Community Development Projects:
Funacion Kinich - Community Action for Integral Development offers a safe space for kids of different backgrounds, and their parents, to develop different skills and discuss matters that affect them.

Volunteers work mostly in the afternoons in activities such as:

* help kids do their homework, teach them to use books and internet to get relevant information
* supporting English and Math skills
* organize campaigns on environmental education, health & nutrition, pet care, neighborhood safety
* organize outdoor activities
* bring art and social events into the community center
* build relations with other organizations
* organize or teach special workshops
* keep the Fundación facilities clean

Spanish is a plus. Volunteers work Tues to Sat and live nearby, with a host family

Evolving the "We"- Community Action for Integral Development: This project assist the elderly, women in disadvantaged areas, and kids with their healthy physical and emotional development.
Volunteers support FIVE areas of the program according to the period of arrival, personal interests and skills:
* Senior citizens at their "Casa de Dia" (day home)
* Supporting local promoters of women's health services, in campaigns such as early detection of cancer. 
* “Casa de la Cultura” offers classes of dancing, singing, theatre, art and music for all ages at low cost. Volunteers can assist teachers in their classes or promote the enrollment in the classes. At the libraries, volunteers will support workshops related to the promotion of reading or art or in the administrative section.
* Health Promotion at the "Hospital General". Volunteers will participate in the Health Brigades bringing information of the services given by it, such as free vaccinations, low cost glasses and low cost dental care.

A good knowledge of Spanish is a plus, but basic Spanish is accepted. Participants could be traveling 30 minutes away from San Juan del Rio to Tequisquiapan or San Pedro Escobar, where the program could be extended. There is an excellent network of transportation, with buses leaving every 15 minutes or so. 

Host families are located mainly in San Jaun del Rio downtown where participants can walk everywhere, this helps stress the opportunity to really take part in the community's life.

Education Projects: Ninos Encantados de la Barra de Potosi (Charmed Kids of Barra de Potosi) provides opportunities for children and raises awareness and pride in the traditions and folklore of the community.

Children go there to do their homework and art and drama activities and various workshops also take place.

Highly motivated volunteers with initiative take over office work, homework guidance, coordination of art, language or music workshops, sport activities or reading circles. This project is available all year around. Volunteers are welcome for 4 weeks up to 6 months.

Working with Special Needs Kids in Amecameca, in the state of Mexico  Volunteers in Amecameca work with two projects that support kids from poor backgrounds with Cerebral paralysis, Down Syndrome or Autism, impaired hearing and mental retardation among other conditions.

The CAM-Frida Kahlo, is a mixed school, open during weekdays; and the Pequeño Cottolengo Mexicano, is a permanent home for boys only.

Volunteers at CAM help teachers and therapists with groups of 8 up to 12 kids, in physical activities, art and body expressions workshops, early stimulation sessions, or during lunch-time in the dining room. They can also help: grow a garden, paint walls around the Center, or supervise and clean the workshops areas.

The special program for older students offers training in computers, jewelry making, candy making and baking, and prepare participants to sell their products in local shops. The income generated in this way is divided between the school support and the students’ personal expenses. Volunteers can take part in the workshops or as chaperons of the kids when they go out to do business.

Volunteers in Cottolengo help with daily chores such as cleaning or maintenance, helping in the kitchen or dining room serving meals and supervising the kids, assisting the teachers in their classes, helping the younger kids with their exercises and organizing evening games. Participants could teach some kids how to grow vegetables, or involved them in drama or art creation workshops. To share time with them is the most important part of the experience, in words of the kids’ mentors: “they need to get to know people and feel loved”.

Since September 2009 eight Cottolengo kids attend classes at CAM-Frida Kahlo so volunteers could be in charge also of supervising their homework and attitudes and feelings in the new environment. In addition, volunteers could assist the kids manage their life experiences outside the house.  Volunteers live with a local host family.

Cuadra Don Antonio-Healing with Horses A riding school where kids get familiar with horses and their care.

