Dave Hanegraaff '08 has a suggestion for fellow young alumni struggling to launch careers in a tough U.S. economy: consider volunteering for the English Opens Doors program in Chile, where you can make a difference for Chilean youth while gaining valuable language and cultural experiences.
Hanegraaff, who works for Chile’s National Volunteer Center, traveled to the South American nation for the program a couple of years ago and has stayed ever since. He describes English Opens Doors as “somewhat of a Peace Corps lite” with volunteer assignments lasting five to nine months.
English Opens Doors, which is co-sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and Chilean Ministry of Education, recruits volunteers to work as English teaching assistants in public and semi-private schools. Participants in the program stay with a Chilean family, and the program provides meals, health insurance, training in teaching English as a foriegn language and access to an online Spanish course, among other benefits. There is no fee to volunteer for English Opens Doors.
“I’d like to get word out about this to other young alumni, as it would be a great way to get experience internationally in a tough economy,” Hanegraaff says. “It has opened a lot of doors for me (no pun intended),” including the job he holds now with the National Volunteer Center.
If you are an Elon student or alumnus interested in pursuing opportunities through the English Opens Doors program, please contact Dave at david.hanegraaff@mineduc.cl.