My Assignment

This post is for those people who are interested in what I will be doing once I am in Honduras. This information is taken from the packet that was sent to me with my invitation. Followed by a mini Q and A for some common questions I have already received.

Country: Honduras
Program: Youth Development
Job Title: Youth Developer
Dates of Service: Dec 9, 2005-Dec. 2007
Orientation Dates: Sept. 19, 2005- Sept. 21, 2005
Pre-Service Training (in Honduras): Sept. 21- Dec. 9, 2005

"Youth Development Volunteers will collaborate with youth leaders, teachers, parents, and local Non-Governmental Organizations to create programs that will build self-esteem, teamwork, and leadership skills. Volunteers will promote activiteis for youth that expand their critical thinking ability and foster their capactiy to make good decisions, especially in dealing with issues such as gangs, sex, and drugs and alcohol."

"Part of volunteer work as a community outreach specialist will include increasing communication between parents and their children, and especially opening up opportunities for the youth voice to be heard and valued within the community. Volunteers will support dialogue between youth and adult populations, in order to draw different generations together, enabling them to work toward common goals that will benefit all ages in the community"

One of these common goals is to "train youth to become future youth service providers". Ideally I would be training older teens to be youth development workers so that they could continue to work with future youth in country long after my group would leave Honduras.


Q: Where will I be living the first 11 weeks in Honduras?
A: For the most part in Siguatepeque (see-gua-teh-peh-que), 2 hours from the capital, Tegucigalpa, with a family who is not yet named at this time but will most likely look at me and think, "why can't this Mexican speak Spanish?"

Q: What is the point of pre-service training (PST)?
A: I will be going to Spanish classes in the morning and in the afternoon I will have classes dealing with either youth development or how to prevent getting malaria on a daily basis. By the time the 11 weeks are up, I have to test at an Intermediate-Medium level in Spanish or I am on my way back to Chicago (and as punishment, back to Starbucks).

Q: Are you nervous?
A: Not yet. I am more excited about quitting Starbucks on Sept. 9th than anything else. I'm serious.

Q: How will you pack for two years?
A: I don't know how I will pack for the Dells this weekend, let alone for 2 years in Honduras. Very psychotically, I'm guessing. I'm sure crying will be involved.

Q: Are you worried about dying from a falling coconut?
A: Well, I've never given much thought to death by coconuts, but hey, I'll take them much more seriously now that I know about their dangerous ways.

Q: Will you come back to the U.S. for vacation?
A: Will you come visit me instead? (just think, the ancient ruins of Copan, the Bay Islands, second largest coral reef...OR we can travel to somewhere else in Latin America, I've already planned trips to Mexico and Peru!)