Emotional Intelligence Home Page
EQI
Teen Suicide Prevention
Work Exchange Program in Peru
From over four years of online chatting with depressed, suicidal, self-harming (DSS) teens, I have come to a few conclusions:
I have realized this problem is so serious that it needs much more focused attention. The public is very misinformed about teen depression, self-harm and suicide, and the teens are not receiving much useful help. That's why I am starting this special work exchange program.
You will learn:
You will also learn
During the program you will have the opportunity to learn about yourself and how your beliefs, self-concept, values and feelings have been shaped by your family and culture.
You will learn how to recognize when you are feeling defensive. This is one of the single most important things you can ever learn in your life. If you can learn this well, it will allow you to continue to stay open to hearing things which are uncomfortable or threatening. Through staying open you will be able to constantly grow as an individual and as a member of the international community.
You learn first hand about how to manage your feelings in health ways and how to use your feelings to help you make better decisions
Besides learning about Peru you will have the chance to learn from me during our personal talks. I have travelled to over 30 countries and have lived in 4 continents.
Besides help teens online, you can help improve this website. If you are willing, I will show you how I create my pages, using my simple style which focuses on content, not flash. You can then write your own articles and add your own research findings. I want to improve and expand the site in several areas. If your first language is not English, you can help translate parts of the site to your own language.
I have been living in South America for over a year with just one pair of shoes, one pair of sandals (only recently acquired!), two shirts, one pair of bathing shorts and one pair of regular shorts. I have no watch. No socks. No belts. No jewelry of any kind. That gives you an idea of how simply I live. You will learn much just be seeing how I do things.
The EQI.org website has been the number one website for much of the past few years. It is the only website which presents an alternative view of EI in contrast to the corporate concept which people are exploiting to make money from. It is the most predominantly humanitarian and socially oriented perspective on EI.
You will learn the difference between the academic research findings related to emotional intelligence and the popular misconceptions about it. In other words you will learn the truth about what EI is and is not.
You will learn how our emotional intelligence is either nurtured or corrupted by society.
Like the WWOOFING program I operated in Canada and Australia, you will be asked to work an average of four hours per day. I say "average" because this can be very emotionally exhausting work, so some days you might not want to do any online counseling. You may need a break, and that's perfectly okay. You can also choose the type of work you do.
By the way, what DSS teens need most is someone to just listen to them. So when I say "counseling" I mean listening more than anything else.
In exchange for your help, you will receive free food and accommodation. There is also the possibility of you receiving some "pocket money" (up to $100 per month) for someone who's especially helpful. (Some so-called "volunteer" programs actually make you pay them for being a volunteer!)
You can take two full days off each week. Or save up your days so you can take some trips around Peru or South America.
An important part of the program will be for you to keep a personal learning/feelings journal. The idea is to write about what you have learned each day and to write about all your feelings during the day. This will be an invaluable tool for your personal development and something you will probably want to keep the rest of your life.
The only major cost to you is your transportation to and from Lima. I will meet you at the Lima airport and cover your transportation cost from there. Besides that, since the program will pay for your food and accommodation, you just need your own money for side trips, and personal items. There is also the possibility for you to receieve some "pocket money" each month. (See above)
Peru is very cheap. You don't need much spending money once you get here. If you want to take some short trips, for example, here is an idea of how much to expect to pay.
A budget hotel, or hostal as they are called here, will cost around 5 US dollars. A full meal in a restaurant will cost about 1 dollar. Transportation by bus is most common. If you are in Lima and want to go to a city 4 hours away, for example, expect to pay about 5 US dollars. If you want to fly to Cusco, it will cost around 70 US dollars each way.
You will be living in Cajamarca, one of Peru's most famous and popular cities after Arequipa and Cusco. I recently relocated here and don't have pictures yet, but if you search the net you will find lots about Cajamarca.
All you really need to bring is the clothes you are wearing. Anything else you need can be purchased here, and for less money than you would pay at home. You can even get contacts and contact lens solution here. Although parts of Peru are totally primitive, you will be living near Lima which has pretty much everything any other major city has.
There is no other program like this in the world. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. You will get a chance to learn from someone who is doing unique work in the field of emotions, teen suicide and emotional intelligence. You will also have a chance to live in another culture and have free time to travel around Peru or South America.
You will return to your country with new skills, new friendships, new outlooks on life. We will stay in touch and you can continue the work with your new teen friends wherever you live. That's the beauty of the Internet.
The ideal volunteer would be someone who
My dream is to create a community here in Peru of young people who are interested in:
I want to create a community where we all provide emotional support, understanding and acceptance for each other. I want a place young people can come live and do something useful without needing to go college or university and without having to worry about starving or being homeless. Obviously we will need to eat, but that is easy in a low cost country like Peru. We can easily survive here through teaching English, selling books, or selling EI related material and online courses through my website, for example.
The idea is to create a small community where helping the next generation is more important than making money.
I also want to help the young people of Peru. There are so many kids living on the street or selling cigarettes and candy to try to make a few cents. So many men have abandoned their families here. And so many kids are being still being hit at home and often at school, and are being brainwashed with the Catholic religion. They are not learning anything about any other religions or belief systems. And the education system here is terrible.
I'd like to eventually start my own alternative school. Where the focus is on learning and emotional and self-esteem development, not socialization and getting a job in an office. And where English is taught well, not like they teach it in the schools here now, where hardly anyone can say "Where are you from" or even count to twenty in English.
A central part of the community would be a backpackers hostel for international travellers. Peru is way behind when it comes to backpackers hostels. I have travelled all around Peru have only found one place I would really call a backpackers hostel. This was the Hosteling International Hostel in Zoritos, in the Northern part of Peru. Over the next few years I would like to get a true backpackers hostel started especially for travellers who have an interest in psychology, social work, emotional intelligence etc.
If you come as a volunteer and want to stay longer to be a part of something like this, you are much welcomed.
For more info, write to me directly
Thanks!
WWOOFing is one of the largest work and cultural exchange programs in the world. It originally meant Willing Workers on Organic Farms. The program has now been opened up to all kinds of work. I had a WWOOFing program in Quebec, Canada for a few years during the summer months, then in Australia for the rest of the year. Here is an old link to the program in Canada
There aren't many WWOOFing hosts in Peru. I am not sure if there is even one! But this program will be operated in the same way.
Key words
Peru, Lima, South America, GAP year, Work exchange, WWOOFIng, Cultural Exchange, Work Study, Hosteling, Internship, Intern, Hosteling International, Backpackers Hostels, hostals, psychology, social work, student, EI, EQ, courses, program, practicum