Director's Note
Dear VE friend, family or volunteer,
From the launch of our newest educational program,English in Motion, to the integration of two new Directors, Chris Wiggins, Director of Institutional Relations, and Mathew Suggett, Director of Resource Development, the last few months at VE have been far from dull! I am very excited to announce to the VE community the new arrivals of Mathew Suggett and Chris Wiggins as they bring with them new ideas, perspective, and an incredible amount of enthusiasm for VE’s work. With a full team of Director’s now assembled, VE has even greater potential for improving the experiences and opportunities of our children and volunteers with whom we work.
English in Motion, VE’s new English program, is an exciting addition to the educational offerings that VE provides for the children who attend or live at our partner institutions. The Directors and Staff of the institutions are so excited by the program that they themselves have asked to join class sessions and the children, who at times can be reluctant to attempt such a daunting task as learning a new language, have begun to approach volunteers with basic questions in English.
On the technology side, VE continues to explore new and innovative forms of communicating the accomplishments and mission of the organization. In conjunction with a new website, which is due out by mid-August, our new Twitter channel, improved Facebook group, and YouTube channels underwent updates and will all be easily accessible through our new website. Information concerning the status of VE programs, events and new initiatives is already available in real-time updates sent from our Santiago offices and once the new site is up it will be that much easier to keep up-to-date on VE news.
During the last month, VE has hosted four Harvard interns, completed two repair projects, developed a beta version of a new website and secured multiple educational and recreational workshops for our children. With a large volunteer class arriving in September (eleven volunteers were confirmed nearly two months prior to the class arrival date) VE will be prepared to utilize the energy that the new volunteers will bring by involving them in the many projects in both development and launch stages.
Thank you all for your continued support, as our progress would not be possible without your help. I look forward to see what we have accomplished in just a month’s time and cannot wait to report on the latest opportunities we have offered to our children and volunteers.
Un abrazo,
Brooke Lloyd
Executive Director
Inside VE Global
SO LONG, VE HOUSE
By Carmen Ronan (USA)
This June, VEGlobal volunteers passed through the doors of the infamous VEGlobal volunteer house for the last time. The house, located on Del Huerto Sur in the residential community of La Florida, has seen almost 300 volunteers pass through its doors since 2004, when it became the epicenter of the fledgling VE community. Since then, times have changed. The VEGlobal office was moved from the house in La Florida to Santiago’s downtown, and the volunteers followed suit, moving from the outskirts of town to the city’s vibrant cultural and social center.
Because of this gradual migration, VE decided to say goodbye to the house and begin renting out two apartments in the center of town for volunteers to stay in. But, before moving on, we got together for one final celebration at the house and shared our favorite memories of the place.
Former tenants of the house reminisced about the good times they had there—like familial dinners and unforgettable conversations—but they also talked about some of the amusing tribulations the house slapped them with.
“House, you are freezing in the winter, full of ants in the summer and you’re in the middle of nowhere. I love you and I’m going to miss you,” said Matt Suggett.
There was also much talk about what an adventure it was to get to and from the house, since it was only accessible by one bus—the E-03. “I have thrown my coffee in the street to run after the E-03 in the morning. I have gotten my elbow stuck in the door of the E-03 trying to get on it. So here’s to the house and how you have to take the E-03 to get here,” said Paul Mannix.
And although VE volunteers have always known the house was unique, Carmen Ronan brought to light how truly infamous the house was. She met a complete stranger while traveling in Patagonia, at the southern tip of Chile, who was also from La Florida and, after comparing cross streets, the man said, “Oh, you live in that house of the foreigners!”
“I just thought it was kind of crazy that even someone literally at the bottom of the world knew of ‘the house of the foreigners’ on Del Huerto Sur,” said Ronan.
But the person who perhaps best understood the house’s importance to our volunteer community was VE co-founder Maricarmen Fredes. She summed up the melancholy change of scenery fittingly, “For me the house is like another volunteer who is leaving us, and I hope the new apartments will have just as many memories as this one,” she said.
We know the new VE apartments will be full of the same laughter, dancing, holiday celebrations and once-in-a-lifetime conversations that filled the house on Del Huerto Sur.
Projects
ENGLISH IN MOTION OFF TO A RUNNING START
By Emily Marshall and Carmen Ronan (USA)
This April VEGlobal launched the pilot of a new educational program,English in Motion, at two of its partner institutions: Fundación Pléyades, and Hogar Entre Todas. The English-language development program was met with such success that it will be implemented in an additional institution, Mi Club Domingo Savio, during its official launch in August.
Started by VE’s Education Committee, English in Motion was developed to give our many native English speaking volunteers the opportunity to pass on their knowledge of the language in a fun, interactive way that bolsters both the children’s in-class and real world language skills. To make these goals a reality, VE created a customized English curriculum based on the vetted teaching guide of the Fundación Oportunidad Escuelas del Valle del Elqui, Chile.
