Volunteer in Española, New Mexico

Be the Change. Be a Global Volunteer in Española, New Mexico

Support the communities around Española, New Mexico.

Meaningful one-week service opportunities await you in one of the most beautiful, yet impoverished locations in the United States. In Española, 35% of the population live below the poverty line, more than two times higher than the national average. The communities of Española and nearby Dixon have asked us to support a number of ongoing projects. Help with childhood enrichment activities at an after-school program. Assist with food preparation and delivery at local soup kitchens and food distribution centers. Repair and maintain the area’s historical irrigation ditches to maintain the traditional culture of the area. See Covid-19 requirements.

Get Started in New Mexico

Serve in the desert Southwest.

Local time:

Required Mobility Level:
Somewhat mobile

Local time:

Call: 651-407-6100

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Genuine community development projects to help children thrive. Exceptional service-learning for families, groups, and individuals.

Community Projects

Participate in an After-School Program for Elementary Students

Volunteers are needed to help with childhood enrichment activities at a local library. Assistance may also be needed with minor maintenance and traditional gardening projects.

Distribute Food or Prepare and Serve Meals

Both the local food pantries and soup kitchens have requested volunteer assistance with preparing and serving meals as well as distributing groceries to low-income and unhoused residents of the Española area.

Home Construction and Repair

Help low-income families improve their homes through partnership with a local building organization. Volunteers are needed to assist with construction and small home renovations.

Repair and Maintenance

Many community partners are in need of help with minor maintenance, gardening, and painting projects to help enliven the community and create a welcoming environment.

Help Maintain a Piece of New Mexico’s Rich History

Volunteers will help local people with the annual maintenance of their acequias or irrigation channels. This is an amazing cultural experience embodied in a vital community work project. Engaging in this cultural tradition has been ongoing for hundreds of years and is so essential to Northern New Mexico’s rural communities’ access to water. Volunteers can work alongside local people while conversing with and learning about their lives. This seasonal project varies but can include light gardening to more strenuous shoveling and clearing of brush. Read this interesting article for more information on the acequias – The Fascinating History of New Mexico’s Water Ditches (Acequias) (fodors.com) – and watch this video for an example of what the process looks like – The Rebirth of the Vigil y Romo Acequia – Taos, New Mexico – YouTube

Dates & Fees

Arrival and Departure

A short flight or drive away.

Plan your flight to arrive at Santa Fe, NM Airport (SAF) anytime between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm on Saturday and depart after 9:00am on the following Saturday. We will meet you and your teammates at the airport and transport you to Española, about a 35 minute ride, and return you to the airport at the end of the service program.

If you decide to drive independently to Española, either from home or the airport, please let us know. Whether you are driving or flying, if you are delayed, please contact us with your updated arrival plans. Global Volunteers’ service program officially begins with the Saturday evening meal and ends with breakfast on the following Saturday. Your volunteer orientation materials include directions to your team meeting place in Española, NM.

Food and Lodging

Good rest for a full day of volunteering.

Team lodging is at the Ohkay Hotel and Casino, a comfortable hotel on the Ohkay Owingeh Reservation. Standard program lodging includes a double occupancy room with a roommate and includes a private bathroom, phone, television, A/C, free Wi-Fi and mini fridge. Single rooms are available for an extra fee.

New Mexico cuisine is a fusion of Native American, Spanish, and Mexican influences, particularly noted for its native red and green chilis. You may have the chance to try green chili stew or a stuffed sopapilla smothered with red chili sauce at one of the local restaurants. Traditional American breakfast fare is provided each morning at the hotel. Bagged lunches of sandwiches and sides are provided for volunteers to bring to work projects. Dinners will be at a variety of local restaurants.

Health and Safety

Your safety is our top priority.

Your lodging, food, and transportation are provided with a mind to help you ensure your health, safety, and security while at the work site and lodging facility. Your team leader is trained in CPR and First Aid. Read more about health and safety here.

