01 Jul Things to do in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: volunteering
Most tourists to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico enjoy walking through the cobblestone streets, exploring the colonial architecture, browsing through charming boutiques and art galleries, and watching the sunset from rooftop bars. On her recent trip, our very own Give A Day Global Board Co-Chair Courtney Regan, volunteered at Centro Infantil. This organization provides free daycare and preschool education for children from underprivileged backgrounds in San Miguel. In this Q&A, Courtney recaps her volunteer experience. As you can see from all the smiles, there are many special moments at this organization and Courtney shares her personal favorites.
What was it like volunteering Centro Infantil de Los Angeles?
I knew I wanted to spend time at Centro Infantil during my long weekend in San Miguel. I wanted to witness how this organization is offering solutions to some of the greater challenges in the community, meet the team and have a chance to play with the children! I took a taxi from my hotel in town, which only took about 10 minutes and arrived during morning play time. Centro Infantil feeds into the pre-school so the children are newborn to about 5 years old or so. Then they disperse into classrooms organized by age so I popped by each one, holding babies, playing with toddlers and serving lunch to all of them. During their nap time, I met with the Executive Director who shared more about the organization, their goals and showed me around the facilities. After that, I wandered back into town which was about a 30 minute stroll. I loved that I was able to see a different side of this very up and coming popular tourist destination.
What can volunteers do to be best prepared for the experience?
Come prepared to laugh, dance and play with young, vibrant children. Wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. You really only need a few hours here, so plan for either morning or afternoon (pre or post nap time), whichever works best for your schedule. Most importantly, bring a positive attitude.
I knew I wanted to spend time at Centro Infantil during my long weekend in San Miguel. I wanted to witness how this organization is offering solutions to some of the greater challenges in the community, meet the team and have a chance to play with the children! I took a taxi from my hotel in town, which only took about 10 minutes and arrived during morning play time. Centro Infantil feeds into the pre-school so the children are newborn to about 5 years old or so. Then they disperse into classrooms organized by age so I popped by each one, holding babies, playing with toddlers and serving lunch to all of them. During their nap time, I met with the Executive Director who shared more about the organization, their goals and showed me around the facilities. After that, I wandered back into town which was about a 30 minute stroll. I loved that I was able to see a different side of this very up and coming popular tourist destination.
What can volunteers do to be best prepared for the experience?
Come prepared to laugh, dance and play with young, vibrant children. Wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. You really only need a few hours here, so plan for either morning or afternoon (pre or post nap time), whichever works best for your schedule. Most importantly, bring a positive attitude.
What was your favorite anecdote from the day?
While Centro Infantil accepts one-day volunteers, they mainly host longer term volunteers. While I was there, a group of about 10 high school students from the Bay Area were volunteering for the week and living on-site. It was their last day, so Centro Infantil honored them with a dance which was so much fun to watch and participate in.
On a deeper level, I loved learning that the reason Centro Infantil came to be was because a woman in the community noticed children coming to work with their mothers in local markets. She asked them “what can I do to help you” and they responded that their greatest need was to have their children in a safe place while they worked to earn a living – it’s a better environment for everyone involved. I love that Centro Infantil is preparing these young children for their future education, giving them a community to thrive in, and allowing the parents to focus on creating a better life for their families. It was a very special day for me and I was honored to participate with this wonderful group of people. I hope you can too!
While Centro Infantil accepts one-day volunteers, they mainly host longer term volunteers. While I was there, a group of about 10 high school students from the Bay Area were volunteering for the week and living on-site. It was their last day, so Centro Infantil honored them with a dance which was so much fun to watch and participate in.
On a deeper level, I loved learning that the reason Centro Infantil came to be was because a woman in the community noticed children coming to work with their mothers in local markets. She asked them “what can I do to help you” and they responded that their greatest need was to have their children in a safe place while they worked to earn a living – it’s a better environment for everyone involved. I love that Centro Infantil is preparing these young children for their future education, giving them a community to thrive in, and allowing the parents to focus on creating a better life for their families. It was a very special day for me and I was honored to participate with this wonderful group of people. I hope you can too!
Read more about this volunteer opportunity on the Give A Day Global website.
You can also learn more about the charming town of San Miguel de Allende and what it has to offer here.
You can also learn more about the charming town of San Miguel de Allende and what it has to offer here.
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