News | One Two... Tree

30 April, 2022 In Interviews, News

Interview with the coordinator: Our educational work during the pandemic

Having impact as an English teacher volunteer

Our passionate, hardworking English teacher volunteer coordinator, Gracia, answers our questions after working with us for a year. Read about her experience with us and get an insider look into our work with volunteers from around the world who are all contributing to our overall impact on the community of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.

Gracia with English students in Santiago

Q&A with Gracia:

One, Two…Tree!: Thanks for speaking with us, Gracia! To give our readers some context, can you explain a bit more about your role with us as Volunteer Coordinator?

Gracia: Yes! I’d love to share my experience with you. I worked with One, Two… Tree! for a year as the volunteer coordinator, which meant that I was introducing people to the organization and recruiting them to come to Santiago Atitlán as teachers.

The challenging part about restarting the project in the middle of the pandemic was finding ways to adapt to changing schedules and other situations that were limiting our normal work in public schools. Besides recruiting volunteers, I was also a teacher, and since I am an ESL teacher, I helped build the curriculum for our adults’ beginner level. I also helped develop the Coffee Terminology course we created for our friends at CoAtitlán. As coordinator, I was also consistently searching for opportunities to expand our impact and reach through connections with other initiatives in the community.

English class graduation day

One, Two…Tree!: What impact have you seen One, Two…Tree! have in the community of Santiago Atitlán?

Gracia: I have seen our work positively impact the students in their return to school after more than 2 years of distance learning. Public schools just recently started gradually returning to teach in person this year, and both students and teachers have told us how motivating it is to receive classes on a new subject that is difficult and taught in a different way, since we plan our lessons with dynamic activities and hand out fun worksheets as homework, which is not the usual methodology for other subjects.

I’ve also seen our impact on our young and adult students. Some of them were telling me stories of how they started learning English years ago with teachers Gary and Gergana (previous One, Two… Tree! teachers), and when they saw the posters I was handing out around town about the reopening of our lessons last year, they felt happy and immediately decided they were joining again. I am proud to see them now going from beginner to intermediate level, being able to have better job opportunities, connect with other people, and hopefully even teach English to children or share what they know with their peers.

One, Two…Tree!: What was your biggest accomplishment during your time with One, Two…Tree!?

Gracia: I feel really proud about how we approached the challenges of working with irregular schedules from the public school system due to the changing restrictions and limited human resources. This year, opening our Learning Center in Santiago has been an amazing learning bridge, as it gave us a closer approach to the community, which helped us solidify our classes for adults with a better retention rate than previous groups. It is a nice way for volunteers to connect with other young people and make local friends. In the future, we may be able to go back to full work focused in public school and may not need the center, but for now, this was my biggest achievement because it was the best way to maximize our impact despite the limitations we were facing. Our students and friends from the community are beyond happy with this project and they openly have told us so.

Teacher volunteers in Santiago Guatemala

One, Two…Tree!: What would you like people to know about One, Two…Tree!?

Gracia: That it is a rewarding experience, you learn a lot and have the opportunity to join a team where you can share your ideas, work with your heart, and contribute to education. Seeing children motivated about school again and happy about English classes makes you feel inspired. That’s our driving force; that’s why we feel excited about planning creative lessons and looking for ways to improve.

One, Two…Tree!: What would you like volunteers to know about working with One, Two…Tree!?

Gracia: This is the perfect program for committed people who want to invest some of their time, energy, and creativity in education. It is a great way to gain new skills, train to be a future tutor or teacher, and improve your Spanish! We work for about 20 hours every week, but we also know of many different fun activities around the lake, and have connections with projects where you can can learn about nature and the local culture.

One, Two…Tree!: What is your hope for the future of the organization?

Gracia: I hope to see One, Two… Tree! replicating the projects we did this year, expanding our collaboration locally, strengthening the team through local teachers (our students who could hopefully join our volunteer force in the future by teaching for a few hours), and growing in Central America and Mexico.

Community development in Santiago Atitlan

One, Two…Tree!: What was your favorite part of working with One, Two…Tree!?

Gracia: Doing what I love: teaching. Also, working to make English more accessible through creative teaching methods, working with other motivated and knowledgeable volunteers like Dani, Gersom and Carmela, amongst others, who were committed and passionate in their contributions to our work in Santiago. I’m going back to Guatemala City after a year, to continue my studies and get more experience in my field, which is Psychology, but in the future, I certainly want to volunteer with One, Two… Tree! again.

One, Two…Tree!: Thank you so much for all of your hard work, passion, and commitment, Gracia!

If you would like to join our team as an English Teacher Volunteer, please email us here: guatemala@onetwo-tree.com

One, Two… Tree! volunteers Guatemala

28 April, 2022 In News

How our partnership with Cojolyá empowers our community

Who is Cojolyá and what is their impact?

