ELI works with a number a number of organizations to create internship opportunities in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Areas available include Conservation, Teaching, Community Development, Museums, Sports, Teaching, and Art. Here is a list of the options available to you.

Museums

Interns can gain experience working at an Ethnographic and folkloric museum Located in Santa Cruz. This museum preserves the Bolivian culture with a collection of indigenous masks, weapons weavings and costumes. It also organizes regular workshops featuring visiting indigenous groups. The project requires people with initiative and good Spanish skills, and a strong interest or background in appropriate areas of study. You might get involved in research, design and maintenance of displays, translation.

Tourism

Gain experience in International Tourism by working with either an adventure tour agency or in a touist support office. Santa Cruz is a privileged area because of its natural wealth, several rainforests and natural parks border the city. The small adventure tour agency works on developing eco-tourism in the surrounding region. They need interns to work on marketing and translation projects. Participants may even get the opportunity to guide visitors to one of the natural parks.

Interns can also work at the main Tourist Office in Santa Cruz. This is a great opportunity to find out about Bolivia because you will be visiting places and working on cultural aspects that give the country its identity. There are about 8 staff working in the center and about 20 more doing investigation and fieldwork. The project funds come from the government and donations.

Coaching Sports

This is a project created to promote sports to children, ages 5 to 18 while giving interns the opportunity to gain experience. Most of the children live in a children’s home. Interns can coach basketball, soccer, aerobics, dance, etc. So if you have any sports skills this might be the right project for you. As an additional and optional job interns can offer the children support in their studies at school.

Teaching

These teaching and assistant teaching projects are located in the centre of the colonial town of Santa Cruz. Participants will teach in schools mornings and/or afternoons with a flexible schedule. Students range from six to 18 years old in classes of about 40. Interns will help them learn English through conversation, songs and other activities and also have the option of joining in with extracurricular activities. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience in a Spanish speaking environment.

Art

For interns looking to get into the Bolivian music and theater scene, this music and theater preservation internship offers valuable work experience. A number of art schools are associated with this movement to conserve Bolivian cultural heritage. Interns can be a part of the cause, teaching a musical instrument or sharing theatrical skills and exeriences. Participants can also help to organize events in the main office. Among the projects they organize is a huge annual international baroque music festival.

Media and Marketing

Interns can work with a small publisher devoted to promoting indigenous culture located in the center of Santa Cruz. The publisher mainly produces support material for students at school and Universities, as well as designing and printing boxes and labels for factories. This project is for those who are looking to enhance their skills within the full spectrum of media. Interns can become involved in activities such as:

- Information researcher: several topics are on hold to be researched, interns will have the opportunity to travel around Bolivia and interview people from different Bolivian communities

- Photographer: interns will have the opportunity to travel and photograph Bolivian scenarios.

- Graphic designers: Freehand and Photoshop artists are urgently needed.

- Marketing – enhance your marketing skills by designing campaigns for the publisher's products.