Weather can be variable in New Mexico with average temps in the 90s in the summer and 40s in the winter. In the spring and fall, mornings can be cool and afternoons quite warm. Please check the forecast and pack accordingly. Sunburn and dehydration can be risks, so we urge you to pack sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and a water bottle. We strongly recommend you consult your own physician, public health clinic, and/or travel clinic for detailed travel health information. We also recommend you purchase trip cancellation insurance in the event you must cancel your participation on the service program. Your travel agent can refer you to travel insurance providers.

Our New Mexico partners require all adult volunteers to provide a current police background check and clearance through the national sex offender registry prior to volunteering. These background checks must be current, and not obtained until two months prior to your program start date. More details and instructions will be provided after registering for a program.

COVID-19 vaccinations are not required to volunteer in New Mexico. However, some work projects may require volunteers to take a rapid COVID-19 self-test and/or wear a mask. Global Volunteers’ Covid 19 Policy for Service Programs in the U.S. and Abroad.

Team Leaders

Excellence in team management so you can focus on service.

Your team leader is a Global Volunteers staff member or alumni. All team leaders have completed our comprehensive team leader training and are skilled in leading diverse groups of people, are certified in CPR and First Aid, and have served on or led multiple service programs – some up to 50 times and more! Further, they’re evaluated by the volunteers on each service program, and must consistently achieve a high level of performance in order to continue leading Global Volunteers teams. All our team leaders are exceptional and delightful people with whom you will enjoy working. You’ll receive background information on your team leader approximately four weeks before your service program begins.

Free Time

Time to explore and restore.

Located between Taos and Los Alamos, Española is a place of stunning rock formations, wide open skies, and incredible light. Renowned photographer Ansel Adams shot some of his most famous works in the area. The home and studio of artist Georgia O’Keeffe is now a small museum in the nearby village of Abiquiu. Down the road lies the Puye Cliff Dwellings, ancestral home to the Santa Clara people. Numerous hiking trails dot the area. And of course, only half an hour away lies Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital, famous for its Pueblo-style architecture and a hotbed of art galleries, museums, and restaurants. Evenings are free time; although, you may want to extend your stay to enjoy the wonders of northern New Mexico.

Family Opportunities

The family that serves together, learns together.

Research shows that volunteering helps teens gain/improve new abilities including leadership, communication skills, dependability, time management, and decision making. Moreover, working with people from different cultures and ethnicity, reinforces the lesson that people the world over share common hopes and interests – that we are all far more alike than different. In New Mexico, your daughter or son aged 18 and older can fully participate in work projects, team meetings, and free time activities.

To ensure a positive experience for everyone, you must comply with Global Volunteers’ minor supervision policy.

Group Opportunities

Imagine your group here!

Global Volunteers’ USA service-learning programs provide meaningful and stimulating volunteering opportunities for groups of students, corporate employees, professionals, educators, and like-minded people. Because of our on-going relationship with our community partners, every member of your group can fully engage their unique skills and interests in meaningful service. We work with you to customize your program to learn about each other in a non-traditional way as an intact volunteer team. With advanced preparation, you can be certain that your unique contributions on genuine community development projects advance the futures of those you serve.

Some groups return year after year to our programs to further understand the local history, language, culture, and modern life in a decidedly “non-tourist” manner.

Opportunities for high school and college groups

Read on for details on group volunteering

Volunteer Voices: Read and Learn About Global Volunteers in New Mexico.

Partners Report School Opening Plans in a Post-COVID-19 World

March 29, 2020

Española, New Mexico Welcomes First Team of Volunteers

Be The Change.

Through important, full-day volunteer assignments and free-time activities, you learn about New Mexican culture and the significant ways you improve children’s and families’ lives. Our time-tested and proven philosophy of service ensures your efforts help advance the host community’s development vision and goals. You contribute to genuine community-based projects, and in doing so, you’re accepted as family. Our commitment to engage short-term volunteers on long-term community projects in partnership with local people enables you, in just a short time, to serve as a critical link in a chain of volunteer support spanning three decades.