Cojolyá is a non-profit organisation in Santiago Atitlán that began during the Civil War in 1983. It has developed into an association of artisans who create Fair Trade products for sale locally and internationally. Cojolyá has a holistic approach that, includes providing educational programs for the children of the community, as well as personal and professional development for the artisans.

Cojolyá programs currently support ten children and adolescents by providing school supplies and scholarships. Lately, because of the restrictions in public schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic, assistance programs have provided the students with a tutor in addition to regular educational supports.

Cojolyá is having a direct impact on the lives of the artisans, their families and the general community of Santiago, and it is also supporting Fair Trade efforts.

English Teacher Volunteers in Santiago

How does our partnership work?

One, Two…Tree! has partnered with Cojolyá to ensure that both organizations are able to have double the impact in Santiago.

Beginning last year, One, Two… Tree! teamed up with Cojolyá to provide students with English lessons. It was immediately apparent that the collaboration was having a positive impact. The in-person classes were a success and the students enjoyed them. Now, with our very own Learning Center, the students will be able to attend lessons and take advantage of more opportunities to learn and practice English.

Similarly, Don Antonio, Cojolyá’s artisan founder, and Carina, the administrator, both attend adult classes at the center as well.

Learning English in Guatemala

This year, One, Two… Tree! is collaborating on various activities with the students of Cojolyá every month, which provides them with different ways to learn and practice English that are outside the traditional methods of education. For example, every month One, Two… Tree! hosts a cultural celebration in English featuring a different theme each time so that the students can learn new vocabulary in a fun and unique way.

One of the volunteers, Kelly from Greece, was also a part-time volunteer with Cojolyá when she was here earlier this year. Some of our other volunteers have collaborated with Cojolyá’s partner artisans by taking weaving classes and buying Cololyá’s products, since Cojolyá is a weaving association part of the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization). Doña María, one of the partner artisans, really enjoyed the visit from the One, Two… Tree! volunteers, so she dressed them all in traditional clothes!

English Teachers in Guatemala

What is your role as an English teacher volunteer?

Apart from in-person teaching and activities in the classroom, it is exciting to watch volunteers get creative and find new ways to present English materials to the students.

For example, this year, volunteers Elinor from Belgium, Alizée from France, Kelly from Greece, Carmela from Spain, and Gersom from Guatemala have all been helping us plan the cultural activities and curriculum for the students. Through the use of fun activities, these volunteers ensure that each student receives equal amounts of attention and opportunities to practice their English. Carmela is also a part-time volunteer math tutor with Cojolyá.

One, Two… Tree! is proud to be partnering with Cojolyá to provide students with the opportunity to learn English to increase the overall impact of education and development in Santiago Atitlán.

Teach English in Guatemala

Volunteer with us this year!

One, Two… Tree! is seeking more English teacher volunteers to come to Santiago, Guatemala to help expand the programs and reach of the organisation, and boost impact on the community.

If you would like to learn more about volunteering with One, Two… Tree! and Cojolyá, please send us an email to: guatemala@onetwo-tree.com

Nonprofit partnership in Guatemala

21 April, 2022 In News

Our partnership with Puerta Abierta to increase our impact in Santiago

Who is Puerta Abierta?

Puerta Abierta is another non-profit in Santiago Atitlán focused on education and development of the community.

They have opened the first creative school in the area that focuses on education through innovative programming for students at the kindergarten level through to grade six. They also have a community library that is open to other schools and programs to use as a resource to support their curriculums.

School in Santiago, Guatemala

What does our partnership look like?

At the beginning of this year, we began our partnership with Puerta Abierta in order to bring more programming, resources, and development to Santiago.

We are providing English lessons to all students at Puerta Abierta, and providing bilingual materials to support their learning as well. Our English teacher volunteers are sharing their time with Puerta Abierta to ensure that these English classes are being delivered to their students on a regular basis.

In exchange, Puerta Abierta has provided us with books and materials to help our teachers with lesson planning and developing activities for our Learning Center so that they are well prepared and equipped, especially since some of our volunteers do not have an education background.

Amanda, the founder of Puerta Abierta, has also prepared a workshop as a resource for our teachers to learn techniques when working with younger students. We are so thankful for the opportunity to learn from their work in alternative education in Santiago.

English Teacher Volunteer in Guatemala

Our impact

This partnership means that both organizations can have a stronger impact. Amanda Flyer, the founder of Puerta Abierta talks about our impact and work together:

“At the beginning of 2022, we were overjoyed to learn that One Two…Tree! would be partnering with the Puerta Abierta Learning Center to offer English classes to our students.

Our collaboration with One Two…Tree! goes much further than teaching English. My favorite moments of observation have been the mutual exchanges of inquiry and curiosity passed between volunteers, teachers, and students regarding culture, lifestyles, and countries of origin. We have been fortunate to receive volunteers from Greece, Spain, Belgium, France, and different areas of Guatemala in just a short span of time.

