowerment. It is with our greatest intentions that we have developed a no-cost volunteer program that empowers as well as educates. Rising Minds gives you an opportunity to share as well as experience, and, most importantly, allows you to be valued, proactive, and supported.
Volunteer Information
Costs & Benefits
Requirements
Contact information
Project Summary
We hope to attract volunteers....
Who are interested in sharing their time with us rather than giving their time to us;
Who come to participate and not to observe;
Who will see that something needs to be done and do it before they are asked;
Who have an open mind and an open heart;
Who understand that change is made over time and doesn’t happen overnight;
Who are able to recognize the best intentions of situations and use that as a basis to overcome issues.
Our volunteers are a crucial part of our team, and essential part of our outreach program.
While Rising Minds volunteer program, by and large, aims to personalize involvement through our Mano y Mano and Paso y Paso programs, we also recognize that many people are interested in supporting our partner programs by simply being an extra set of hands.
Our Apoyo program provides an opportunity for volunteers to help out with already existing programs and activities.
Help with sustainable construction projects such as building a playground from used tires;
Plant seeds and tend a community garden to fight malnutrition;
Teach English to English teachers in public schools….and more!
Mano y Mano Projects aim to empower volunteers and personalize their role, Mano y Mano projects are individually designed activities that volunteers share at their service site. Volunteers in the creation of their Mano y Mano project through a one-on-one meeting with our volunteer coordinator and step-by-step support.
Help create greater employment opportunities by offering a skill-based training, such as hair-dressing;
Help contextualize learning by facilitating a hands-on activity with students such as teaching Guatemala’s geography by creating edible maps….and more!
Paso y Paso translated in English means “step-by-step.”, and our paso y paso projects are just that– a step. They are a piece of larger projects. We provide one page snapshot outlines of projects that volunteers can review, and chose the one that resonates the most with them. Every volunteer comes with their own unique set of skills and interests. Paso y Paso projects provide volunteers with opportunities to help address needs that our partner organizations have presented or that exist within our small grassroots organization. These projects assure that each volunteer is able to find a placement for their unique skills.
Research best practices for composting within the Guatemalan highlands;
Administer a conscious consumer survey to tourists and support fair trade...and more!
The Rising Minds International Internship program integrates the passions, skills and interests of individuals to help develop programs and strengthen our mission. International Interns take on leadership roles helping to spearhead programs aimed to increase educational opportunities, community involvement, and sustainable development within the communities in which we work.
While we understand why some organizations charge volunteers, we do not. That being said, volunteers are responsible for covering their own costs– accommodations, food, transportation and any other related expenses.
We have materials accessible for individualized volunteer projects, but our resources are limited, therefore volunteers are responsible for providing materials above and beyond what we can.
We offer, and strongly recommend, staying in a Rising Minds homestay– providing the opportunity to live with a Mayan family, create an empowering employment opportunity and help generate funding for our community-beneficial programs.
Volunteers must be aged 18 years old or over.
Rising Minds
15 Fox Run Drive
Newburyport MA 01950
Tel: International: 978.633.7155 Guatemala: [502] 4854.3841
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.RisingMinds.org
Volunteers must be aged 18 years old or over.
Rising Minds
15 Fox Run Drive
Newburyport MA 01950
Tel: International: 978.633.7155 Guatemala: [502] 4854.3841
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.RisingMinds.org
Location: San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala
Average cost per day: $0
Focus: Community
Skills needed: Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
