When I hear the word “voluntourism,” I imagine myself swinging a hammer in a third-world country. But if I’m being honest about my skills, carpentry ranks near the bottom of the list.
Closer to the top would be writing, legal research and project management. The question is how to leverage these first-world skills to help people facing problems as basic as the lack of clean water.
Students, Camillo, Abdias, Joseffa, and Gaby collaborate on a brochure design in Adobe Illustrator
Graphic designer Jeff Speigner came up with an elegant solution to this problem: Give impoverished kids a leg up by teaching them first-world skills. He created a program called Design4Kids.
A Mentor’s Mentor. Jeff modeled this based on a program started by another photographer, Nancy McGirr. About 18 years ago, after covering the war in El Salvador, Nancy started a program in Guatemala called Fotokids in which she teaches some of the most impoverished kids in Central America photography skills. “I first learned about Nancy McGirr and her work with Fotokids in the fall of 2006,” Jeff said. “I was captivated with the idea that they were using visual arts in the battle against poverty for many families in Central America. Immediately knew I had to work with them, but had no idea how.”
A year later when the opportunity arose to work with a group that was collaborating with Fotokids, Jeff pounced on it. From meal-time conversations with Nancy, Jeff learned that Fotokids, which is based in Guatemala City, was looking to expand its activities to Santiago Atitlan. Jeff said “the next thing I knew I was volunteering my services to come back and teach design skills. Then, just to make it easier for me and better for the kids, I offered to bring along some of my seasoned colleagues to help. That was the genesis of Design4Kids.”
From Experiment to Huge Hit. In what Jeff regarded as an experiment, six creative professionals from Amsterdam, Seattle and Austin traveled to the Guatemalan city of Santiago Atitlan for the first Design4Kids workshop in October last year. “I didn’t really know what I was doing but was assured that if my heart was in the right place that it would somehow work out. And thanks mostly to the quality of this amazing bunch of volunteers who came from diverse backgrounds of the design and marketing business, the week was a huge hit.”
Mentor Cathy Shea practices block printing with student, Gaby
This process, Jeff added, gives the kids an opportunity to participate in a business scenario where they’re in the hot seat to produce results for the client. “It’s sort of a trial-by-fire situation, except they have the collective wisdom of these diversely experienced creative professionals to mentor, teach, and challenge them all along the way. It’s a great opportunity for them to stretch their thinking and get a glimpse of what they may be capable of with more study, practice, and hard work.”
Creative Futures. It helps that many of the kids Jeff’s program works with are talented. “The kids who choose to will one day be employed as creative professionals. Some are already gaining design educations in the capital city thanks to Fotokids’ scholarships,” Jeff said.
Because Design4Kids is still a young program, it’s difficult to gauge long-term results. “I do know that Fotokids has worked with more than 150 kids, and that at least eight have graduated from college,” Jeff said. “This a big deal when you consider that 64 percent of Guatemalan children drop out of first grade.”
Jeff says he’s seen the program have an immediate impact on some kids. “In the last workshop I watched a 16-year old girl grow from being a wall flower who was practically too shy to say her name into an inspiring leader performing a project management roll,” he said. “At the closing ceremonies she gave a long impassioned speech that caught us all a little off guard. What had happened to our mild-mannered girl?”
Students and mentors kid around while watching an Adobe Lightroom software demonstration given by mentor Eric Lolkema
Volunteers Benefit Too. It’s not just the kids who benefit from the program. Many of the volunteers find that sharing their skills is a rewarding experience, Jeff said. “Several have returned for multiple trips. One fellow from Holland, the amazing photographer, Eric Lolkema, is coming back for the third workshop next month. I think they see what an impact teaching the skills they love can make in the lives of these kids and it’s hard to resist coming back for more.”
While the focus is on learning and productivity, there’s still time to have some fun too. “We enjoy lunch together, play games, and generally do our best to bridge the language, cultural, and generational gaps. It’s a great exchange. We always take one day and go on an excursion. Fotokids staff is cooking up an “Amazing Race” style game for excursion day in this next workshop involving photography and art related activities in a town on the other side of the lake.”
To find out more about Design4Kids, check out their website.
Here is a YouTube Video about Fotokids.
on Nov 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Everything written down in this article is true.
Sometimes people ask me if I wouldn’t like to spend my holidays in a more traditional way. I.e. spending a week observing the horizon of some bloody hot beach.
Well, if holiday is meant to make you feel good, nothing in the world can beat the experience described by Jeff. Thinking back of past holidays spent on beaches, I smile at the most. Thinking back of times spent with Fotokids, I cry at the least. And believe me, not from sadness.
If you are a pro, join us the next time.
on Nov 24th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I had a chat with a friend about what you guys were up to, and the idea to me was very similar to something I was working on. It would be my honor to work with your team on any upcoming projects or future workshops. Take care and I wish you guys all the best.
Jesse K