Spread the love

Greetings friends of Blue Mountain Project!

Summer is here in the beautiful mountains of Jamaica and the fall months are fast approaching along with numerous exciting volunteer opportunities!

Do you enjoy working with children? Currently we are preparing our summer programming for children and teens, including a month-long Fun Camp for kids ages 3-12. This summer’s theme for Fun Camp is the environment, with all activities, fun and educational, relating to this important topic. We are also coaching and developing two youth sports teams, one boys’ football (soccer) team, and one girls’ netball team. If you are interested in camp counseling, tutoring, coaching, cheerleading, and making a big difference in a child’s life, we need your help! Bring your passions with you and lead your favorite arts and crafts activity, or design a seminar for teens about your career or major. Join us for our Back2School event on Saturday August 26th, where scholarships are awarded and backpacks filled with new school supplies are distributed to the students, followed up by a dance party! Once school starts in the fall, guest speakers and teachers are always welcome and after-school tutoring and support is needed.

Do you have experience or interest in health care services? Since our health clinic opened in February, we have seen over 300 patients, saving them time and money of traveling to another town to have simple but necessary checkups. The clinic is open with a nurse on duty twice a week. We hope to increase our partnerships with volunteers with specialties in health care services, including professional doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists, and gynecologists. Whether you have a knack of organizing filing systems, have a special touch and enjoyment for blood pressure checks, or are a practicing doctor, there are many needs for health care and education.

Are you handy with tools or motivated by physical work? Soon we will be starting our second phase of our clinic construction, laying a concrete roof on the space adjacent to our operating clinic. This expansion, which will add a formal waiting room area, office space, and restroom, will be an ongoing project over the next year. This fall we will also be working on building a retaining wall to support the eroding road that leads to the clinic as well as refurbishing the community ballground for local football teams to be able practice and have matches. There are ongoing projects of light construction and beautification, such as painting and trash collection, so we have projects for every skill level.

The Service Learning Program through Blue Mountain Project is more than just a volunteer program. This program is wonderful opportunity to achieve two very important humanitarian goals: to build personal awareness through challenging experiences and to build global awareness through cultural exchange. It is a chance to experience another culture by living and working in the community, sharing your knowledge and stories with local community members and other volunteers and learn from them as well.

We accept individuals and groups up to 15 for stays from one day to one year. Finish out the summer by volunteering with us! Spend this year’s Labor Day weekend reading to a child or leading a health care workshop. In order to begin the registration process for our program, please fill out the attached application and email it to me at [email protected]. We ask that you submit your application at least 45 days before your intended travel dates. Please choose three prospective dates that you are available for the program as we fill up quickly. In general, please be sure to give at least 3 non familial references on your application, choosing individuals who can fill out of reference form in a timely manner. As an organization, we are required to have these forms before being able to confirm your placement in the program.

Please refer to our website at www.bluemountainproject.org for additional information about the program. Please note that as of July 1, 2006, our program fees have changed to the following schedule:

1-30 days $59/day
31-90 days $49/day
91-180 days $39/day
181-270 days $29/day
271-365 days $19/day

*Take note that program fees do NOT include airfare. We appreciate your interest in Blue Mountain Project and hope to work with you soon! Feel free to email us with any further questions, or for more information about how you can help us from your own home and community.

Sincerely,
Carrie Ahrens
Service Learning Program Manager
Blue Mountain Project