Argentina is a country in South America, known for its diverse landscapes, vibrant culture and passion for football. Buenos Aires, the capital, is famous for its architecture, tango and lively street life. The country also offers breathtaking natural sights, such as the Iguazu Falls, the Andes mountain range, Patagonia and the Perito Moreno glacier.
Argentinians are proud of their culture, which has been strongly influenced by European immigrants and finds expression in tango, literature and art. Dishes such as the famous “asado” are popular in Argentinian cuisine, alongside other delicacies such as empanadas and mate tea.
Football is a national passion, and Argentina has a rich football history with icons such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. The national team, known as the “Albiceleste”, has enjoyed great success and has won the World Cup three times.
Not every kid in Buenos Aires has a club or a safe place to play close to home. As a volunteer in Argentina, you will work with young people from these neighbourhoods.
In recent decades Argentina has faced periods of high inflation, debt problems and economic crises, causing many people to lose their jobs and income. Our foundation sees this development up close: many more children and young people are coming to our programmes. Reason enough to give our colleagues a hand by going to Argentina as a volunteer.
Our colleagues in Argentina support local projects that use sport as a way to improve the lives of these children. They create a safe place where young people can play sport and have fun. During the sports sessions the children also train important skills such as teamwork, decision making, leadership and communication. As a volunteer you can choose to coach football, rugby, tennis, baseball or basketball. Of course you are never on your own, and projects are run in consultation with Argentinian coordinators. More than 2,000 children now take part in these meaningful projects every year.
A wide variety of sports are played in Argentina, but football remains by far the most popular, both professionally and recreationally. Think of the magnificent derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors and you immediately see what this sport means to Argentinians. In the neighbourhoods where our foundation is active you will also notice that football gets the most attention. Hockey, rugby, swimming and, oddly enough, polo are also well known. Pato, the national sport, is not very popular.
It will probably not surprise you that football is by far the most popular sport in Argentina. While it is not your job to find the next Maradona, you will soon discover that football is played on every pitch, in the street and in every alleyway. Coaching football in Argentina is also a fantastic chance to see street football in its rawest form, the kind where some of the world’s top players learned their skills. This project gives you the chance to understand the Argentinian way of playing, while making a huge impact on the local community, helping the children develop their skills and giving them values and commitment to the sport.
On our football project in Argentina you work with players who are usually between 4 and 16 years old and who come from neighbourhoods across Buenos Aires. Sessions take place at a football school and at several local clubs. Football coaches of every level are welcome. It does help if you play regularly yourself, understand the game and know the rules. The focus is on the children’s social development. The enthusiastic young “porteños” get the chance to play football in an organised and safe environment where they can play and grow. Volunteering in Argentina is an incredible experience for anyone with a passion for the sport.
Our tennis project in Argentina is split into two parts, aimed at different age groups and skill levels.
The first is an Argentinian government project to promote the basics of tennis among local children aged 8 to 12. The government decided to include international volunteers because it helps the children learn English and gets them excited about the sport. This project focuses on younger children taking their first steps in tennis. The aim is to raise the profile of the sport and ultimately encourage local children to take up tennis themselves.
The second project focuses on coaching and training tennis players aged 13 to 18. It is intended for boys and girls who want to play at a higher level, have a passion for tennis and want to get to grips with the game. The focus here is on personal development, which calls for individual coaching. You prepare these players for matches and may help them take their first steps towards a promising career.
Rugby is considered the second most popular sport in Argentina. Recent performances at the Rugby World Cup have established it as one of the three most popular sports in the country. Rugby in Argentina is largely played by the middle class, and many kids never get to try it because kit and clubs are out of reach. By taking part in this rugby project, you give more children the chance to play rugby and be coached.
As a rugby coach you split your time between two projects: promoting rugby at various sports centres in Buenos Aires, and coaching young players in the evenings at the local rugby club. At these sports centres, or “parques”, children can join free government sports programmes that use rugby as a way to encourage children to take up sport. You work alongside PE teachers who value your help. Although you start coaching at a basic level, you will find that children in Argentina are extremely friendly and naturally mad about sport. They will listen carefully to you, even though they will struggle with English. That makes it a good chance for a language exchange: you teach a bit of English and learn some Spanish in return, while playing the sport you love. The government is keen to welcome our volunteer rugby coaches to its projects to get young people involved in rugby.
The second part of your rugby project is based at one of the local rugby clubs. Here you organise rugby training sessions and structured matches for the children. In this phase you work in a more structured environment with children and coaches who play with passion and consistency. The standard at this club is much higher than at the sports centres, as these clubs play regularly with matches at weekends. You will also be asked to coach your team on weekend mornings, as junior matches take place on Saturdays.
You do not need any coaching qualifications to join our rugby project, although some playing or coaching experience will certainly come in handy.
Hockey is considered the most popular women’s sport in Argentina, although more and more boys are taking it up too. A high point of the country’s success is the women’s team’s second place in the world rankings, which encourages sporty children to try hockey as an alternative to the already popular football and rugby. Despite the sport’s popularity and the government’s ambitions for it, some schools and organisations find it very hard to buy all the equipment needed to play, including balls and sticks. Recruiting coaches with high-quality experience and training is also a challenge, which means many kids get few chances to play and grow through the sport.
In Argentina we have two different projects centred on hockey. The first focuses on promoting hockey in the neighbourhoods. The second lets you experience Argentinian hockey at its best at hockey clubs.
The first part of the hockey project involves coaching at a foundation that uses hockey to help children aged 6 to 17 grow in confidence and teamwork. Facilities are basic and you will mostly coach on grass pitches. With passion and commitment, however, you will find this challenging opportunity extremely rewarding. Because coaches are hard to find, the children of Buenos Aires will be delighted when you come to coach them and will welcome you into their community, as you are offering a chance some of them may never have had. Bear in mind that the focus is not on finding new professional players but on sporting values, discipline and fun.
