Hola Glimpsers.
¡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: Miguel Cubas
Hi, I am Miguel Cubas, from Nicaragua. I obtained a degree in Computer Systems Engineering. I am passionate about working with youth and find joy in teaching because it compels me to learn something new every day. I had some years of experience working with youth from all walks of life. What I enjoyed most about working with youth is seeing different cultures gathered together in one place for the same purpose of learning from each other and exploring new cultures together. This passion has taken me to serve with many missionary groups in Nicaragua for the past five years. I strongly believe that if we invest in the youth of today, we will be investing to change tomorrow.
I am really excited to meet you and work with you too…
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 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 the group and help 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 (attached to this email- please don’t print it as we will give you a beautifully bound copy or share it with students so as not to create expectations as plans may shift) and give you a glimpse of a couple of the activities that you and the students will be experiencing.
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 Jinova, a more rural community just outside of San Juan. This community and our partner organization FUNDEJI have worked with us before and they are excited to receive our students this second delegation to work together on a project to benefit the children in their community.
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.
