Getting Involved
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala offers its visitors the opportunity to dive in and immerse themselves in the culture of the area while gaining meaningful experience, both personally and professionally. Are you hoping to make a deeper connection with Xela than your typical traveler? Then take a look at the organizations below (in alphabetical order) to see if they align with your interests.
DESGUA
DESGUA is dedicated to spurring the development of opportunities in Guatemala, in hopes of empowering people around the country. The main goal of DESGUA is to improve the standards of living for the people of Guatemala through education and opportunity. Topics such as immigration, globalization, local food production and sourcing, and more are the focuses of DESGUA’s internship and independent research opportunities. DESGUA presents an opportunity to immerse yourself in the social, political and cultural aspects of life in Guatemala.
Among the requirements for this organization are an intermediate level of spanish proficiency, strong communication skills, and a passion for social change. DESGUA also requests that the findings from independent research conducted alongside their organization is shared with their members to facilitate mutual learning.
To find our more about this opportunity, please visit DESGUA here: https://desgua.org/internship-program/
Entremundos
Entremundos offers services for potential volunteers that will place you in a position for a small fee. They offer consultations for people who would like to learn more about potential opportunities in Guatemala. There is a well-organized database of organizations that will help your search. Entremundos makes the distinction between volunteer and internship opportunities based on the time commitment, level of responsibility, and other factors. Entremundos also provides a bimonthly magazine that contains articles in English and Spanish related to human rights and development issues, which presents another avenue for involvement. Please follow the links below to learn more about Entremundos and the services that they offer.
Volunteer Opportunities
http://www.entremundos.org/for-volunteers/volunteer-program-intro.html
Internships
http://www.entremundos.org/for-volunteers/internship-service.html
Quetzaltrekkers
http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/
Love to trek? Or better yet, do you LIVE to trek? Then Quetzaltrekkers might be the opportunity you have been looking for! Quetzaltrekkers operates with an innovative and socially-conscious business model. The guides are unpaid volunteers and the proceeds from the treks go towards their social projects that focus on education and empowerment of impoverished youth. If you spend any amount of time in Xela then you will certainly hear about Quetzaltrekkers. Whether it’s the wonderful treks through the backcountry of Guatemala, their social projects, or the amazing volunteers, Quetzaltrekkers’ reputation speaks for itself.
Potential applicants should have a strong passion for the outdoors and hiking in addition to intermediate Spanish skills, first aid certification, great people skills, and the ability to commit for a minimum of three months.
To learn more about what it takes to be a guide for Quetzaltrekkers, please visit here: http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/xela/what-it-takes-to-be-a-guide/
Trama Textiles
Trama Textiles is a women-owned weaving cooperative located in the heart of Xela. Trama’s network of weavers spans various regions of the Guatemalan highlands. Specializing in hand-woven textiles that reflect traditional mayan values, Trama operates in accordance with fairtrade principals that offer liveable wages to the women who make their products.
Trama offers unpaid volunteer opportunities with a minimum commitment of at least one month and 20 hours per week. Applicants should have experience in the fields of business, sales, fashion, production, marketing, or design, or be working towards a related degree. A basic level of Spanish speaking ability is required.
To find out more about this opportunity, please visit Trama Textiles here: http://tramatextiles.org/support-us/
Looking For More?
There are plenty of other opportunities in Guatemala! New positions present innovative and creative people with meaningful work. Organizations such as Idealist, Worldpackers and Workaway give travelers the chance to make a positive impact wherever they travel (click each for more info).
Have an organization in Xela that isn’t listed? Please Contact Us so we can add it!