Global Brigades is an international non-profit that empowers communities to meet their health and economic goals through university volunteers and local teams.

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Business Brigade –
7 Day Sample Schedule

On the first day of brigade, volunteers will go to the community to meet their clients for the first time, getting to know them personally and engaging in a community-wide cultural exchange. On the following days, volunteers will administer financial literacy workshops in the morning and meet with their clients in the afternoon to gather additional information about their business using our consulting methodologies. Every evening volunteers are provided guidance from our local business professionals and/or our Deloitte Consulting mentors with the opportunity to reflect as a group to discuss what was learned and develop their business recommendations. On the final day, as consultants, the volunteers will present their deliverables to clients and receive their feedback.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
7:00am Airport Pick up & Transport to Lodging Facility Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
8:00am Safety and Security debrief/ Business Programme Introduction/ Goals for the Week Transport to Community Transport to Community Transport to Community Transport to Community Departure from Compound
9:00am Meeting with the Client Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 1 ( Mission and Vision) Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 2 Community Bank Meeting (Presentation of Results of Income Statement) Airport
10:00am Individual presentation of final deliverables and recommendations to each client
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
1:00pm Preparation of Leadership Workshop for Community Bank Members Meeting with the Board Members of the Community Bank Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 1 (SWOT analysis and actions plan) Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 2 Cultural Exchange
2:00pm
3:00pm Breakout sessions per client/groups (Consulting strategy (pre-work) and seting goals per client for the week)
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility/Local Store Transport to Lodging Facility/Local Store Transport to Lodging Facility/Local Store Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Networking Networking Networking Networking
6:00pm Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner
7:00pm Settle In Reflection: Expectations Reflection: Debrief about clients Reflection & Debrief about clients Reflection & Debrief about clients Reflection & Final Presentation
8:00pm Strategies for consultations on the Week Packing-up & Networking
9:00pm Time off Time off Time off Time off
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours Lights Out/Quiet Hours Lights Out/Quiet Hours Lights Out/Quiet Hours Lights Out/Quiet Hours Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 1
7:00am Airport Pick up & Transport to Lodging Facility
8:00am
9:00am
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm
1:00pm
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm
5:00pm
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Settle In
8:00pm
9:00pm
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 2
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Safety and Security debrief/ Business Programme Introduction/ Goals for the Week
9:00am
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Preparation of Leadership Workshop for Community Bank Members
2:00pm
3:00pm Breakout sessions per client/groups (Consulting strategy (pre-work) and seting goals per client for the week)
4:00pm
5:00pm
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Reflection: Expectations
8:00pm Strategies for consultations on the Week
9:00pm Time off
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 3
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Meeting with the Client
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Meeting with the Board Members of the Community Bank
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility/Local Store
5:00pm Networking
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Reflection: Debrief about clients
8:00pm
9:00pm Time off
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 4
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 1 ( Mission and Vision)
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 1 (SWOT analysis and actions plan)
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility/Local Store
5:00pm Networking
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Reflection & Debrief about clients
8:00pm
9:00pm Time off
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 5
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 2
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Consulting Session with Clients Pt. 2
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility/Local Store
5:00pm Networking
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Reflection & Debrief about clients
8:00pm
9:00pm Time off
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 6
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Community Bank Meeting (Presentation of Results of Income Statement)
10:00am Individual presentation of final deliverables and recommendations to each client
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Cultural Exchange
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Networking
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Reflection & Final presentation
8:00pm Packing-up & Networking
9:00pm
10:00pm Lights Out/Quiet Hours
Day 7
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Departure from Compound
9:00am Airport
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm
1:00pm
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm
5:00pm
6:00pm
7:00pm
8:00pm
9:00pm
10:00pm

Costs and Fundraising

In order to participate in a Business Brigade, all volunteers must meet a Donation Goal by fundraising as part of their commitment to a Brigades Chapter. This is not considered a payment for a specific trip, but support towards Global Brigades’ Holistic Model.

Donation Goals for Panama Brigades start at $2,550 USD*.

Once you meet a set Donation Goal, you’re eligible to join us on the ground to see your fundraising efforts put into action by participating in a Business Brigade.

When you participate in a Business Brigade, your airfare, ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding you raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as brigade equipment, local professionals, translators, and support staff.

Global Brigades’ travel team will work with your Brigade to book airfare**.

Once a volunteer meets their Donation Goal, they have up to 1 year to participate in a Business Brigade.

*coming from outside the US? Talk to our team about donation goals.
** for UK and Canadian Chapters, airfare is not included in your Donation Goal

Donation Goals for 2023-2024 Panama 7-Day Business Brigades

Volunteers Donation Goal (USD) Donation Goal (CAD) Donation Goal (GBP)
10+  $2,550 USD Talk to our team about CAD donation goals. Talk to our team about GBP donation goals.

