Become a Cultural Agent: YMCA COLead3rs Program - Colombia

I've been volunteering as a cultural agent at the Areandina University of Pereira last semester with YMCA Colombia and it's been a wonderful experience. Teaching languages to university students plus teaching English to kids in vulnerable public schools has been quite a challenge and success as well. If I had the chance to participate again in the future I would have done it without second thought. Many useful lessons can be taught by a foreigner to a Colombian and vice-versa with YMCA Colombia, I strongly recommend this program!

At first, I thought I couldn't manage travelling all over the city day and night, working in a school and university then hanging out with friends all within the same day... but I could! It was incredibly exhausting but exhilarating at the same time. I learnt so much from the day to day because I was able to live within a different culture from day to day where I was able to improve my overall skillset, including in subjects I didn't even think I'd be good at.
This was an experience that not many people get to do in this world and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to obtain a better, more holistic worldview.

The YMCA COLead3ers program is a cool program in which you will have a unique insight into Colombia. You will be sent to different schools where you will play games with the children. The idea behind it is that you speak English with the children and they realize that it is an important language for international relations. You also help the teachers to manage the huge classes, which consist of 40-50 children. The work was sometimes quite difficult for me as I don't speak Spanish and the children's/teachers' English is usually very poor. Generally speaking, very few people in Colombia can speak English.
However, the YMCA staff are very friendly and eager to help you!

I spent a year in Bogotá following my completion of an undergraduate degree in Latin American studies. I’d been speaking Spanish by that point for half my life, and I wanted formal experience with children. I say this to say, I felt that those things prepared me immensely for living in Colombia.

Colombia and Bogotá specifically is my second home! At the time, our team was small but mighty and I still keep in contact with the people I worked with back then. Everyone made me feel like family, even though I was so far from home.

I loved my school, which was in Soacha, and I made strong and long lasting relationships with my kids. I love them so much and every day with them was a gift. I feel like if you go into this experience with a full heart and want to give all of yourself to your students, you will walk away with no regrets. Many people I worked with had also never met a Black American person, so I loved sharing my culture with my students. In return they gave me so much love.

My experience with the COLead3rs in the cities of Valledupar and Barranquilla was very interesting and made me grow as a person a lot. Working with the students was very satisfying and fun and navigating a different work and workplace culture taught me a lot. At times a bit difficult, but it was nice to see myself adapting to this new type of dynamic. The YMCA of Barranquilla were always so attentive to my needs, all the activities I participated in with them were a pleasure and they are an amazing team to work with. The city of Valledupar is very chill and surrounded with beautiful nature and Barranquilla gave me some of my best nights out in Colombia. My host family was extremely sweet and nice and I found it very easy to make friends and genuine connections during my stay in Colombia. I received a lot of support before getting here from the YMCA Colombia team and all the process with the visa and everything regarding logistics was much easier with their help. I travelled a lot around the country and Colombia is truly a gem, fun and diverse, full of culture and gorgeous nature and much easier to get around than expected.

The Coleaders program is a great opportunity to to get experience working with children and teens in Colombian schools or universities and learn Spanish as well. Even if you begin the program with zero knowledge of Spanish, if you work consistently at improving your skills, by the end of the program you can achieve a conversational level and put yourself on the path to mastery.
The cultural experience is very rich, the Colombian people are very kind, the landscapes are beautiful, the weather is great, you can find anything you want to do in Bogotá, and the program is very flexible giving you plenty of time to enjoy the country.
The program may be daunting but upon arrival you will find much support from the YMCA and in no time you will feel natural in Colombia. From doing this program, I have grown into a new person and I am so glad I took the leap of faith to do it.

Living and working in Colombia is a beautiful experience for many reasons : people are so friendly, the culture is very interesting, and the experience in general is awesome.

It is a very good opportunity to learn more about the country, but also to learn more things about yourself. I highly recommend it to you if you want to travel and live something authentic with the Colombians.

You will have the opportunity to improve your professional skills while having fun and meeting new people.

I went with the COLead3rs program in 2015 after graduating college as a way to gain experience and travel. I was planning to stay 1 year, and I ended up staying 3 YEARS! Its that good! This is a program that allows you to develop your own skills, learn indefinitely, take responsibility and initiative, travel, and so much more. They cater to the participant's skills and always give support where needed. You have many opportunities to travel, both with work and independently. Colombia is an immensely beautiful country and the people are warm and welcoming.

I cannot explain how much I recommend this program. I made lifelong friends and Colombia is another home to me. If you have any doubts, just reach out. This is an experience you will never regret!