Projects
Guadalupe Urbina and her Rainforest Band. The band is something everyone can enjoy, whether participating or not.
Long-term guests can find meaningful volunteer opportunities for their own interests or to meet academic or governmental program goals. Long-term guests can partake in community development programs, and committees are usually open to all who live here regardless of age or gender. Longo Mai frequently receives tourists wishing to do project tourism, where guests have the option to work in the community. It is not necessary for guests to already know what they want to do upon arriving. Many figure good projects once they arrive.
Project tourists have a great deal of freedom in deciding what to pursue, and there are a vast options at Longo Mai. Suggestions include teaching language or math to individuals and groups or in certain cases also at a local school, helping publish a village newsletter, helping with the planning of the culture festival with Casa Madremonte, or assisting with farming. Project success depends on how long you stay, your level of Spanish, and your ability to coordinate with people and integrate the community into your project. Below are some examples of projects visitors have done in the past, and could do in the future.
Example 1: Guest A has posted a note in the pulperías that she plans on creating an English class. She now teaches English three times a week. Once a week she also gives classes in the prison. She has noticed that many people in Longo Mai have never had the chance to learn something about computers, so she decides to offer computer and internet courses. Guest A helps with agriculture, organizes the annual culture festival (together with a social servant) and spends her weekends getting to know the surroundings of Longo Mai.
Example 2: Guest B is very interested in the Costa Rican flora and has created his own little garden in agreement with his host family. He frequently works on various editions of the village newspaper and the village newsletter, which enables him to get into contact with many members of the community. Also, he is helping with construction work and helps out at Casa Madremonte with their projects.