The second part of your hockey project takes place at hockey clubs with much better access to the equipment and facilities needed. Here you organise hockey training sessions and structured matches for the children. By taking part in both projects, you get to know hockey from the neighbourhood to the established club.
You do not need any coaching qualifications to join our hockey coaching project, although some playing or coaching experience will come in handy. That is because our aim is to give young Argentinian children more opportunities to play and enjoy hockey, not to find Argentina’s next national hockey star, although that could always happen!
You’ll be living in Palermo, the largest and perhaps best loved neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. Palermo is known for its green parks, tree lined avenues, colourful street art and countless coffee shops, restaurants and bars. By day you can simply stroll to the parks, and in the evening this is where young Buenos Aires goes out.
You’ll recognise the house straight away by its orange façade full of graceful curls and flowers, painted in fileteado, the traditional decorative art of Buenos Aires. Behind the front door a surprise awaits: a green courtyard with ivy covered walls, a palm tree and mosaic tables under a large parasol. The perfect spot for your first mate of the day, or to catch up with the other volunteers and interns after a day at the project.
Inside there is a cosy lounge with velvet armchairs, books about Argentina and tango lyrics on the walls. You’ll sleep in a shared room with other volunteers and interns, and the bathrooms are shared too. On top of the building is a roof terrace with a real parrilla, the Argentinian barbecue. An asado with your housemates under the string lights, looking out over the treetops of Palermo, is an evening you won’t forget in a hurry.
No registration fee and a no-obligation introductory call.
The project in Argentina, El Poder del Deporte (The Power of Sports), was set up by ourselves.
Affordable projects abroad, especially when you see what you get for it
Volunteering abroad is affordable, especially when you see everything you get in return.
Free Spanish course if you stay longer than 10 weeks.
As a travel organisation that focuses entirely on social sports trips.
We tell you an honest story and assess whether you are suited to the project.
Our programmes are run responsibly and have a proven positive impact.
All our staff know our programmes abroad well.
We offer good personal support, both in the UK and abroad.
We are founders and members of the Volunteer Aware quality mark. With this we want to underline that our projects are rooted in a genuine commitment to a worthwhile cause.
None of our projects require you to have certificates or to have studied sport. As a volunteer you have a supporting role and you will never be on your own. We are not necessarily looking for the next Messi; we want to help children from all social backgrounds develop socially and build life skills through sport. You give the next generation the chance to play sport in a fun and organised environment. So whatever your background and experience, you can be sure you are making a positive contribution by volunteering as a coach in Argentina.
What does matter is that you have a basic knowledge of the rules of the sport and, above all, plenty of enthusiasm. Speaking Spanish is not a requirement, although it would help. You can choose to take Spanish lessons in Argentina, but luckily everyone speaks the language of sport!
I am vegetarian. Will my dietary needs be taken into account?
In Argentina only breakfast is included, and vegetarians are catered for.
Can I volunteer for less than four weeks?
For your own personal development it is best to spend a longer period abroad. If you go for less than four weeks, it feels more like a holiday. That is why volunteering is only possible from four weeks. For the best learning experience we recommend going for 12 weeks or longer.
Do I need to speak Spanish for my project in Argentina?
It is not a must, but it will make your project a lot easier. Our foundation’s staff speak good English, but many people in Argentina speak little English. We therefore encourage you to practise your Spanish beforehand, and we offer an online course ourselves.
What does my Spanish course look like?
For volunteers staying 10 weeks or longer, we cover the cost of our online Spanish course. If you go for a shorter time, you can choose to add it for just €100. It consists of 10 lessons of one hour each and is designed for complete beginners.
What do I need to think about before going abroad?
After our no-obligation conversation, in which we already cover a lot, you get time to think about whether this adventure is for you. If you decide to go, we schedule a second conversation in which we go through the welcome pack together. It sets out in detail everything you need to think about, what to bring, vaccinations and so on.
How many other people will I be volunteering with?
There are always other interns and volunteers staying at the accommodation in Argentina. The group size varies between 10 and 20. Not all of them are from the UK, many come from other countries. Contact us to ask how many others will be there during your stay. We also set up a group chat with other British participants travelling in the same period, so you can get to know each other beforehand.
In 2010, shortly after completing his master’s degree in International Relations in London, Alejandro Lozano set up a foundation for children and young people in the neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires. Inspired by successful projects run by our colleagues, he first studied their approach in depth. He then adapted those insights and methods to the context and needs of young people in Argentina.
Alejandro is passionate about sport, and hockey in particular. He is closely involved in the professional hockey scene in Argentina and has warm relationships with players, coaches and clubs. His admiration for Dutch hockey is great, not only because of the high level of play but also because of the professional and inclusive way the sport is organised in the Netherlands. You can see that appreciation in the way he shapes his own project: with an eye for quality, accessibility and team spirit.
This is Cecilia Wolman (Ceci), a Spanish teacher at the University of Buenos Aires and the partner of Alejandro, the coordinator of your project. She teaches the online Spanish lessons. The lessons are highly recommended because the level of English among our target group is often limited.
The online course runs twice a year, with lessons every Monday at 20:00 (Dutch time).
First course: 24 August | 31 August | 7 September | 14 September | 21 September | 28 September | 5 October | 12 October | 19 October | 26 October.
Second course: 23 November | 30 November | 7 December | 14 December | 21 December | 28 December | 4 January | 11 January | 18 January | 25 January
The lessons are designed specifically for complete beginners. Do you already know some Spanish? Then you can take lessons at your own level in Buenos Aires.
The full course is free for participants who join the project for at least 10 weeks. Staying for a shorter time? You can still join the course for a contribution of €100.