One Two…Tree! volunteers have also been collaborating with ongoing cultural exchanges that the Puerta Abierta has established with schools in the United States. I have found great joy in working with Carmela on our preschool exchange with a school based in Boston, MA. I’m grateful for Carmela’s extra set of hands and creative outlook which have enhanced our interaction with young children in Guatemala and the USA.”

Puerta Abierta Partnership

Joining forces

Our partnership is beneficial for both nonprofits to do their work efficiently and effectively. Juanita Chiviliú, the Director of Puerta Abierta explains what this partnership means for her work.

“As the director of an unconventional school in rural Guatemala, finding creative, dynamic, and empathetic English teachers proves to be a great challenge. So having the link this year with One Two…Tree! has been a great opportunity for our center to continue to provide an education full of love, joy, and celebration of cultures with our students.

Personally, I love to see the friendship that is cultivated between the volunteers and the students and teachers during the English classes. Teachers and children always want more, which means that they enjoy it and want to learn, so both institutions are achieving our goals.”

English Teacher Volunteer in Santiago

Your role as a volunteer

Mary Chiviliu Ajtujal, a sixth-grade teacher with Puerta Abierta talks about the role of One Two Tree…! volunteers within this partnership.

“It has been nice to have the teachers of One Two Tree…! in the class during these months. For the students, it has been very positive to see different people and learn about other cultures while learning another language. It has helped them a lot since sometimes it is difficult to meet and talk with new people.

The teachers have made it possible to resume learning the English language. It has been difficult lately with the hybrid education modality (online and in person, due to the pandemic) to maintain continuous learning of this language, but the teachers have been very open to accommodate the changes that this modality represents. All the teachers are very grateful for the openness, passion, and creativity that they bring to our center in this way and in other ways.”

We are so grateful for and excited about this partnership with Puerta Abierta and all of the possibilities it brings to the students and the community of Santiago Atitlán.

If you would like to learn more about volunteering with us and Puerta Abierta, please send us an email to: guatemala@onetwo-tree.com

10 March, 2022 In News

Our first English Learning Center in Santiago, Guatemala!

Our English Learning Center opened in Santiago Atitlan in February to provide more English classes to more students, both children, and adults of all levels.

Our Learning Center Brings More English Classes to More Students!

At the beginning of February, the doors to our new Learning Center opened in Santiago, Atitlán. Since our work was affected by the pandemic due to the constantly changing rules around classes and restrictions in public schools, we decided to open our own center in order to bring more English classes to more students! We will still be bringing our English teachers and curriculum to schools, additionally offering these classes to the community.

English Teacher Volunteers at our Learning Center

We found the space in a central location, close to the schools we work with. With the help of our current volunteers, we painted the building and cleaned it up in order to open our doors quickly because we were receiving lots of inquiries from families in the community. We have already begun teaching our English curriculum to both children and adults in the center.

Volunteers Painting Our Learning Center

How the English Learning Center Works

The Learning Center is open every day and classes are available for students during after-school hours. Classes for children are available between 4:00-5:00 pm, and teens and adults can join us for classes between 6:00-7:00 pm. There are three classrooms in the center, meaning that multiple groups can study simultaneously. We currently have two classes for each age group; one is for students at the beginner level, and the other is for more advanced levels.

English Classes in our Learning Center

We are using the same curriculum as we have been using in public schools. This curriculum focuses on introducing our students to English with a special focus on developing listening and speaking as well as the acquisition of basic vocabulary to provide a foundation on which to continue learning English. We include worksheets, activities, games and short quizzes. Some of the materials, such as books, that we are using in the Learning Center are provided by Puerta Abierta, a nonprofit organization that we partner with here in Santiago. These materials help to enrich our English classes and enhance the experience of the students.

What Does This Mean for Our English Teacher Volunteers?

One Two…Tree! volunteers will still work with us for approximately 16 hours per week, however, now those hours will be divided between working in public school classrooms and teaching at the Learning Center. These hours will vary depending on the current government restrictions for public schools, as well as the demand for classes at the Learning Center.

English Teacher Volunteers in Santiago

The Learning Center will provide our English teacher volunteers with a home base that they can help develop and contribute to. So far, our volunteers have helped us set up the space and ensure the classrooms are optimized for learning at all levels.

The Space Will Be Open to the Community

Our Learning Center will also be open to other local programs and organizations. The intention behind the Learning Center is to create a safe learning space for everyone in the community. For example, Instituto Tzanjuyú, the secondary school that we partner with, has lent us chairs, tables, and whiteboards, and in exchange, they will use the space to host a chess club and guitar lessons for their students and anyone who wants to join.

