Ser voluntário é mais que uma simples ocupação. Exige empenho, verdadeira identificação com a causa e
envolvimento com os resultados. Ser voluntário exige disponibilidade para si e para o outro. Ser voluntário
na Associação Comunitária Monte Azul tem também o papel de construir relações e sensibilizar.
Permita-se ser um.
BRASILEIROS
O candidato brasileiro ao voluntariado deve inscrever-se através do e-mail voluntariado@monteazul.org.br,
informando em que área quer desenvolver seu trabalho e qual a sua disponibilidade de tempo -
se possível anexando um breve currículo pessoal.
ESTRANGEIROS
Since the early eighties, volunteers from all over the world have supported the work of the Associação Comunitária Monte Azul. Today, there are always about 48 volunteers from Brazil and 20 of other countries active in Monte Azul, the Peinha, and Horizonte Azul, the Associação's three favelas. The majority of them come from Germany and European countries, but there are also volunteers from Japan, the USA, Canada and New Zealand. They normally stay for a year, receiving free food and shelter in exchange for their efforts.
The volunteers work as assistants in nearly all areas of the Association's work, except for health, which is usually restricted to trained professionals. Most of the volunteers are placed in educational settings, ranging from nurseries to workshops for adolescents, hence encompassing children of all age groups. Initially, volunteers primarily assist teachers in conducting their daily routines. However, we would like to see volunteers having more responsibility and playing a more independent role in the organization's procedures. Particularly for school clubs and musical activities, volunteers are
expected to be able to contribute their own ideas and to motivate the
children.
We are always interested in volunteers' skills (languages, music, theatre, sports…) and would like to give them the opportunity to realize their ideas but there are some limits. Every volunteer needs time to get to know the children and the daily routine; after several months they should be able to enhance these routines. The volunteers, as well as the collaborators, see their work in the Associação as a process of significant self-development. In many of the final reports, volunteers reflected on their time here as one of learning and growth.
The "development aid" they aim to provide to the impoverished and disadvantaged, also turns into a personal "development aid". This reveals the dual outcome of a volunteer's stay - the concrete results of his or her work and the personal "lessons of society" that s/he learns in Monte Azul's challenging environment.
Given this duality, a volunteer must fulfill various requirements along with his or her regular work (usually Monday to Friday from 08:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m.):
• Participation in the co-workers' meeting every Thursday night
• Participation in community life, especially in cultural events, joint annual festivals, lectures and discussions
• Familiarization with the favelas and their inhabitants
• Participation in courses and events of the "Escola Oficina Social" (Social Educational Workshop)
• Participation (and organization) of regular volunteer meetings, where guest speakers are invited to talk about a variety of topics (Brazil, structural and philosophical backgrounds of Monte Azul's work, biographies of co-workers, etc.)
• Intensive observation of an individual child during the course of his or her work
• A final report describing his or her work experience through personal impressions, critique, and insight. The report about your working period with us has to be written in Portuguese. The report must be delivered one month before the end of your activity period with us, to be read by the "metas" group and the people at the areas you worked at and finally discussed with you.
The Associação will not deliver any certificate (an honest reflection of your work and your attitude towards Monte Azul) without having received a written report !!
Periods for volunteers:
German• The normal period for a volunteer is from August/September until August/September of the following year
German volunteers have to be send by a so called Trägerorganisation: weltwärts (program: Freunde der Erziehungskunst).
Please apply first to them!
Volunteers should submit their application by the end of March. The selection process will be in April.
Other countries
• We have four places from the end of January until January of the following year
• And a further four places in August/September until August/September of the following year
Volunteers should apply one year in advance of their placement period, i.e. by the end of August for placement beginning in the August of the following year.
It is possible to stay for half a year. For more information email us at: international@monteazul.org.br
If you absolutely want to volunteer for one year or six month and we don't have any more places, you can apply for a paid place (5 reais per day).
Internship
For those being interested in working for the Associação Monte Azul, but unable to stay for an entire or half a year, an internship is a good alternative. The motivation for this internship has to be clear! The duration of an internship is usually one to three months. It is not possible for interns to work in educational settings. You need almost three month to build a close relationship with the children. For them it is very difficult, if the person who cares for them changes so quickly. Your leaving will have a negative effect on them. The interns live with Brazilian families and pay 25 Brazilian Reais (circa $6 US) per day for certain expenses during their stay. This is because an intern, given the brevity of his/her time here, is mostly preoccupied with learning the language, becoming accustomed to his/her work, getting to know his/her co-workers etc., so that s/he cannot offer the Associação the same effective support as the volunteers. The 25 Reais are therefore seen as the intern's compensation for living costs, co-workers' administrative efforts on his/her behalf, and other expenses.Every intern should apply at least three month before.
The selection process:
Since volunteers have supported the work of the Associação, every individual has contributed to Monte Azul and has learnt very much as a person. Therefore the selection is very difficult, because we know, that everybody is able to contribute. But we always need a special number of violinists and cellists. Next year we´ll start a new project. Two of our six school clubs will receive music education every day. Each class of 30 children will have its own teacher(?). The children play violin or cello and will get one lesson a week with a professional music teacher. Two volunteers (one violinist and one cellist) supported by the teacher(?) will undertake the music education. Volunteers will help children learn how to interact with the instrument. Furthermore they'll also give private lesson. To fulfil these tasks you should be able to handle your instrument and be motivated to give lessons.We are also looking for a person, who is willing to take on administrative work, for example correspondence in English or German.
Please tell us in your application, if you want to help in one of these areas!
What do we expect from applicants?
• Generally it's very important that you're interested in the work and philosophical background of the Associação Comunitária Monte Azul (anthroposophy). We advise you to read Ute Craemer's books.• You should be at least 19 years old.
• You do not need to speak the language when applying, but we expect you to learn some Portuguese when you are accepted.
If you want to apply for a place as a volunteer in Monte Azul, we ask for the following documents:
• Curriculum Vitae which includes a photo and includes a letter explaining, why you wish to volunteer for one year in the Associação Comunitária Monte Azul, how you see yourself contributing to the work (ideas, initiatives or skills and knowledge) and in which areas you would like to work (max. 3 pages).• Please write us your e-mail-address and fax-number.
Please send you Application to the following address:
Associação Comunitária Monte Azul
Rua Tomás de Souza, 552
Jardim Monte Azul
CEP 05836 - 350 São Paulo – SP
Brasil
or
international@monteazul.org.br
For financial reasons, we cannot send you the documents back.
If you have any further questions, please write to us at
international@monteazul.org.br
Associação Comunitária Monte Azul l Av. Tomás de Souza, 552 - Jd. Monte Azul - CEP 05836-350 - São Paulo - SP
Fone: (011) 5853 8080 - Fax: (011) 5853 8081 - Loja: (011) 5852 3036 - Fax: (011) 5852 3031
Patrocinado por: Daiichi- Sankyo Brasil