The Situation
Argentina's recent economic recession has lead to increased poverty and a large economic gap between the upper and lower classes. Young people have been hit especially hard, and many have lost the desire and/or the resources to attend school, pursue higher education, or find sustainable employment.

What’s Being Done
The goal of our Youth Outreach Program is to take an active role in helping children and teens in Buenos Aires who are living below the poverty line. The first step in this process is to ensure that children’s basic needs (i.e. food, clothing and shelter) are being met. The second step is to find ways to help children and teens from economically disadvantaged areas progress, giving them the tools and encouragement they need to break out of poverty. This means developing educational and job-training programs for older youth, as well as providing daycare for the younger children of working parents.

What You Can Do
As a volunteer in Argentina, you will work to provide basic assistance to people living below the poverty line, as well as to educate and mentor children and teens. During your time on the project, you will be in direct contact with youth and sometimes their parents as well, helping make a positive difference in their lives. Your presence and perspective will provide young people with an important window to an unfamiliar reality, as well as giving them the tools necessary for success as adults. Most importantly, you will be a role model and a friend who will provide these disadvantaged children with hope for a better future.

Airport Pickup and Orientation:
After arrival in Buenos Aires, you will be picked up by a shuttle service and transported to your host family for the first night. The following morning, you will begin your Volunteer Adventure with an extensive orientation. During this time, you will learn about living and working in Buenos Aires, using public transportation, and volunteering at your project site. You will meet your project coordinator to discuss the details of your work and your responsibilities as a volunteer. Your project coordinator will accompany you on the first day and also on subsequent days if possible.

Transportation:
Volunteer Adventures will arrange your airport pickup in Buenos Aires and transportation to your host family. Volunteers pay for transportation to and from the project and other activities.

Language Classes:
Volunteers enrolled in the Gold package will be taking Spanish language classes at BridgeArgentina, our affiliate language school in Buenos Aires. For more efficient placement upon your arrival, we ask that you take our Online Spanish Placement Test to determine your language proficiency. If this is not possible, we will test you upon arrival at the school. You will be placed according to your language level in a group of four or fewer students, learning conversational Spanish for four hours a day*. After your class hours, you will go directly to your organization for your volunteer experience.

*Class time for groups of fewer than three students will be reduced from 4 to 3 hours per day.

Accommodations:
Bronze: You will be staying at a hostel with breakfast included. Commute time to the project varies from about 30-90 minutes.                                                                                
Silver and Gold: You will be staying with an Argentinean host family. Our host families are carefully screened and must meet Volunteer Adventures' requirements before being accepted as a host family. The distance from the school varies from about 30-45 minutes by bus. You will be given a key to your host family's home to come and go as you please. The family will provide a private room and two meals per day (breakfast and dinner).

Meals:
Bronze: Hostel serves breakfast only. You will have access to a kitchen if you choose to prepare your own meals.                                                                                               
Silver and Gold: Host family provides 2 meals a day.

In-Country Support:
Volunteer coordinators will provide support during your time in Buenos Aires. You can also expect help from your fellow volunteers and the staff of both Volunteer Adventures and our partner organization. We also provide a 24-hour cell phone number for emergencies.

Commitment:
On your first day, you will be asked to sign a contract confirming your commitment to your volunteer work. Your commitment is what makes our programs work, and we need to be able to count on you to be present and willing to help during the hours that we have arranged for you. If at any time you cannot fulfill your commitment, you must contact your project coordinator immediately.

Excursions:
Although you will be serving the community for most of your time in Argentina, there may be time for some sightseeing. Below are a few of the trips that BridgeArgentina organizes for students and volunteers, schedule permitting. Students are expected to pay their own transportation costs and entrance fees.

The Recoleta - One of our most popular excursions, this trip takes you to the beautiful Recoleta neighborhood known as a "slice of Paris" in Buenos Aires. The Rosedal - The Rosedal is Buenos Aires' most famous and most visited park, filled with bridges, piers, ponds, sculptures, and abundant vegetation. San Telmo -A walking tour of this artsy neighborhood offers a chance to visit antique shops and the San Telmo Market, where you can find antiques, crafts, and artwork made by local artisans. La Boca -Colorful houses characterize the lively waterfront neighborhood of La Boca. The area is also home to the country's most popular soccer team, the Boca Juniors. The Plaza de Mayo -This plaza is the epicenter of Argentina's political history. This tour of the plaza also includes famous buildings nearby, such as the Casa Rosada, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Cabildo. Puerto Madero -This port city has converted its old brick warehouses into first-rate restaurants, movie theaters, and office complexes. It is now Buenos Aires' newest, most exclusive, and fastest-growing district.