While Sueños y Esperanzas regularly hosts groups of volunteers for short-term service trips, some volunteers have decided to stay for longer periods of times. Both Melinda and Mary Kate decided to stay in San Juan La Laguna to teach English to adults and children at the Sueños y Esperanzas center.
Melinda is from Seattle, WA, USA and has been living in San Juan for about 18 months. She is volunteering as an English teacher through the Evangelical Covenant Church. Outside of class she loves building relationships with local women through textiles and learning the traditional weaving techniques. She is often spotted wearing the local traje tipico and carrying a bag of books through town.
Mary Kate is an elementary school teacher from Kansas. She taught 4th grade for 5 years until she moved to San Juan La Laguna in 2023 to voluntarily teach English in a Christian private school. When she met Fredy and learned about Sueños’ mission, she began teaching English at the center. During her classes, the kids learned new vocabulary and phrases, practiced conversations with each other, played games, and even went exploring in town.
This is what they had to say about their experiences:
Melinda Anderson
San Juan La Laguna is dubbed the Pueblito Macigo and no doubt there are beautiful and picturesque places. But the real magic of the community happens in places like Sueños y Esperanzas. The building is located on the edge of town, outside the commercial center. The walk there is pleasant now with the new road but it is even better once inside the property. A clean and spacious building is surrounded by a beautiful garden and views of the mountains. When at Sueños, I can sense the intentionality in all the physical details as well as the programming. Images on the wall highlight the scholarships and activities for the kids. I love to see my students from the colegio come for extra activities; I know they are getting support not only for school but to prepare for a career.
My primary job in San Juan is teaching English in the Basico grades at Colegio Nuevo Amanecer. Working with 105 teens is its own adventure. But if I’m honest, the best part of the week is the adult classes at Sueños y Esperanzas. I love working with adult learners as they eagerly seek to understand more and think about how they can use language skills in their daily lives. The students are a wide range of ages and professions. They have different levels of English coming into the class, but there is a mutual respect and camaraderie that forms within the groups. They ask thoughtful questions and are brave to practice the tongue twisting words of a new language. The relationship is reciprocal – I learn from them everyday as well. I appreciate that we can help each other with words, language and customs. Through the class, I enjoy getting to know more people in this Tz’utujil community. As a volunteer, I feel seen, supported and encouraged by the Sueños staff. That makes a big difference in my choice to commit extra time and work to the cause.
Mary Kate Peterson
I loved my time volunteering with Sueños and Esperanzas in 2023, helping with their after-school programs and English class! This organization is run by incredible individuals who want to empower the children of San Juan La Laguna and help them have a bright future. As a volunteer, I helped with an English class for the after-school program. I was amazed at how eager they were to learn and practice new things. We even went into town to practice with tourists; the excitement and courage the kids had to walk up to strangers to practice speaking another language was incredible. I recently was able to visit again and am amazed at how in my 6 months’ absence their programs for kids, ways to support families, and the community continue to grow.
If you want to find out how you can volunteer with Sueños y Esperanzas, visit our volunteer page.