Today we learned about the positive and negative effects of aid in developing countries, like the Dominican Republic. After breakfast we had a seminar in which we discussed the pros and cons of aid in developing countries; we did this by splitting into two groups and reading articles. Then we created skits to represent the pros and cons of aid. This seminar made me rethink how aid and development work; successful projects have to be well-thought-out and need to consider all the consequences.

Today we had a guest speaker, Carlos Corsino, he is the president of the community center in Constanza. He told us about the current and future community projects in Constanza. The first one was a rabbit farm, where community members would sell the meat, skins, and feet of the rabbits. This would provide jobs in the community and he said that they would donate five percent of the profits to the disabled. The next one was creating a clinic in the community so that the people wouldn’t have to travel as far to get medical help. Lastly he wanted to repair the local basketball court for the youth; this would help teens get off the streets.We also interviewed members of his community to learn about how we can help benefit the  community. Some of the community members suggested that they needed a day care, among other things.For our project we decided to refurbish a local basketball court for the local youth.

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Also, during the free time a group of students went out and got a goodbye and thank you cake for Ela and Melvin. Ela works at the hotel we are staying at, and Melvin is her son; they are moving back to the United States. After dinner we surprised them with the cake and threw a small party for them, which was very touching.

One of the biggest surprises of the day was how much the community wanted the basket ball court and how important it was to them. They told us how  it would bring the whole community together. They also said that it would keep the youth off the streets and out of trouble.

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I am proud of my peers for stepping up and doing a great job asking questions during the interviews with community members. They have a great vision for how to improve the basketball court. I am sure we will do a wonderful job renovating the basketball court and helping the community. I am also proud of the compassion that everyone showed Ela and Melvin by throwing them a surprise party that they loved.

Carlos Corsino, our speaker and community center president, was very inspirational. He had great vision for the community and wants to help people. Carlos Corsino shared his vision for the community with us and what we can do to help. He was very kind and wanted what was best for the people, especially the youth.

Being El Lider Del Dia was an interesting experience. There were some unavoidable issues with the schedule that were stressful; although, with the help of the GG leaders we got it organized. In the end, the hardest part was gathering people, because of the time changes in the schedule. Lastly, it was a successful day because we all had fun day and enjoyed ourselves.

Today reminded me of how much I like helping people and working with others to serve a greater purpose. I have led projects that have helped serve the community, although it has been a while since I have done one. This experience has reminded me of that and how much I love to help people.

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