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The Project

Volunteer abroad in Belize and work as a Performing Arts teacher at a Community College. The college boasts a High School and Junior College with a combined total of approximately 1200 students enrolled over the two. There is a staff base of around 105 who teach children aged between 12 and 18 in the High School and those between 17 and their late 20s in the Junior College. Located within the Cayo District, The College is government and grant aided which has allowed it to significantly expand and flourish over its 50 years however the team are constantly looking for ways to develop the skills of their student population which is where volunteers are particularly needed.

Why the project needs you

Volunteers are needed to bring their unique performing arts skills and enthusiasm to the willing student population. While the college has a vibrant Athletics program for its students, it has limited Performing Arts facilities, only offering Music as a subject and even this has a limited amount of performances throughout the year. Students are able to learn simple instruments such as the recorder but they have no exposure to vocal training or singing within the school. Sadly, there is also no access to Dance, Drama or any other type of performance art. While the college offers great support for students in the more academic subjects, Performing Arts misses out, which is a great shame as the Belizeans love music, dance and drama. By getting children and young adults involved within the arts, we are helping to provide them with a healthy medium by which they can express themselves and resolve some of the personal difficulties they face in their lives.

Role of the volunteer

Ideally, we would love volunteers either for a year long period or for 6 month periods as we are really committed to providing an in-depth and consistent performing arts experience for the students. Whether you have a background in Music, Drama and/or Dance, you will be in charge of developing the after school programmes for the students of the college, working to develop and nurture the kids talent. The college would love to set up a number of stage performances throughout the year for the whole school community, so you will be responsible for choreographing routines, directing plays and creating musical numbers for the students to perform. This is where your skills and training will really come in to play as you will have a lot of creative direction over the classes and can mould and sculpt as you see necessary to get the best out of your students.