Volunteering with Peñas Blancas

The volunteer will take part in various educational activities at Peñas Blancas School, supporting the teaching staff and participating in the daily life of the school community. A significant part of the educational work takes place outdoors, except on rainy, windy, or cold days (around 10–12 days per year). Two outdoor classrooms equipped with mobile all-terrain shelves have been created to facilitate these activities. The weekly schedule of the teaching staff at Peñas Blancas is 36 hours.
Working Schedule:
The volunteer will follow the same schedule as the school’s teaching staff. Their regular timetable will be Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. In addition, once a week, usually on Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., there is a team meeting lasting around two hours, in which the volunteer will also take part. The day and time of this meeting may occasionally vary depending on the school’s needs.
Outside the hours when the children attend school, the volunteer will also:
· Participate in organizational and structural work with teachers.
· Attend weekly coordination meetings.
· Support the maintenance and organization of learning spaces.
· Help with the preparation of workshops or activities, especially if they wish to lead one themselves.
Daily Structure:
The day begins with joint sessions focused on dialogue and concentration, covering mathematics and literacy in a cross-disciplinary way together with science, geography, language, music, and history. The second part of the day, called “Workshops”, follows a period of free play (“Blank time”), when children have access to materials but no specific activities are organized. The school has two primary groups (ages 6–8 and 9–12) and one infant group. These groups often mix, allowing children of different ages to work and learn together.
Volunteer’s Tasks:
Depending on the needs of the school and the volunteer’s skills, activities may include:
Kindergarten:
· Supporting children in activities such as painting, writing, or free play.
· Helping teachers organize the classroom and collect toys.
· Assisting in the preparation of daily lessons and classroom materials for the youngest children.
· Helping to set up the classroom environment before activities and tidying up afterward.
· Supporting teachers during mealtime and lunch routines, helping children as needed.
Primary Education:
· Assisting children with language and maths exercises.
· Helping to prepare and clean up after science or cooking workshops.
· Supervising playtime with the teachers.
· Language Area (English and French): Promoting linguistic immersion by speaking English or French with the children. Helping with vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation questions.
· Cultural Workshops (Optional): Designing and leading workshops about the volunteer’s own culture, such as cooking, traditional dances, or customs.
· Support for Foreign Children: Acting as a linguistic and cultural bridge between teachers and foreign students, especially when sharing a common language or nationality.
Additional Activities:
Volunteers will also take part in:
· Workshops and presentations about the European Solidarity Corps Programme in secondary schools and at the University of Murcia.
· Creating monthly content (posts, articles, videos, etc.) to share their activities within the organization, helping to disseminate and promote the project’s results.
Role and Learning Opportunities:
The main role of the volunteers will be to support the teaching staff in their daily educational work. Through this experience, they will:
Improve their Spanish through daily interaction in an educational setting.
Share their native language and culture, adding great value for both children and teachers.
Contribute to a mutual exchange of cultures and languages, enriching the entire school community.