Cultural Immersion Program

 Immerse yourself in knowledge of Peru, it's traditions, history and politics!

As one method of ensuring that our volunteers and student participants have the best experience possible in their selected project, we require that they complete our comprehensive cultural immersion program. Through an in depth analysis of the political history and cultural characteristics of Peru, we are able to help our participants prepare for what to expect in their field placements. Students and volunteers are able to identify differences from their own cultures and develop an awareness for reducing symptoms of culture shock. Furthermore, we will discuss topics related to specific Hampy projects, as they are selected by each participant, including conflict resolution techniques and group dynamics.

The standard length of the Cultural Immersion Program is three weeks, consisting of a minimum 20 hours per week (4 hours per day). Included in this time frame is also Spanish language training to ensure that all of our participants are able to communicate comfortably and effectively at an intermediate level. Dependant on each individuals fluency this length my be increased to 30 hours per week. If following an initial evaluation of their communication skills, a participant is determined to be at an intermediate level of Spanish upon their arrival it may be possible for the Cultural Immersion Program to be completed in one week.

While, unlike many other volunteer programs, there is no cost for participating in Hampy projects the cultural immersion program does have a marginal cost of S/. 350 Nuevos soles (peruvian money) per week. As Hampy does not receive any government funding and aims to be a self sufficient non-profit organization, revenues from the Cultural Immersion Program are the primary source for the ongoing support and development of local projects.

***Volunteer programs and Spanish lessons in Peru...***