Hello friends and family,

To get the full understanding of the importance of providing aid we did activities such as the human knot. As we worked together to untangle ourselves we had noticed the importance of teamwork, communication as well as learning when to step up step back. We met Darlin. an inspirational speaker who spoke to us about the importance of youth engagement in our community. A lot of Glimpsers were missing their loved ones back home at this halfway point in the trip, but were able to find some consolation as a whole group and grounded our selves on the positive and negatives of providing support for other countries. Darlin spoke about empowering the youth and providing them with opportunities for growth in their lives. He wants to build a healthy future between youth and adults so that we can impact the community in a beneficial way. His goal is to aid in the development of us as people so we can grow into better citizens.

Being a part of Global Glimpse also includes making a positive difference in a community. We had chosen to complete this goal in a small community in Constanza named Canadas de las palmas. We listened to the voices of the community and had chosen to make a basketball court for the youth as they don’t have any other recreational areas. The community wants this project to sway the youth away from any harmful activities and to allow them to fullfill their mental health. Stated by one of the locals “the basketball court is one of the many projects that need to be done to make the community better.” We had ended our day with teaching the local students how to read and write in English which in the Dominican Republic is a valuable trait that can open many opportunities for them.

Stated in our nightly meeting by a Glimpser Christine: “There’s a difference between aid and interference- interference is stepping over your boundaries and causing harm despite good intentions. Aid is actually considering the other side and helping for the benefit of others, not your own”. The group took from this was that countries that have the capacity to provide aid to struggling communities or countries shouldn’t always provide aid when it’s not asked for. We should consider the wants and needs the community have identified instead of forcing our wants on them.

Thank you for reading, please leave comments for your loved ones