Cuadra Don Antonio sponsors horse therapies for kids who come from a disadvantage background. Low-income families can apply for the service, and under a means test scheme they receive the service almost for free. Special needs kids who live under the care of the state receive this therapy for free.

Three days a week volunteers help in stable chores such as horse grooming, exercising (ride, lunge), feeding animals, assisting vet checks up, muck stalls and support riding classes.  Depending on the demand of the therapy sessions, volunteers might help with them also.

Saturdays and Sundays volunteers support the Special Kids Therapy Sessions.  Volunteers have to be willing to learn and not be afraid of horses.

Spanish is a plus. Participants live with a host family and are driven to the stable by the Project Coordinator.

Making the Invisible, Visible:

Refugee support group: This work promotes the creation of services for immigrants. Many refugees travel through Mexico every year, running from a lack of freedom or economic opportunities in their own countries. Immigrants in our territory can face human rights violations such as discrimination, detention and extortion.

Volunteers help research on immigration topics, translate articles and publications, or do administrative work. During the evenings they might support research and activities done by the "House of Refugees" where cooperatives of women gather to share experiences. Additionally, the idea is to formalize the "exchange of skills market" between newcomers and neighbors, by creating a database.

Support to young people: This organization empowers youngsters. The gender program recognizes that traditional role models and the lack of information among young people helps perpetuate high levels of teenage pregnancies, illegal abortions, the increase of sexually transmitted diseases and gender violence. The HIV action provides information, not only on practicing safe sex, but it supports initiatives to prevent bullying and provides support to young people living with HIV. The drug program takes its coordinators to participate in regional and national events where the debate about the legalization of drugs is being held.

Volunteers in this organization help do research, translate documents and take part in the "actions" of the organization such as: attending special events of sister organizations. Volunteers also help design posters, write reports or handbooks relating to the important work being done.

Support to Indigenous Groups: Brought to a city where their native language and customs are seen as too traditional -- kids struggle between their desire to keep their traditional values and becoming modern and accepted. They work during the mornings, washing cars or selling sweets, and attend school during the evenings. A group of young Mexicans have created spaces to entertain these kids, to give them a break from "adult life", as well as drugs, alcohol and violence.

Volunteers organize games, sports competitions, art workshops or music classes. Although direct information on the use of drugs, contraceptives or other health issues are not shared openly, the desire to find ways to help young people navigate adolescence is clearly present. Supporting youth so that they can stand out and do better in life is one of the main goals of this project.

Ideally, volunteers taking part in this program, want to work with immigrant's rights and will stay in Mexico City for at least 12 weeks. However, shorter periods of time can be arranged through a mix of experiences with the two groups.

Volunteer tasks will depend on length of stay, language skills and the needs of the organization.

Participants live with a host family or in residential facilities. Volunteers make use of the public network of transportation to get to their projects. This cost is not included in the program fee but will not exceed $20 USD per week.

Eco tourism Project - La Ventanilla Eco-Tourism Project, In Oaxaca: Set in a beach village to stop the killing and selling of turtles and their eggs and has grown a sustainable development project which generates alternative sources of income for the local people. Twenty five families living in the village are actively involved in the co-operative which aims to rescue the natural habitat of hundreds of species of birds and reptiles and the promotion of eco-tourism.

The co-operative started operating tours along the mangrove swamp and offering horseback riding tours to generate an extra income. They have also established a tree nursery housing 70,000 plants of mangle and other local varieties, a crocodile farm and nurseries for turtles and iguanas.

This project requires volunteers all year around  from 4 weeks up to 3 months.

Volunteer activities might include cleaning and preparation of the eco-friendly tourist cabins, to assist in the community owned restaurant “El maíz azul” (“The blue corn”), helping in the rehabilitation of confiscated animals and the release of newly-hatched turtles into the ocean.

August to October, volunteers could take part in night patrol canoe trips to find turtle’s nests, collect and record eggs, and bring them to the nursery. Participants will also help in the development of workshops to recycle; the daily cleaning of the beach, dock and island; and in the planting and harvesting of fruit trees.