Global Volunteers teach English, share culture

Global Volunteers/Special to the Acorn UNOFFICIAL AMBASSADOR- Jamie Burtzloff of Thousand Oaks, right, tutors a Mexican university student in conversational English skills.

Jamie Burtzloff of Thousand Oaks traveled as part of a Global Volunteers team to Queretaro, Mexico, for a week in November. Her assignment was to teach conversational English to students at the Technological University of Queretaro.

"I was impressed by the Mexican students' desire to further themselves by learning English so they may get better jobs and achieve better lives," said Burtzloff.

While English is part of the curriculum at the university, students there have few opportunities to practice with native speakers. The volunteers focused on informal conversational sessions with small groups of students.

Global Volunteers, a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minn., also sends teams to the city of Dolores Hidalgo in Mexico. Future Mexico programs are planned for March 10 through 24, June 16 through 30 and throughout the year.

"This was an opportunity to show others that no matter what country or culture we come from, we all want to share and help others. We are all just people who can contribute in some way," said Burtzloff.

Volunteers pay service program fees ranging from $1,595 to $2,595 for international programs; one-week U.S. programs cost $795. Airfare is not included.

All expenses, including airfare, are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers. The fee covers food, lodging, project and program expenses.

Programs are scheduled in Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Cook Islands, India, China, Greece, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Ireland, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica and the United States.

For more information, call (800) 487-1074; write to Global Volunteers at 375 E. Little Canada Road, St. Paul, MN 55117; e-mail email@globalvolunteers.org; or visit www.globalvolunteers.org.

Global Volunteers has offered short-term service programs throughout the world since 1984.