Saludos! This is Team San Juan de la Maguana 2 sending a personal Bienvenida in your way! We are very excited about your visit to our site in the Dominican Republic this summer and wanted to send some helpful tips and information that you are better prepared for your upcoming trip. We’d like to start by providing you with personal introductions:
Program Coordinator: Leonel Terrero
Hi, I am Leonel Terrero, from San Juan De la Maguana Dominican Republic. I obtained a degree in Marketing here in my city. I have been part of GG since 2014 when I became a Youth Ambassadors (a volunteering program that only DR program has, and you will be able to know more about) & that following year I applied to be a Program coordinator, and 3 years later I’m still joining the family.
I’m really passionate about community development and project management, and also education that is why i’m till collaboration with GG. This program has grown double this year, and for me to be able to become part of that it’s really motivational to try my best, and give the students an amazing and life-changing experience, and also teachers like you 3 to have a better understanding about different cultures and the world itself.
something that I really enjoy about our itinerary is Culture and Fun day, where the students learn about our culture, music and learn how to dance, Bachata, Merengue, and others.
I really enjoy dancing and eating chocolate to energize myself often.
Really looking forward to meeting you and become a POWERFUL TEAM for this 2 weeks
Program Coordinator: Sixto Cabral Contreras
My name is Sixto Cabral Contreras and a native of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. I am studying Modern Languages (English) at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. Also, I have graduated from an English Immersion Program in 2014 that it is an opportunity that the government provides students who are low income to study without any payment. My passion for participating in social and educational programs inspired me to join Global Glimpse in the summer of 2016 as a local Youth Ambassadors program in my hometown of San Juan. Thanks to all the leadership lessons I gained from that volunteer experience, in 2017 I became a Program Coordinator. This year (2018), I am very happy and proud coming back as program coordinator to continue inspiring young people who want to do positive things for themselves and be more responsible and valuable citizens. I am looking forward to using my experience as an Ambassador and an experienced coordinator to demonstrate to all youth that passion, perseverance, and hard work are important to achieve their goals and be an example to follow in their communities as well as for the rest of the world.
We are really looking forward to having you share your knowledge with all of you, and help you to make this trip even more transformative for the students. We have been working diligently on your summer itinerary and are very excited to share it with you
One activity that we are most excited about this summer is our “Living Like A Local” theme day. On this day, we will have the chance to live and work alongside one of our most favorite community, Suarez. We will be visiting many of the families’ homes, who are part of the Women’s Association La Bienvenida. The local Women’s Association was founded in 1996 by Matilde Montero, one of the members. Currently, there are 25 women as members. The Association emerged from the need for an organized group to bring the voice of the community to the mayor’s office. We will be visiting this amazing community twice, also for Working Like a Local, when we will do agricultural work with the men of the community.
Another activity that we’re equally excited about is our Community Action Project (CAP) which is going to be carried out in Suarez, a rural community just outside of San Juan. This community and our partner organization have worked with us before and they are excited to receive our students this for this delegation to work together on a project to benefit the community in general.
In addition to the packing list that you have already received, we also wanted to highlight a few OPTIONAL, but highly ENCOURAGED recommendations for you to bring:
- Sometimes, it rains heavily and unexpectedly. So, bring a poncho and/or umbrella.
- Bring plenty of bug spray!
- Bring allergy medicines.
- Bring light clothing, because the weather is hot and humid. Cotton and linen are breathable fabrics (you will need more pants than you probably planned).
- Bring your curiosity, flexibility and an open mind. The Dominican Republic has a lot to offer.
- Bring something from home that keeps you grounded & makes you happy (your favorite book/new book, sketchbook, pictures of your family, etc)
- You are welcome to bring donations (school supplies are the most helpful) for our host communities. We will be collecting all donations throughout the summer and then take them to Plataforma Vida, an NGO we will also meet during our time together.
Be ready to be out of your comfort zone and have a life-changing experience!!
Looking forward to meeting all of you in person.
If you are wondering how our faces look like, here is a self for you all.
