Apply by
January 1, 2025
Know by
March 1, 2025
Depart on
July 12, 2025
Duration
2 years, plus 3 months training
Project description
Overview Of The Project
Peace Corps Costa Rica’s Youth In Development Volunteers (hereafter, Volunteers) work with youth ages 10-19, especially those in the second (ages 10-13) and third cycle (ages 13-16) of the Costa Rican education system. The project aims to equip youth to be healthy, productive, and active citizens. In support of this goal, Volunteers will design, implement, and facilitate programming in collaboration with partners (teachers, guidance counselors and administrators, parents, youth leaders, and community leaders) on specific program activities across three project objectives.
Project Objectives
- Strengthen Youth Wellbeing:
Working with classes, workshops, clubs, and similar spaces regarding life skills, gender equality, sports, arts, and/or recreation activities in the school and community.
- Strengthen Opportunities for Youth Community Engagement:
Promoting youth participation in community life by engaging them as leaders and participants of volunteer opportunities, service learning, and awareness activities in schools and communities.
- Strengthen Youth Support Systems:
Promoting positive youth development and fostering a supportive environment for youth with parents and caregivers.
Project Focus And Approach
All assignments strongly focus on preventative activities, empowering youth and furthering their access to activities which promote their healthy development and rights.
Volunteers work in communities identified in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Education which requests to receive a Youth Development Volunteer. The program prioritizes under-resourced communities. Each Volunteer works in one or two public schools and might also support a community-based group serving youth or families.
Volunteers will perform a participatory community assessment of resources and needs during the first months of service. Based on that analysis and partner’s requests, each Volunteer will create a work plan for service in collaboration with school staff and community leaders. Volunteers typically support ongoing youth-oriented programs in schools and the community, bringing new ideas, approaches, and/or techniques to those spaces. Volunteers also support creating new youth-oriented prevention programs in the school or community, coordinating with partners to ensure relevance and sustainability. Volunteers must be proactive, self-driven, and motivate others about advancing youth development.
Josei’s Experience
EXAMPLES OF CURRENT VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENTS:
- One of Josie’s projects involves partnering 10 hours a week with the high school counselor to design life skills programming to students. Some material is administered during school hours, but they also use after-school recreation time for other lessons. They tailor the material for different age groups and soon will launch a complimentary evening session for the parents and caregivers. Josie has one student with special needs, prompting her to research best practices to provide customized and sustainable support.
Daniel’s Experience
- Daniel’s primary project involves co-facilitating workshops to train high school students how to mentor elementary students in their secondary school transition. They focus on addressing academic, social, and emotional challenges. Separately, Daniel is also coaching a high school basketball team several days a week, incorporating a curriculum that includes building skills in teamwork, communication, and goal-setting. The team is now competing at the regional level.
Jackson’s Experience
- Jackson spends most of his time traveling between multiple schools, partnering with teachers to incorporate culturally relevant strategies of Restorative Practices into their school cultures. This is the social science field of promoting positive communication and emotional health for harmony and inclusivity.
Required Skills
Qualified candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field
OR
- 5 years' professional work experience
Desired Skills
Competitive candidates will have at least one or more of the following criteria:
Specialized Education
- Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Youth Development, Applied Behavioral Science, or related field.
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Youth Development, Applied Behavioral Science, or related field, and at least 3 months experience working with youth and/or families.
Specialized Work
- 3 years professional experience working directly with children, youth and/or families from under-resourced communities.
- Experience with parent/caregiver support or education programs.
Life Skills Programming
- Experience designing and/or facilitating workshops on gender equity, diversity, inclusion, self-esteem, communication, emotional health, and critical thinking, etc.
- Experience collaborating with teachers, social workers, youth leaders or guidance counselors on designing, planning, and implementing youth development activities.
- Experience facilitating arts, sports, physical activities, or recreation for youth.
Working In Schools
- Experience teaching or tutoring an academic curriculum, experiential education, after-school or tutoring program management, etc.
Community Organizing
- Experience managing a youth group, using community assessment tools, leading committees or community projects, networking, etc.
Volunteerism And Service Learning
- Experience organizing high school or university level service-learning programs, volunteer project design or implementation, mentoring projects, etc.
Required Language Skills
Candidates must meet one or more of the language requirements below in order to be considered for this position.
- Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework within the past 8 years
- Completed minimum 2 semesters of Spanish college‐level coursework within the past 6 years
- Native/fluent speaker of Spanish
Candidates Who Do Not Meet The Language Proficiency Levels Above Can Take The Language Placement Exams To Demonstrate Their Level Of Proficiency. Competitive Applicants Typically Attain a Score Of 50 On The Spanish College Level Examination Program CLEP Exam Or a Score Of Novice‐High On The American Council On The Teaching Of Foreign Languages (ACTFL OPI). LANGUAGE EXPECTATIONS
Volunteers are expected to communicate exclusively in Spanish. Once at their assigned community, Volunteers will need advanced Spanish skills for conducting meetings, interviews, trainings, assessments, and reporting. They are expected to actively participate in their language learning journey until they reach an advanced proficiency level.
