Argentina is a country located in South America and is known for its diverse landscapes, vibrant culture and passion for football. Buenos Aires, the capital, is a city known for its architecture, tango and lively street life. The country also offers breathtaking natural attractions such as the Iguazu Falls, the Andes mountain range, Patagonia and the Perito Moreno glaciers.
Argentines are proud of their culture, which is heavily influenced by European immigrants and is expressed through tango, literature and art. Dishes such as the famous “asado” are popular in Argentine cuisine, along with 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 football team, known as the “Albiceleste”, has achieved great success and has won the FIFA World Cup twice.
Argentina is unfortunately also a country with a significant poverty problem. According to data from the World Bank, approximately 42% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2020. In Buenos Aires, there are many disadvantaged neighborhoods that struggle with major problems caused by poverty, such as crime, drug use and violence. While volunteering in Argentina, you will work with young people from these disadvantaged neighborhoods.
There are several factors that contribute to poverty in Argentina. One of the main causes is the country’s economic instability. In recent decades, Argentina has experienced periods of high inflation, debt problems and economic crises, causing many people to lose their jobs and income. Our foundation experiences this development up close. Many more children and young people come to our programs. Reason enough to give our colleagues a helping hand by going to Argentina as a volunteer.
Our colleagues in Argentina support local projects that use sports as a means to improve the lives of these children. A safe place is created for the young people where they can play sports and have fun. In addition, during sports lessons the children also train important skills such as cooperation, making choices, leadership and communication. As a volunteer you have the choice to provide training in: football, rugby, tennis, baseball and basketball. Of course you are never alone and projects are carried out in consultation with Argentine coordinators. More than 2000 children are now part of these meaningful projects every year.
The sports that are practiced in Argentina are very varied but football remains by far the most popular sport that is played professionally and recreationally. Think of the beautiful derby of River plate – Boca Juniors and you immediately see what this sport does to Argentinians. In the neighborhoods where our foundation is active you will also notice that football gets the most attention. Furthermore, hockey, rugby, swimming and, strangely enough, polo are well-known sports. Pato, the national sport, on the other hand, is not very popular.
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that football is by far the most popular sport in Argentina. While it’s not your job to find the next Maradona, you’ll soon discover that football is played on every field, in the streets and in every alley. What’s more, coaching football in Argentina is a great opportunity to see street football in its rawest form, where some of the world’s top players have honed their skills. This project offers a chance to understand the Argentine way of playing football, while having a huge impact on the local community, helping to develop their skills and instilling in them values and dedication to the sport.
In our football project in Argentina, you will work with players who are mostly between the ages of 4 and 16 and come mainly from disadvantaged areas of Buenos Aires. The training takes place at a football school and at various local clubs. Football coaches of all levels are welcome. Of course, it helps if you play regularly yourself, understand the game and have some knowledge of the rules. The emphasis is on the social development of the children. The enthusiastic young ‘Portenos’ are given the opportunity to play football in an organized and safe environment, which keeps them away from drugs and crime. Volunteering in Argentina is a great experience for anyone with a passion for the sport.
Your Role
Your job is to guide these football talents. You will assist the trainers in setting up new exercises. You will also guide the players and teach them tactical movements and team play. There is also an opportunity to help with the educational side of the project. For example, you will help the children learn English. Whatever your background, you can make a positive contribution to the lives of the local youth.
The training sessions you provide will take place on weekdays and last an average of 3 to 4 hours. This will give you plenty of free time to explore Argentina. In January, summer camps are also organized in Buenos Aires. This is an initiative of the government to give children a meaningful and active summer vacation. The players are between 16 and 25 years old, which makes it an ideal opportunity to make friends. You also have the opportunity to play with these teams yourself.
Tennis Coach
Our tennis project in Argentina is divided into two parts. These are aimed at different age groups and skill levels.
The first project is a project by the Argentine government to promote the basic concepts of tennis to local children aged 8 to 12 years old. The government decided to include international volunteers in this project because it helps the children learn English and get them excited about the sport. This project focuses on younger children who are taking their first steps in tennis. The goal is to increase awareness of the sport and eventually convince local children to start playing tennis themselves.
The second project focuses on coaching and training tennis players aged 13 to 18. This project is intended for boys and girls who want to play at a higher level, have a passion for tennis and want to deepen their knowledge of the game. We are going for personal development here and that requires personal lessons. You prepare these tennis players for competitions and perhaps help them with the first steps towards a promising career.