The Learning Center will also be a recycling point for the community. Our friends at Amigos del Lago will come every Monday to pick up everyone’s recycling. Currently, the community throws everything out together in the garbage, so not only are we providing a space for recycling to be easily dropped off and picked up, but we are also educating the community on the importance of recycling and what items can be recycled in our programming.

Adult English Classes in Santiago Atitlan

We are excited to continue to develop our Learning Center to ensure it is an open space for the whole community to come together and learn.

If you are interested in learning more about our Learning Center or volunteering with us in Guatemala this year, please contact us at: guatemala@onetwo-tree.com

25 January, 2022 In News

What does teaching English in Guatemala look like in 2022?

Our objective in 2022 is to provide more English lessons in Guatemala

English teacher volunteer in classroom with children in Guatemala

Teacher Pauline with students

You may be wondering what our programs and teaching English in Guatemala will look like in 2022, entering a new year with the pandemic still ongoing.

Our objective remains the same: to introduce English lessons in public schools in Santiago Atitlán, one of the Maya indigenous communities on Lake Atitlán, as a tool for the future of kids and teenagers.

At this moment, we are still collaborating with elementary schools in Santiago, and we have also established a relationship with our first secondary school, where our volunteers will teach English to teenagers of various ages in 2022. Through these lessons, we are preparing the students for their English classes in school in the following years. They can also use this knowledge in their future professional lives, as English is soon becoming more and more important in Central America.

How does the pandemic affect volunteer teachers?

English lessons in Santiago Atitlan

The pandemic impacted our work greatly, however, we did reactivate our programs in 2021, and we are looking to expand our work again to maximize our impact in Central America as soon as possible.

Currently, our teaching schedule in public schools is subject to the local authorities’ decisions regarding covid restrictions and safety measures. Due to this, we have part-time opportunities available, which gives you, the volunteer, more flexibility to work on personal projects or part-time work. We also have full-time opportunities available for those who want to immerse themselves completely in our work and help out where restrictions allow.

Enhance your volunteering experience in Guatemala

Volunteers participating in local projects in Santiago, Guatemala

Although classroom time in schools may be restricted due to changing safety protocols, we also teach English to adults and teenagers through collaborations with local projects and encourage volunteers to participate in community-building activities in other ways as well.

There are multiple chances to help the community grow and to immerse yourself in local culture by getting involved in local projects, such as taking care of the environment, helping at a local community farm, coffee cooperative, or artisan cooperative.

We have collaborations with Cojolyá, a collective of women artisans; CoAtitlán, a coffee cooperative; Amigos del Lago, an environment preservation program; and ADECCAP, a local community farm, and organic waste management program.

Become an English teacher volunteer with One Two…Tree! in 2022

Although the situation on the ground in Guatemala is constantly changing, there are many opportunities for volunteers to join us in 2022.

In the communities in which we work there continues to be a large number of projects with which to collaborate. Your volunteer experience with us will not go to waste. Whether you are teaching in classrooms or helping with local projects, we are dedicated to the development of Santiago Atitlán.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering in Guatemala this year, please contact us at: guatemala@onetwo-tree.com

Volunteers in Guatemala

15 March, 2020 In News

Important notice

Due to the latest events we need to communicate some changes that will be taken by the NGO and the countries in which we work, in order to guarantee the safety of all our volunteers and students.
READ MORE

8 March, 2020 In News

Ours girls’ dreams

I’m lucky to have found some of my passions, others I’m still looking for. But the ones that came knocking at my door and I was able to receive are writing and teaching. I am a teacher in the rural public school system of Guatemala, the greatest fortune of a woman who dreamed of teaching and educating, in an education system in which she was always the worst student can have.

I realize in these classes, so fun and revealing, the many realities that exist and therefore I think it is essential to know my students better. Through games, exercises, dialogues and not least a constant attention to their socio-cultural context, I elaborate on the tools of the classes.READ MORE

21 February, 2020 In News

International mother language day

Today, February 21, is the international mother language day. This day of commemoration created by UNESCO is now in its 20th year and commemorates the importance of all languages and the need to preserve them. In One, two… tree! we know the importance of all languages and it is a pillar of our work. READ MORE

25 October, 2019 In News

A new year in Mexico starts!

After six months of teaching at the Melchor Ocampo School and at the Dr. Manuel Gamio Social Integration Center in Zinacantán, we began our first full year in Mexico with great enthusiasm.

22 August, 2019 In Interviews, News

Gracias Gary

Five years ago, we received a volunteer application that was rather unusual. Instead of someone who came fresh from university, Gary had worked in consultancy for over 25 years. While he could be enjoying his retirement, he was coming to One Two… Tree! to work as a volunteer for children education in a far-away country.

Our objective in 2022 is to provide more English lessons in Guatemala

How does the pandemic affect volunteer teachers?

Enhance your volunteering experience in Guatemala

Become an English teacher volunteer with One Two…Tree! in 2022

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