Description

Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Casa, and the Casa's programs are largely volunteer run. Volunteers currently commit from nine months to a year of full-time work (40-45 hours per week) and help run the Hospitality Program (including the guest house, maintaining community spaces, and planning and running events), work with one of the Peace Programs (Economic Justice or Migration and Asylum), participate in Casa life, and share in the many other tasks and projects needed to keep our house and community healthy, safe and vibrant.

Highlights

Being a volunteer at the Casa is a rich and unique experience. Every day is different because we are many things: a peace organization, a community center, the meetinghouse for Mexico City Friends (Quakers), a social justice-oriented guest house, and a home. The practice of sincere hospitality, rooted in recognizing the human dignity of each person, is at the core of the Casa de los Amigos.

Here's a bit of glimpse at the life of a volunteer at the Casa:

A full time volunteer might start the week by making breakfast in the morning for about 15 - 20 of our international guests, including four or five refugees who are spending the month as part of our Hospedaje Solidario Program. Then she works the second shift in reception of our guest house before the volunteer dinner that night. Tuesday she is free, but she comes home after spending the day at museums to watch the Mexican movie in the Conference Room. On Wednesday afternoon she attends a meeting of the Red Tlaloc, a network of organizations involved in economic solidarity, and then heads back to the Casa to attend the Economic Justice Program meeting and give a report-back. On Thursday she updates our events bulletin board with another volunteer, spends a couple hours responding to reservation emails, and gets some Economic Justice program reading done. On Friday she works the morning shift and then has to help several guests; one who needs information about buying a plane ticket and one who needs to find a homeopathic doctor. That night she attends the English discussion group. On Saturday she visits an alternative market to do research for a resource guide for people who want to sell local products. When she gets home she sees that the guest kitchen is a mess and asks those chatting in the lounge to clean up their dishes, then she sees that a bulb is out in the third floor hallway and she changes it. On Sunday she goes to the Quaker Meeting for Worship. In the evening she works the third shift (5:00 9:30), but has a chance to go and chat with her friends at the weekly Sunday potluck.

Qualifications

Full-time Casa volunteers work 40-45 hours per week, divided between work in hospitality and other programs and projects. Due to the nature of Casa work and the volunteer commitment, Casa volunteers should not expect to pursue outside employment.

Casa volunteers must speak fluent Spanish and be at least 18 years old.
They must be able to commit from six months to one year of service.
They must commit to refrain from drinking, smoking and using illegal drugs inside the Casa.

Casa volunteers, like Casa guests and visitors, are a diverse group of people with a variety of skills, experiences and interests.  All Casa volunteers, however, share some specific abilities and qualities required to work and thrive in this environment:

1. They have a sincere interest in peace and social justice, including issues around migration and economic solidarity, and a commitment to the values contained in the Quaker testimonies. They come here prepared to work hard on social justice issues, and to study those issues in order to do that work.
2. Casa volunteers genuinely enjoy working with and meeting lots of people. They are sincerely interested in connecting with and participating in the house community. While here, volunteers' commitment to the Casa is their full time, first priority.
3. Living and working in community in the same, shared place with the same people can be very challenging. Casa volunteers have to be concientious about the ways that their actions (even the small ones) can have an effect on everyone else in the community. They are willing to work patiently with each other to maintain productive relationships and work out problems and differences.
4. Casa volunteers work independently and in teams. Because much of their work is self-supervised, they are responsible and take initiative to carry out the work of the house and organization. They are flexible and ready to problem-solve new situations every day.
5. Casa volunteers are eager to learn new things, have a sense of humor, enthusiastic, and hopeful.

Languages

• Spanish
• English

Cost in US$:

Cost Includes:

• International travel
• Living stipend

Program Fees Include:

Volunteers are responsible for their own travel and personal expenses. Expenses can vary greatly from person to person, but we suggest a guideline budget between two to three thousand pesos per month, or 60 to 100 pesos per day.

Salary/Pay

Casa volunteers receive: 1. Private or shared room with shared bathroom. 2. Kitchen facilities (shared with other volunteers and staff). 3. Washing machine use. 4. Use of the volunteer work office. 5. Wireless Internet and access to a computer with Skype. 6. Use of a telephone for local calls. 7. Monthly shared food fund for basic staples (rice, beans, oil, salt, etc). 8. Use of the Casa space and facilities. 8. Free breakfast.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

As mentioned, Casa volunteers are as diverse as the thousands of guests from accross the world that pass through our house each year. Currently we have a team that includes Mexicans, Europeans, and folks from the United States ranging in age from 22 to 55. As mentioned in the requirements, we all are dedicated to the Casa's mission of peace, hospitality, and justice. We are all willing to work, to take initiative, and to really dedicate ourselves to the unique place that is the Casa de los Amigos.

Age Range

All ages are welcome to apply.

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Guest House

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of between 3 and 12.

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

Three - Four Weeks

Post Services Include

• Job and Internship Network

Casa de los Amigos's Mission Statement

Casa de los Amigos is a Center for Peace and International Understanding in Mexico City. The Casa was established as a nonprofit organization in 1956 by the Quaker community in Mexico, and its work continues to be rooted in Quaker values. Through its programs, community space, and social and cultural activities, the Casa promotes peace with justice, fosters understanding between groups and individuals, and supports the human dignity of every person.

Year Founded

1956

Casa de los Amigos is a Quaker based organization. We do not require our participants to be of the same faith. Our volunteers will not be involved in religious proselytizing.