Cory Fox (caf2152, MIA 2013)
The DREAM Project
Dominican Republic
This is an article of our Summer Internship Series.
Click here to see more articles like this one.
I worked with an organization called The Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring (DREAM) Project for two months in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. The DREAM Project operates education programs across the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, delivering education to over 2,000 children annually through 24 programs in 11 different communities. They provide early childhood education, at-risk youth educational enrichment, vocational and technical training, HIV/AIDS prevention education and youth leadership, computer literacy, and early grade reading. The organization has also developed an extensive teacher training and professional development program to enhance the skills of local primary school teachers. During the summer, the organization runs five summer camps. The two largest camps are held at the DREAM Project’s original school in Cabarete and at a school in a neighboring community called La Cienaga. The two camps serve about 270 students ages 8 – 15. Students take classes in Reading, Writing, Math, Art, Science, Health/Skills education, and Physical Education from 9 am to 3pm five days a week for four weeks. The DREAM Project recruits international and local volunteers to work as counselors and teachers in these camps. Most of the classes are taught jointly by one or two Dominican teachers who work during the year at a public school nearby and an American teacher with certification in the U.S. The two teachers work together to share teaching strategies and improve their classroom management, lesson planning, and teaching skills.
All summer volunteers must commit to working with the organization for five weeks – one week of orientation and four weeks of camp. I arrived three weeks before the beginning of orientation and worked with staff members at the organization to make logistical preparations for the camp. This included administering reading assessments, working with families to complete the questionnaire required for matriculation in the camp, speaking with parents to ensure that the rules for camp participation were well understood, finalizing camp lists, and helping to prepare and deliver workshops for local teachers and volunteers during orientation. Once camp began, I taught science with a local teacher at the larger of the two camps to children in all academic groups. I also lived in the community during this time with a DREAM staff member.
Participating in the organization and the community this way allowed numerous opportunities to talk about and reflect on the effects of the education system and other social systems in the Dominican Republic as well as the impact of the organization on the community. The organization has a history with Columbia as many current and former volunteers and staff members are graduates of programs at SIPA, TC, and the Business School. In hopes of maintaining this connection, one of the current staff members (a recent TC graduate) has sent me the following information for any SIPA students who might be interested in working with The DREAM Project in the future:
Website: http://dominicandream.org/volunteer/summercamp
The DREAM Project
Dominican Republic
This is an article of our Summer Internship Series.
Click here to see more articles like this one.
I worked with an organization called The Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring (DREAM) Project for two months in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. The DREAM Project operates education programs across the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, delivering education to over 2,000 children annually through 24 programs in 11 different communities. They provide early childhood education, at-risk youth educational enrichment, vocational and technical training, HIV/AIDS prevention education and youth leadership, computer literacy, and early grade reading. The organization has also developed an extensive teacher training and professional development program to enhance the skills of local primary school teachers. During the summer, the organization runs five summer camps. The two largest camps are held at the DREAM Project’s original school in Cabarete and at a school in a neighboring community called La Cienaga. The two camps serve about 270 students ages 8 – 15. Students take classes in Reading, Writing, Math, Art, Science, Health/Skills education, and Physical Education from 9 am to 3pm five days a week for four weeks. The DREAM Project recruits international and local volunteers to work as counselors and teachers in these camps. Most of the classes are taught jointly by one or two Dominican teachers who work during the year at a public school nearby and an American teacher with certification in the U.S. The two teachers work together to share teaching strategies and improve their classroom management, lesson planning, and teaching skills.
All summer volunteers must commit to working with the organization for five weeks – one week of orientation and four weeks of camp. I arrived three weeks before the beginning of orientation and worked with staff members at the organization to make logistical preparations for the camp. This included administering reading assessments, working with families to complete the questionnaire required for matriculation in the camp, speaking with parents to ensure that the rules for camp participation were well understood, finalizing camp lists, and helping to prepare and deliver workshops for local teachers and volunteers during orientation. Once camp began, I taught science with a local teacher at the larger of the two camps to children in all academic groups. I also lived in the community during this time with a DREAM staff member.
Participating in the organization and the community this way allowed numerous opportunities to talk about and reflect on the effects of the education system and other social systems in the Dominican Republic as well as the impact of the organization on the community. The organization has a history with Columbia as many current and former volunteers and staff members are graduates of programs at SIPA, TC, and the Business School. In hopes of maintaining this connection, one of the current staff members (a recent TC graduate) has sent me the following information for any SIPA students who might be interested in working with The DREAM Project in the future:
Opportunities at The DREAM Project
Academic Year Volunteer Opportunities (minimum of five months)
DREAM accepts volunteers for a variety of positions during the academic school year. Volunteers are placed in programs based on their interests, skills, and abilities. Opportunities include work as math and literacy teachers in at-risk youth programs, teaching in the vocational and technical training program, interning with the HIV/AIDS education program, working in early childhood programs, data management and collection, library and early grade literacy programs, birth certificate documentation project, etc. Please see the website for details on the application process and associated costs. Applications typically due at the end of April for the following academic year. Full Dominican heritage scholarships are available. Website: http://dominicandream.org/volunteer/yearlongSchool Intersession Opportunities
DREAM has a history of working closely with Columbia University students to organize special projects during winter and spring break intersessions. Staff works directly with graduate students to develop a project that meets organizational needs and interests of the students. For more information, please contact Molly Hamm, Research and Planning Coordinator, at mollymhamm@gmail.com.Summer Opportunities (minimum of five weeks)
DREAM accepts volunteers for a variety of positions during the summer session, with opportunities including camp directors, counselors, teachers, and professional development coaches. Please see the website for details on the application process and associated costs. Applications typically due at the end of March each year.Website: http://dominicandream.org/volunteer/summercamp
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