Performing Life – Fundación EnseñARTE (BOL-53)

Type: Socially Excluded Groups: Street children - Country: Bolivia

Brief description and main aims

Performing Life is a non-profit organization that helps youth who work and/or live on the streets. Our mission is to empower street youth by providing tools for a sustainable future through the learning of arts as productive skills for avoiding drugs and delinquency while improving their economic, social and personal well-being, their families and their community environment.

The organization works with two different groups of Children and Youth. One group who work in the streets to support themselves or their families, and another group who are working and living on the streets.

Main Activities

The performing arts classes are the core of what Performing Life is. They offer free classes on performing arts, including juggling and diabolo and poi, that the youth can use to increase their income and thereby have more time for school and studying.

Music is the creative focus of this project with youth who live/work on the streets. The Bracelet Program is a youth-managed enterprise, making bracelets for sale. Youth Home aims to provide creative activities that help youth to make the transition from street life to that in a Youth Home.

Volunteer tasks

Currently we need volunteers to:

• Teach performing arts, circus, theatre, music, dance, etc,
• Support with fundraising and administrative work (project design, etc)
• Improve and maintain the web page
• Support the work with women

Volunteer requirements / Skills

Volunteer should:

• have skills related to arts, circus, and music
• be intrested  in working with children with difficult backgrounds
• make a minimum commitment for 3 months
• speak basic Spanish

Exceptions can be made for volunteers with specific valuable skills.

Location

The project is located in Cochabamba.

Hosting Situation (Board and Lodging)

The volunteer will live with a host family.