Ignacio Volunteer Jamaica Christmas Camp

Jamaica Christmas Camp

 RECRUITMENT FOR THIS PROGRAM BEGINS ON TUES, MARCH 23 !

 

to twelve Loyola University NO students will be invited to serve as Ignacio Volunteers who will teach / coach at a five-day camp in Kingston, Jamaica over the Christmas holiday break.   The students (age 6-12 years old) are from the Mona Commons Basic School in a disadvantaged shanty-town area of Kingston.  There will also be a few days of volunteer service at other sites in Kingston during the twelve-day stay in Kingston, and there will be a day of recreation (on New Year's Day).

Volunteers selected are required to meet weekly during the fall semester, following a required overnight retreat.

The Camp

The five-day camp will be for approximately 100 children at the Mona Commons Basic School in the area of Kingston called the 'Mona Commons.' The camp will be held from Tuesday, December 27, 2010 to Thursday, January 6, 2011.   Students at the camp will range from Infant [kindergarden (age 5-6) to fifth grade (age 11-12 )].

Classes will be held each morning from 9:00am to 12:00noon, then after a lunch break, sports/games will be held each afternoon from 1:00 to 2:30pm. Subject areas to be taught include Arts & Crafts, Reading & Writing, and Math. There will be much hands-on interactive activity. Afternoon activity include football (soccer), kickball, and children's games for the youngest.
 

The volunteers live together at St Theresa's convent, located in Kingston. During the twelve days, there will be several days of service after the camp with elderly at local service agencies, including Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, and there will be a day of recreation at Lime Caye, a local island.

Contrary to its advertising to lure tourists, Jamaica is an island nation of great contrast -- lavish tourist resorts on the north coast and intense poverty and violence in urban areas on the south coast. The city of Kingston is a crowded urban area of 660,000 and where thousands are living in the deepest levels of poverty. It is a city of great need and our volunteers will assist in the most disadvantaged areas and schools.

Program Procedures and Requirements

  • Recruitment will begin with Information meetings on Tues, Mar 23 at 12:30pm and on Wed, Mar 24 at 5:00pm in the Manresa Den (Bobet 107).
  • Deadline for applications is Monday, April 12.   On-line Application will be available after March 23.
  • Open only to undergraduate students at Loyola University New Orleans. Applicants will be invited to write an essay and will be invited for group interviews. All volunteers MUST be present at a required overnight retreat early in the fall semester (dates will be announced before the application process begins.)
  • Participants will meet weekly, at a convenient time for all, usually in the evenings. Meetings will range from discussions of history/culture of Jamaica to planning camp lessons to community building activities and fundraising strategy sessions. There will be a reflection at each meeting. There will also be a required service day in the New Orleans area.
  • Participants are required to fundraise as a group and as individuals to cover the cost of the program. Goal is $1,200 per person, which includes airfare. There are limited "Magis" grants available to assist those who fall a little short.
  • Participants will need to get a Hepatitis A vaccine immunization. A U.S. Passport is required or the appropriate visa if the participant is not a U.S. citizen.