Giamo Jackson Carter

Each year, dozens of people from around the world arrive in Costa Rica to volunteer in various special programs and projects that aim to improve the living conditions of both Ticos and foreign visitors in our country. There are many wonderful volunteer opportunities in our country, and one of them is in the teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) field.

Despite the close ties that Costa Rica has forged over the years with English-speaking nations such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, ESL is not as widespread as educational leaders would like it to be. Now that Costa Rica is firmly seeking membership into the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a greater push for ESL is underway. This effort translates into greater opportunities of ESL teachers seeking volunteer opportunities in our country.

The following video was recently shared in YouTube by Giamo Jackson Carter, a young ESL teacher from Kansas City, who volunteers at CECOS, better known as the Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center, which is briefly described by Idealist.org as follows:

Founded in the mid-1990s by the Holbrook family and Selva Verde Lodge, the SCLC is today a fully independent US and Costa Rica registered non- profit organization. The SCLC’s mission is to link communities and conservation through education and ecotourism in the Sarapiquí region of Costa Rica’s northern lowlands. The SCLC is run by an executive director and a mix of local and international staff, both salaried and volunteer.

The SCLC focuses its efforts in four areas — environmental education, community development, conservation, and tourism — in order to help form future environmental leaders, raise the organizational capacity of local communities, promote sustainable land use, and connect tourists to the local community. Our programs serve hundreds of local people and thousands of ecotourists each year. These programs include environmental education, ecotourism activities, English classes, ecology club, community outreach, women’s group, high school scholarship fund, community census, and GIS mapping.

If you would like to learn more about the volunteer experience in Costa Rica, watch the video below: