"I was fortunate to be a member of the pilot YCA project in Guatemala which took place in January and February 2006. I know it might sound like a cliché which has been overused by returned volunteers, but it was honestly the most amazing experience of my life to date. There were so many emotions and experiences in our 5-week project that it?s almost an impossible task to neatly categorise this experience. Our group was placed in a community-run ecotourist reserve, ?Corazon del Bosque?, in the middle of the southern highlands in Guatemala. ?The Bosque?, as it is fondly referred to, is a large financial support to the families within the community of El Novillero.
Our project was to assist the eco-tourist centre for non-local tourism, which was to involve English teaching, environmental conservation, a bit of manual labour, marketing and a lot of creativity. Not only did it involve learning how to building a septic tank, but the process of digging a hole 3m×3m×3m with a shovel, a pick and a hoe by any standards was not an easy task. The sense of what we had achieved bought a smile to everyone involved. There were moments when I questioned myself and doubted my ability (usually occurring in the pre-daily-chocolate-fix moment), but then there were also moments where I felt so alive and more content then I?ve ever felt before.
If I could take one lesson from the whole experience it would be that you can never prepare yourself for everything in life. Sometimes the greatest lessons come from the times when we least expect to learn anything ? you often just have to run with what you?ve been given and do the best you can. "
Lucinda Garling
Participant PGUA 2006
“Volunteering for Hospital de Niños was truly a memorable experience. I came to San Jose with a beginner’s level of Spanish, hoping to improve my Spanish fluency, but in the end I gained much more than language skills. In the Hospital I had the opportunity to take care of children of all age groups ranging from Infants of a few days to children of ten years age. On my first day at the hospital I was responsible of taking care of a baby that was less tan one week old while his mother could not accompany him. I’ve never been left alone with such a young baby in the past and it seemed like a tremendous task. However, not long afterwards I was humming the baby to sleep and not wanting to let go.
The greatest experience was when I was assigned to be in charge of the play room where children with cancer play in while they wait for their appointment with the doctor. I was afraid that the children would be ill- tempered or my language barrier would be a big problem, but I was able to communicate with the children. They made me feel important because I could brighten their day by playing games with them and teaching them how to write Chinese characters exchanging each other’s cultures. In short, I am glad that I made the decision to travel to Costa Rica to learn more of the Central America culture. Although my impact on the children might not have been great, they have definitely left an intelligible mark on me. ¡Pura Vida!”
Diana Wong
Programa de Voluntariado Individual 2005
"Reto Juvenil Internacional has taught us that united we are strong, that leaving behind language barriers, race, culture and religion, together we can reach our goals and our dreams for a better future…"
Marielos Artavia
President of the ‘Integral Development Association’ of Jabillo
Buenos Aires de Puntarenas, Costa Rica, 2003
"With union and strength we achieved the goal of our project. We discovered that true beauty is found in nature and the generosity of the people.. We came to know our own physical and mental limits, and we will go back to our own countries full of satisfaction. Thank you Costa Rica…"
Frank Cohn, Canada
Group Leader
Pedregoso de Pérez Zeledón
Program Costa Rica 2002
"Aid is sublime understanding of a message in the wind; It alleviates the uncertainty and strengthens the soul… of the unconquered people who still exercise the right in their hearts to dream"
Fabio Mora, Costa Rica
Participant, Program Guyana 1999
Group Leader, Program Costa Rica 2003
Field Director, Program Costa Rica 2004
"I am reluctant to come out with the usual cliches about volunteer experiences, but the island captured my heart and I will be forever grateful to Reto for giving me the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of people in the beautiful Isla de Chira"
Deborah Cleland, Australia
Isla Chira.
Programa de Voluntariado individual 2004.
“Working on an aqueduct project was an excellent complement to the forest conservation focus of the first part of the project. The health of our forests is reflected in the cleanliness of our water. Here is where we can see that social and community development issues are inextricably linked."
Belinda Pursey, Australia
Santa Fe de Guatuso.
Programa Costa Rica, 2001
“Reto Juvenil Internacional taught me that dreaming wasn´t enough, and to actually make a difference in this world, more initiative, determination and heart are needed. The most important thing about my experience with RJI is that it taught me where to find those qualities within me”.
Jillian Boyd, Toronto, Canada.
“Thanks to Reto Juvenil I could see many things done and many goals accomplished in benefit of environmental conservation and protection of the natural resources and biodiversity of Costa Rica”.
Adrián Ugalde Chavarría
Tapantí National Park administrator, Orosí, Cartago.
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