Movie night in Turrialba!

The community of Turrialba has been excited to help organize fundraisers to make this JumpStart camp happen! Last week, they hosted a movie night at one of the high schools where over half the JumpStart students will be going. Here are some photos from the afternoon...

 

A little bit about Sabanillas!

This year a JumpStart camp will be held in Sabanillas de Limoncito, de Coto Brus in the High School of Sabanillas. Sabanillas High Schools serves dozens of elementarty schools across the rural southern region of Costa Rica. Due to the rural nature of the site, students attend small elementary schools with little to no English instruction. Also due to the nature of the site, students have very little interaction with students from other elementary schools as they tend to be far away from one another. Upon entering Sabanillas High School, most students have very little English and only know a handful of their future companeros, two things that can definitely be overwhelming.

JumpStart Sabanillas has recognized this and is excited to have the chance to make 21 students transition to Sabanillas High School a little bit easier. JumpStart Sabanillas has selected students from 6 schools across the area. Of these schools three teach English, three that do not, one that is a 3 km walk and 30 minute bus ride to camp, and three that require a 30 minute bus ride.  

So, all in all, what does the JumpStart Sabanillas camper look like? 

    - in need of learning lots of English 

    - willing to go the extra mile 

    - excited to make new friends and meet new people! 

    - dedicated, hardworking, and motivated! 

A little bit about Tarcoles!

Tarcoles is a small fishing town of roughly 2,000 young community members with an even smaller neighboring town of Playa Azul. Located on the coast of Puntarenas, Tarcoles is a potential tourist stop on the way to more well-known beaches such as Playa Jaco and Playa Hermosa. Because of this influx of tourists, there is a high demand for bilingual employees who can connect well with the English speaking foreigners. At this point, the students have essentially two options for jobs when they grow older; take up the nets and depend on the rugged life of a fishermen, or work in businesses or as tour guides in the surrounding area (which requires competency in English). In order to capitalize on this opportunity, it is crucial for the students to not only learn to read English, but to feel comfortable speaking as well. 

In Tarcoles and the neighboring town of Playa Azul, the English instruction in the escuelas is less than ideal. For the past seven years the students in Tarcoles and Playa Azul have had inconsistent English teachers and many students struggle when adjusting to the rigorous English requirements of the colegio. Many of the students have been passing the majority of their final exams, but there is a severe drop-off in the scores for English. In many cases, the final English exam is the only thing that stands between the students and graduation.

Jumpstart has a built in method of involving the community through its dependency on collaboration. The Directoras of the schools are involved in approving the program and offering donations. The English teacher in the colegio is the PCV's partner in planning for and implementing the camp. The parents of the potential participants are involved in the application process and potentially the fundraising. Finally, the students are clearly involved by simply participating and putting their best effort into the program.

By the end of the camp, the students will not only be ready for the demands of their future English classes, but will also feel more comfortable with each other and their new school environment. They will also be more confident speaking English to each other and to native speakers. The Jumpstart camp will also impact the participating English teacher by improving her English fluency, through training her to implement new activities, and improving her teaching methods overall. In a broader sense, a positive activity for youth such as Jumpstart will help to grow pride in the community and the opportunities available for personal growth.
 
 

A little bit about Ortega!

Located in the Guanacaste province, the Palo Verde National Park is one of the main parks in Costa Rica. It covers an area of around 46 acres, including much of the area of the valley of the Tempisque River. One can also spot a number of wild species, as this park is rich in fauna. However, the most important fact about this park is that it is 10km from my community, Ortega.

            Roughly 700 people live in this rural community, with 600 living in the neighboring community of Bolson. The principal economic activity is tourism, due to the proximity to the park. Many tours are led through the Tempisque River to see its migratory birds and infamous crocodiles. In addition, we have a big agricultural industry because of the numerous sugar cane plantations around the region; a large part of the population works for these companies.

            In 2015 Ortega will host its first Jumpstart camp alongside two other schools, Bolson and La Guinea. Because of the large touristic presence, kids understand the importance of learning English and are waiting for the camp to begin. Luckily, all of the communities involved have a very active parent association willing to help Jumpstart 2015 Ortega become a success!

My name is Igor Ferreira Soares and I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Ortega de Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

A little bit about Canas Dulces/Buena Vista!

Our camp will be taking place in Cañas Dulces with students from Cañas Dulces and the neighboring town Buena Vista. It will be a volunteer lead camp with two volunteers, Jessica and Ashley. The students have placed at first level English and struggle with simple questions like "when is your birthday?" after having been taking English classes for 5 years. They are timid and constantly reminding us that English "les cuesta" or that they struggle with English. Both teachers at the schools are great, but we feel that providing a fun English-only environment for them will challenge them even more and encourage them to start THINKING in English! We want to help them feel comfortable and confident about their English speaking abilities and set them up for a successful first year in high school. We are so excited about the camp and the best part is that so are the kids!!!

Paraiso in photos...

Learning outside! This camp will have the neat experience of being able to practice English in local, diverse environments...


School pride in Paraiso!
 


Future JumpStart boys (and girl)!

JumpStart fundraiser in the Super Sur!

Three PCVs, Elise, Tyler, and Yessinia collaborated on a sports day fundraiser with a participating JumpStart elementary school! Over 100 people came out to show their support and helpers sold food to raise money. One of the many examples of community support throughout the country...

Buena Vista community support!

Here is a picture of the school board in Buena Vista meeting about materials!

Below are two PCVs who will be teaching the camp, Jessica and Ashley, along with their students who participated in the English Spelling Bee. 

 

A little bit about Paraiso/Rio Seco!

Río Seco is a small town of about 400 people near the Guanacaste coast. The JumpStart camp in this site will be composed of students from three communities: 27 de Abril, Paraíso, and Río Seco. Both of the camp facilitators also reside in these communities. 20 students, 15 girls and 5 boys, will be attending the camp.

The students from this area have a multitude of opportunities to use English around their communities due to the tourism industry. Río Seco has a large zip lining business that employs people in the area. The participating students all look forward to improving their English during the camp in order to built a strong foundation for high school. Eventually, these students aspire to find high paying jobs with their English skills. 

A little bit about La Cruz!

La Cruz is a fishing community of about 5,000 residents along the Northwestern coast of Costa Rica. While small business has been the source of income for many, tourism is now crucial to the survival of La Cruz. The building of several hotels and increased interest in kite surfing have made the learning of English essential to cater to tourists. 

For two years, JumpStart La Cruz has worked with at-risk youth and made an incredible impact on their high school experience thus far. In 2015, we will be working with 4 schools: 2 "urban" schools, and two very rural schools with little exposure to English. One of the schools was closed for several months due to structural damages and the others have had infrequent access to English teachers. These young learners are at a pivotal crossroads between dropping out of school or seeing the benefits an education could bring to their future as successful working adults.

While La Cruz was the site of a former Peace Corps Volunteer, this JumpStart has been planned and organized by the community in its entirety. For the month of January, three volunteers from Partners of Oregon will travel to La Cruz to teach the camp!

Amidst a town that suffers with social problems such as drug use and teen pregnancy, La Cruz is a community that wants and needs opportunities like JumpStart Costa Rica for its youth. Parents, teachers, and community members are highly motivated to offer these young learners a chance to enjoy learning a language and give them a chance at a better life with a little outside support! 

Below: JumpStart graduation 2014 with PCV Taylor

Below: learning to label parts of the body!

Below: students doing a ice breaker