Your Role
As a volunteer, you will be supervised by coaches hired by the government. Your role will be to work with local tennis coaches to organise training sessions for the youth. This is a great opportunity to make friends and brush up on your Spanish. At the same time, the coaches will ask you to teach the children some English during training. You will also work with players on an individual basis. For example, you can help with serving, backhand strokes or general court movement.
There is also the opportunity to help with the educational side of the project. This way, you can help the children learn English. Whatever your background, you can make a positive contribution to the lives of local youth.
Rugby Coach
Rugby is considered the second most popular sport in Argentina. Recent performances at the Rugby World Cup matches have established rugby as one of the top three most popular sports in Argentina. Rugby in Argentina is largely played by the middle class, while children in disadvantaged neighborhoods are limited to watching as they have little or no access to even the most basic rugby equipment. By participating in this rugby project, you will therefore give more children the opportunity to play rugby and be trained.
As a rugby coach, you will be split between two different projects that focus on promoting rugby in various sports centers in the city of Buenos Aires and training young rugby players during evenings at the local Rugby Club. At these sports centers or ‘parques’, children from low-income families can participate in government sports programs that use rugby as a tool to encourage children to take up sports. You will work alongside gym teachers who appreciate your help. Although you will start training at a grassroots level, you will find that children in Argentina are extremely friendly and naturally sports-crazy people. They will listen attentively to you, although they will struggle with English. Therefore, it is a great opportunity to exchange languages by teaching a little English and learning some Spanish in return, whilst playing the sport you love. The government is keen to welcome our volunteer rugby coaches into their projects to get young people involved in rugby.
The second part of your rugby project will be based at one of the local Rugby Clubs. Here you will organise rugby training sessions and structured matches for the children. In this phase you will be working in a more structured environment with children and coaches who play with passion and consistency. The standard at this club is much better than the Sports Centres, as these clubs play regularly, with matches taking place at the weekend. You will also be asked to coach your team on weekend mornings, as junior matches are on Saturdays.
You do not need any coaching qualifications to join our rugby project, just some experience of playing or coaching would be useful.
Your Role
In the Sports Centres you will be asked to assist coaches in setting up drills. The young people you will be training are between 6 and 16 years old. It is a rewarding experience as, as well as training the talent, your passion for rugby will be infectious and you will quickly build strong and lasting relationships! At the grassroots level you will be expected to train individual skills such as passing, kicking and running with the ball. At the rugby club, training is more about tactical awareness, passing and team play. You will add a new dimension to their rugby training that your players will quickly appreciate. You will see the sense of camaraderie within the club and realise how quickly you become part of the local community.
There is also an opportunity to help with the educational side of the project, helping the children learn English in homework sessions before training. Whatever your background, you can make a positive contribution to the lives of local youth.
Hockey Coach
Hockey is considered the most popular female sport in Argentina. However, there is an increasing trend of boys playing the sport. A highlight of the country’s success is the second position in the world rankings of its women’s hockey team, encouraging sporty children to experience hockey as an alternative to the already popular sports of football and rugby. Despite the popularity and the government’s ambition for the sport, some schools and organizations find it very difficult to buy all the necessary equipment (including balls and sticks) to play the game. It is also a challenge to recruit coaches with high-quality experience and training, making it very difficult for disadvantaged children to play, let alone progress through the sport.
In Argentina, we have two different projects that focus on hockey. The first project focuses on promoting hockey in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The second project aims to experience Argentine hockey at its best at hockey clubs.
The first part of the hockey project will involve training hockey at a foundation that uses hockey as a tool to tackle crime and poverty for children aged 6-17. The area is extremely poor and you will mainly be training on grass pitches. However, with passion and dedication you will find this challenging opportunity extremely rewarding. As coaches are hard to find, the children of Buenos Aires will be thrilled to have you train them and welcome you into their community as you offer an opportunity that some may not have had before. Please note that the focus is not on finding new professional hockey players but on exploring hockey as a tool to promote sporting values and discipline in areas where children are exposed to crime and drugs on a daily basis.
The second part of your hockey project will take place at hockey clubs that have much more access to the necessary equipment and facilities. Here you will organise hockey training sessions and structured matches for the children. By participating in both projects, you will see a stark contrast between these ‘two worlds’ from the deprived neighbourhoods to the established hockey clubs.
You don’t need any coaching qualifications to join our hockey coaching project, just some playing or coaching experience would be helpful. This is because our goal is to give young Argentinian kids more opportunities to play and enjoy hockey, not to find Argentina’s next national hockey star – although that could always happen!
Your Role
Your role will be to organise hockey training sessions for the children, where you will have an immediate impact. You will be guided by the staff in the country until you are ready to lead the training sessions yourself. These hockey training sessions will take place after school. You will be expected to introduce new drills that focus on basic principles such as passing, positioning and possession. This will help the children, while also providing competition and fun games to keep them motivated and interested.