Language Preparation
Peace Corps/Costa Rica encourages applicants to actively study Spanish before departure, preparing them for both their service and the brief, but intensive, language training in Costa Rica. Trainees are expected to attain at least Intermediate-High language proficiency by the end of the 12-week Pre-Service Training period to qualify as Peace Corps Volunteers.
Staff assesses language proficiency at multiple points during training and creates individualized learning plans to support progress towards reaching an Intermediate-High level. Achieving this proficiency level may be challenging for those with lower levels of Spanish, making pre-arrival language learning and enhancement activities highly recommended.
Living conditions
Housing
Volunteers are required to live with a host family for at least nine months, including three months during Pre-Service Training (PST) and at least six months in their community. If suitable housing is available later, they may request independent living. Many communities don’t offer independent living, so Volunteers may live with a host family throughout their service.
Although living with a family brings challenges (less privacy, new diet, noise, etc.), the homestay experience offers rewards like integration, safety considerations, increased language skills, building trust and friendships, cultural sharing, and a unique understanding of the Costa Rican culture. Applicants must think about the commitment to live and integrate with a Costa Rican family, particularly one with limited resources. They must be willing to follow cultural norms and respect family dynamics.
Peace Corps Staff arrange and inspect housing with respected families in the assigned communities. Most host-family homes have indoor bathrooms and showers but do not have hot water.
Professional Appearance
Most Costa Ricans take pride in being well-groomed, even on informal occasions. Volunteers must follow the example of Costa Ricans in their communities (e.g., clean and ironed clothes, polished shoes, and groomed hair). Working with schools and other professionals requires consistently demonstrating a professional attitude and appearance. Dress in the workplace is business casual and includes knee-length skirts/dresses, pressed pants, blouses, collared shirts, or short sleeve polos. Flip-flops, sport sandals, shorts, tank tops, t-shirts, crop tops, and other athleisure wear should only be worn in the home, during recreation, but never at work. Revealing attire or the lack of proper undergarments is never acceptable for Peace Corps service.
Culture And Diversity
While the Peace Corps/Costa Rica (PC/CR) office welcomes the diversity of its Volunteers, the culture and beliefs in some communities may produce stigma and discrimination. Volunteers must be mindful of cultural norms and use their judgment on how best to approach diversity issues. Volunteers of a U.S. racial, ethnic, or national minority or whose religious or spiritual beliefs differ from most of their community may experience curiosity or unwanted attention. Many Volunteers have been able to turn these encounters into learning experiences, to share values, and to deepen understanding of the U.S.
Community
Communities vary in size and geography, from remote rural to semi-rural towns, all with limited public transportation. Most regions enjoy a warm and humid climate, offering a unique environment to explore. The landscape includes diverse, mountainous terrain and rustic unpaved roads. All regions experience a heavy rainy season. Volunteers should be prepared for tropical living and coexistence with a variety of insects and animals. Training will help Volunteers navigate the unique tropical flora and fauna.
Nearly all communities are accessible to the capital San José within two to eight hours by public transportation. The closest urban center may be as little as 1 hour away by public transportation. Buses are available from all communities several days a week. They are both inexpensive and relatively dependable.
Communications
All Volunteers must have a cell phone connected to local phone service. Both pre-paid and post-paid services are available. Peace Corps does not purchase phones for Volunteers. Most use an "unlocked" cell phone brought from the U.S., while others purchase cell phones in Costa Rica. Most host families hold a cell phone and/or a landline. Internet service is not available in all communities, and access to Wi-Fi may be limited.
Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Costa Rica: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.
Medical considerations
Before you apply, please review medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.
Couples information
Costa Rica is happy to receive couples and will identify sufficient work opportunities within the same community for both Volunteers. This cohort will include two programs: Community Economic Development and Youth In Development. We offer couples the choice of applying for the same program or one in each program.
PLEASE NOTE: Each applicant must apply separately and qualify for their respective program.
Couples can expect similar living conditions for them as for single Volunteers. They will live with the same host family during the three months of Pre-Serving Training; however, they may have Spanish classes in different groups depending on language levels. They will then live with the same family for the first six months in their assigned community. If suitable housing is available later, they may request independent living. Many communities don’t offer independent living, so Volunteers, including couples, should prepare themselves to live with a host family throughout their service.
PLEASE NOTE: While couples will be working in the same community, they may be assigned to work at different institutions.
The Peace Corps works to foster safe and productive assignments for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are not placed in countries where homosexual acts are criminalized. Because of this, same-sex couple placements are more limited than heterosexual couple placements. During the application process Recruiters and Placement Officers work closely with same-sex couple applicants to understand current placement opportunities. For more information please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/faqs/lgbtq/.
