A few weeks ago, I wrote about my recent visit to Colombia and about what we’ll be doing during the first leg of this amazing experience. Now, let’s take a look at how we’ll be serving children and communities during our 2nd month in Colombia! It will start with a short flight from Bucaramanga to the capital city Bogotá – the largest city in Colombia with over 8 million people. The city is almost 8,000 ft about sea level and located on a plateau in the middle of the Andes.
English Immersion Program
We’ll stay in 2 locations in Bogotá. The first is just outside of Bogotá at the country’s only camp, “YMCA Camp Bochica.” It’s a beautiful camp, operating year round for all different groups, similar to us at Frost Valley! We will be staying there for a week and helping with an English immersion camp to provide growth-filled activities for children and assist with group management. The service we provide will jam-packed with engaging activities that promote following directions and interacting in English.
School and Community Programs
After staying at the camp, we will return to the heart of the city of Bogotá to work with the YMCA of Bogotá in its school and community programs. During our time at the school, we’ll assist in their English classes and also provide different after-school activities in English for the students.
The community programs have a couple of different focuses. Depending on the needs at the time, we might be offering active team building activities or different recreational and artistic activities. In keeping with our social responsibility focus, we’ll also support programs for single mothers, giving them a space to learn a trade to be self-sufficient financially. The women in the program learn sewing along with other textile techniques, baking, and cosmetic techniques and skills, allowing them to start a business and provide for their families.
Next, we’ll stay at Hotel Suamox, a modern hotel with have contemporary rooms of 2-4 beds. It’s located in a vibrant neighborhood with a ton of restaurants, parks and shops nearby. We are also walking distance to the YMCA of Bogotá and the school we will be volunteering with.
This is just a glimpse of what we will be doing during our second month in Colombia. Learn more about the program in the Gap Year section of our website. If you have any questions or want to discuss the program more in-depth, please call me at 845-985-2291 ext. 265 or email zeigenbrodt@frostvalley.org.