At the hockey clubs, you will be involved in setting up drills where your own ideas and methods are always welcome. These children are talented and have some experience, so the idea is to introduce new drills from your own experience as a player or coach. There is also the opportunity to play hockey yourself at the local hockey clubs. Not only does this give you the chance to make new local friends, it is also a great way to improve your Spanish language skills.
The accommodation is located in the heart of Buenos Aires. At this accommodation you will find yourself in an international group. This makes it a very cozy and atmospheric house, since the interns/volunteers often hang out together: going out together, traveling through the country or strolling through the city together. The accommodation also has a common room where all volunteers/interns can relax. In the evenings, an ‘asado’ (Argentine barbecue) is often lit.
In Argentina, you can arrive on any weekend. However, please be aware that there are no sports projects during the Christmas holidays. From December to mid-March, it is summer vacation, which means that “summer camps” are organized instead of activities at the schools.
Affordable volunteering abroad, especially when you consider what you get for it.
The project in Argentina ‘El Poder del Deporte’ (The Power of Sports in Spanish) was founded by ourselves.
Free Spanish course if you stay 10+ weeks.
Volunteer work abroad is affordable, especially when you consider what you get in return.
The only travel organization that focuses entirely on social sports trips.
We tell an honest story and assess whether you are suitable for the project.
Our programs are carried out responsibly and have a proven positive impact.
All our employees are well acquainted with our foreign programs.
We offer good personal guidance, both in your home country and abroad.
We are founders and part of the ‘volunteer aware’ quality mark. We want to emphasize that our projects are rooted in a sincere dedication to a noble goal.
How experienced do I need to be for my volunteer work?
None of our projects require you to have any certificates or have completed one (sports) study. As a volunteer, you will have a supporting role and you will never be alone. We are not necessarily looking for the next Messi, but we want to help children from all social backgrounds to develop socially and build life skills through sports. You give the next generation the opportunity to play sports in a fun and organized environment. So whatever your background and experience, you can be sure that you will make a positive contribution by volunteering as a coach in Argentina.
What is important is that you have a basic knowledge of the rules of the given sport and that you radiate a lot of enthusiasm. It is also not a requirement to be proficient in Spanish, but it would be useful. You can choose to take Spanish lessons in Argentina, but luckily everyone speaks the language of sports!
I’m a vegetarian. Will my dietary preferences be accommodated?
If you let us know in advance that you are a vegetarian, the team in Argentina will make sure to accommodate your dietary preferences.
Can I volunteer for less than four weeks?
For your personal development, it is best to spend a longer period of time abroad. If you go for less than four weeks, it may feel more like a holiday experience. Therefore, we only offer volunteer opportunities starting from four weeks. To get the most out of your experience, we recommend staying for 12 weeks or longer.
Do I have to speak Spanish for my project in Argentina?
It is not a must, but it will make your project easier. Our colleagues in Argentina of our charity speak good English, but in Argentina people still speak quite poor English. We will therefore encourage you to take a Spanish course in advance. We can help you with this and we may reimburse this. Fortunately, sport is a language that everyone speaks.
What does my Spanish lesson week look like?
-For volunteers who stay for 10 weeks or longer, we reimburse a Spanish lesson week in Argentina. If you go shorter then then 10 weeks then these lessons cost €200 | £170 | $230,-. The reduction will take 20 hours in total and will occur in the mornings. If you know well in advance that you want to do volunteer work in Argentina, we can see if we can reimburse a Spanish course in your home country so that you already have a good command of the Spanish language before you arrive.
What do I need to consider when traveling abroad?
After our initial conversation, where everything is discussed, you’ll have some time to decide if this adventure is right for you. If you choose to go ahead, we will schedule a second conversation with you, during which we’ll go through the ‘Welcome Pack’ together. This pack contains all the details you need to consider, including what to bring, vaccinations, and other important preparations.
How many other people will I be volunteering with?
There are always other interns/volunteers present at the accommodation in Argentina. The size of the group varies between 10 and 30. They are not all from the same country. You can contact us to ask how many others will be there during your period. We will also create a group app with people from your home country who will be making the trip in the same time frame. This way you can even get to know each other.
After obtaining his Masters in International Relations in London in 2010, Alejandro Lozano founded a foundation for young people in Buenos Aires. He did this by first looking closely at our colleagues in South Africa and then looking at what he could implement in Argentina. Alejandro is passionate about hockey and is closely involved with professional hockey in Argentina and is a big fan of Dutch hockey.