*Chapters with less than 10 volunteers must be paired with another chapter.

Community Investment Fund

A portion of each Donation Goal supports our Community Investment Fund which enables year-round funding for small business loans and capacity building within community banks. Specifically, the fund supports (1) community bank capitalization for small business loans (2) on-going project monitoring and impact evaluation (3) community bank committee training and follow-up (4) caja Rural Board of Directors Training Summit and (5) program management, planning and follow up.

Safety

Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.

A Quote from Askari International Security

“I was asked to review Global Brigades safety and security procedures for their operations in Central America. I always use a “litmus test” by assessing whether I’d be happy to send my own daughters (late teens early 20’s) on one of their events. The answer was a resounding yes. I hope I was able to help them improve their processes and procedures, but what was already in place was good, but better still was the culture of safety and security. All the staff were concerned with safety and security and keen to improve. Nothing can ever be 100% secure or safe, but with Global Brigades I can genuinely say they care and take things very seriously.”
– Bryan Hemmings, Managing Director, Askari International Security

Safety Highlights in Panama

  • Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department;
  • Established relationship with Senafront to provide security escorts to those groups working in the Darien region;
  • Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel on-call at all times;
  • Adherence to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.

Lodging Facilities

Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets and sinks with running water (no hot water) as well as filtered clean drinking water dispensers onsite. 24-hour security is provided at all facilities. Conditions are most similar to a comfortable summer camp, with dormitory-style sleeping and shared bathrooms.

Business Brigades are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.

Asamblea de Dios

Campamento Asambleas De Dios, San Carlos, Panama is a large facility that sits only about 800 meters from the main road(Via Panamericana) approximately 2 hours from Panama City. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. Global Brigades Panama has been using the San Carlos facility since March 2015. Emergency medical care is available at the Health Center in the town of San Carlos, approximately 2 minutes from this facility.

El Palmar

The El Palmar hostel sits along the Pan-American highway, approximately 30 minutes after passing Lago Bayano and approximately 10 minutes before reaching the town of Torti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green mountains and farms’ pastures. Global Brigades Panama has used El Palmar for several years, and it has housed hundreds of brigaders. Emergency medical care is easily accessible in Torti.

Hotel Avicar

Hotel Avicar sits along the Pan-American highway, approximately 40 minutes after passing Lago Bayano and is in the center of the town of Torti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green mountains and farms’ pastures. Also, brigaders staying at Hotel Avicar get see how life plays out in a rural town in East Panama. Emergency medical care is available
in Torti.

Hotel Tonosi

It is located on the Pan-American Highway in the Meteti sector, it has cozy rooms, of four and five people, with color television and air conditioning. It has a covered terrace and countryside landscapes. He is known for his good food and great hospitality.

Pro Niños

Pro Ninos was one of the first lodges used by GB in its trajectory in the Darien area. It is a beautiful camp in which you can enjoy its variable flora and fauna. It has wooded areas and open spaces to recreate in contact with nature.

Iguana Eco Resort

It is a wide place that offers the experience to the volunteers of being in contact with nature. It offers various activities such as hiking. It has cozy rooms with air conditioning, 2 swimming pools and a meeting area. It is located near the city of Penonomé. It is the ideal place to rest after a long day of work in the brigade

Oasis de Bendición

As the name implies, it is the ideal place to relax after a hard day. It has beautiful landscapes, spacious bedrooms with cabins to encourage coexistence among volunteers. It has a terrace for meetings, multiple areas for indoor recreational activities. It is located a few meters from the main road which provides good access to it.

Hostal Finca Ely

Hostal Finca Ely is located in Tambo, Coclé about 2 a half an hour drive from Penonomé Centre, in West Panama. The facilities of the hostel gives the brigaders a good place to spend time, they offer great spaces to reflect or to organize a good game in our sports area and on the other hand you will enjoy the pool and their Comfortable rooms.

Hacienda Doña Victoria

Hostal Hacienda Doña Victoria is located in the county of Campana, Capira District, just 40 minutes from Panama City (West Panama). The facilities of the hostel gives the brigaders a good place to spend time, they offer great spaces to reflect or to organize a good game in our sports area and on the other hand you will enjoy the pool, hammocks, BBQ and their Comfortable private rooms with air conditioning.

Hotel NOVOTEL

Novotel sits in the center of Panama City, about 40 minutes from Panama’s international airport. Global Brigades Panama began using this hotel in 2018 to accommodate any brigades that needed to stay in Panama City. Brigades do not typically stay in Panama City; Global Brigades Panama only uses this facility during emergencies and cases involving extenuating circumstances. Emergency medical care is available in several hospitals in the city.

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