Volunteers who managed English in Motion during its trial run did an hour of engaging English games and exercises with the children per week, some favorite activities being “What Time is it Mr. Wolf,” (Entre Todas) and “Red-Light Green Light” (Pléyades). The volunteers also brought the language to life by going on field trips; they took the children of Pléyades to a trip to the zoo after a unit on animals, incorporating all the senses into the learning process.
After the six-week English program was over, not only did the staff of the institutions consider the pilot a great success, but so did the volunteers who ran it. “Whilst it was fantastic seeing the kids making clear improvements with their English, seeing their increased confidence and newly found enthusiasm for learning was much more rewarding,” said Entre Todas volunteer Chris Wiggins.
The Education and Projects committees who manage English in Motion are very proud to be continuing with the expanded and improved program in August and look forward to its continued success.
VOLUNTEERS HELP TEENS MAKE FRIENDS ACROSS THE WORLD
By Carmen Ronan (USA)
When you were a kid, did you have a friend from another continent? Well, thanks to Pen Pal projects started by VE volunteers Ann Schnuer and Fabianne Furman, the adolescents at VE-supported institutions Residencia Entre Todas and Mi Club Domingo Savio can now boast having friends from across the world.
Both Schnuer and Furman started their Pen Pal projects because they thought the children would have a lot in common. “The Domingo Savio kids talk about the same kinds of things as the U.S. kids I worked with,” said Furman. Playing off of these similarities, they brought U.S. and Chilean young adults together to, not only bond over shared interests, but to learn from their differences.
Schnuer’s project at Entre Todas was the brain child of former Entre Todas volunteer, Logan Stout. With Schneur’s help, Stout brought the Chilean girls together with the girls she currently works with at the University of Virginia’s Young Women Leaders Program in Charlottesville, Virginia. Furman started her project by contacting her former U.S. employer, Prime Time, a community center for children in social risk at the Pacific Beach Middle School in San Diego, California.
To the pleasant surprise of the Pen Pal organizers, the often-smug teenagers really took to the letter writing, and couldn’t hide their anticipation to read responses from their new friends. Matched up based on similar hobbies and interests, they write about their favorite music, sports teams, T.V. shows, and the daily dramas of being a teenager—all while developing both their native and foreign language skills.
Schnuer and Furman are excited that their Pen Pal projects have been such a hit because they feel the children involved are improving their social skills and cultural awareness.
“My kids at Domingo Savio live in this sheltered, exclusive world. Through their Pen Pals they are able to hear what other kids do for fun and realize that there is a whole other world outside of the one they live in,” said Furman.
Schnuer feels the project encourages personal development. “Since the girls at Entre Todas live in a shelter, they don’t have much opportunity to get out and socialize. So the fact that they have other girls to confide in gives them an opportunity to communicate that they might not otherwise have,” she said.
VE Around the Globe
SHARE MILES, SHARE OPPORTUNITIES
Do you have extra frequent flier miles lying around? Well, now you can donate your unused airline miles to VEGlobal! Starting in May, VEGlobal began accepting airline mile donations through our ongoing Share Miles, Share Opportunities campaign. All you have to do to participate is pledge the purchase, sharing and/or transfer of American Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, Delta, LAN, or United airline miles to VE.
Donated flights will be used as an incentive to keep our most dedicated volunteers involved in VE for longer periods of time. We have already received one flight donation since launching our campaign, bringing us closer to our goal of six flight donations for our staff per year.
Do you want to make a vital contribution to the longevity of our organization? E-mail pr@ve-global.org today and ask how you can pledge airline miles to VEGlobal.
SUPPORT VE ONLINE WITHOUT PAYING A CENT
Are you a member of Facebook or Twitter? If so, you can get more involved in our online community by joining our Facebook group and following us on Twitter. You’ll get access to dynamic photos of our volunteers in action and updates on what’s new at VE. Plus, you’ll have better contact with other VE supporters from around the globe.
Even if you’re not “Tweeting” or Facebooking, we’ll bet you search for info on the Web; and now you can help VE earn funds simply by using a search engine called GoodSearch. It donates about one (US) cent to VE every time you search—without you paying a cent! Just go to the GoodSearch Web site and type VE Global in as the charity you “GoodSearch” for; then ask your friends and family to GoodSearch for us too!
WANTED: TRANSLATORS
If you’re fluent in both English and Spanish, VE could really utilize your language expertise. Being a fundamentally bilingual organization, we need written translations of all our communications materials, from our online content to promotional materials and newsletter articles, and sometimes our volunteers need a little translation help. So if you or someone you know has a knack for languages and would like to help us keep our diverse audience in the loop, e-mail us at pr@ve-global.org.