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DREAM Guzman Ariza Summer School & Camp
Project Specifics:
• Name of Project: Guzman Ariza Summer Camp & Summer School
• Location: Cabarete, North Coast, Dominican Republic
• Type of Facility: Summer Educational Program
• Ownership: The DREAM Project
• DREAM Start date at Project: July, 2004
• Current DREAM Volunteer: In the process of soliciting new volunteers for June 2008
• Special Donors: USAID, Guzman Ariza and Associates, Ocean World, Rochester Community
Schools, and all of our DREAM Partners
Project Overview:
In the tourist town of Cabarete, home to Colonial Nueva and Puerto Cabarete public elementary/middle schools, the drop out rate is higher than the national average. An estimated 85% of high-school age youth are not attending high school. Out of the 472 children who studied at the Cabarete Colonial Nueva School, 50 students were enrolled in the sixth grade, and only 22 in the seventh grade for the 2006 – 2007 school year. These records indicate that out of the 134 students entering Colonial Nueva School, 37% made it to the sixth grade and only 12% continued to the seventh grade. It was not until the 2007-2008 academic year that an eighth grade class was offered at this school. At the Puerto Cabarete School, eighth grade graduation rates did not top 40%. The Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer Camp was founded in 2004 with the goal of providing a quality camp experience for the underprivileged children of Cabarete. However, as both the need and success of the program grew, and waiting lists soared to over 150 youth, “summer camp” soon turned into a school of its own.
In 2008, the DREAM Project will establish two unique summer camp programs: one for 10-12 year olds and another for 13-18 year olds, serving 250 at-risk youth and indirectly impacting over 1,000 community members. At-risk youth are more than just statistics – they are children with specific needs. Over the past four years, the DREAM Project observed and identified the needs of this population. The Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer School & Camp can provide specialized educational support to reverse the trend of increasing dropout rates and risky behaviors. Youth once labeled “at-risk” will be introduced to the community as responsible and productive members of society. Adolescents will not only gain a skill and develop a trade, but also gain a sense of self-accomplishment. The summer school program builds on our adolescents’ unique strengths and provides the educational intervention that they so desperately need and opportunities that would otherwise be withheld.
The Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer School & Camp incorporates a unique student-centered, project-based curriculum. Students learn through educational excursions developed to give youth practical, engaging and memorable experiences. Upon entering, many campers report never having left their immediate neighborhood. In the program, youth are able to explore and benefit from the surrounding natural environment. Students learn about Dominican art history and anthropology at the Centro de Leon Museum in Santiago, receive swimming lessons and water safety instructions at water parks, observe marine life at Ocean World in Puerto Plata, paint their own canvases at Motif Art Gallery in Sosua, learn about airplanes at the Puerto Plata airport, tour the Jewish Heritage Museum in Sosua, experience another way of life at a Haitian Batey (sugar cane field) in Caraballo and listen to a critical tale from their own history on the Mirabal Tour in Salcedo. Furthermore, all field trips are supported by local businesses that are now partners with the DREAM Project. DREAM Partners offer their support by providing free and discounted admissions for educational filed trips, improving the quality of education for these youth and furthering the sustainability of the summer program.
Equality and appreciation for diversity are themes taught and modeled throughout the duration of camp. These themes were founded and adapted from the principle of Peace Education championed by the Montessori teaching method. On the first day of camp, students and counselors work in groups using positive language to develop a charter of rules, which each student signs, committing to a clearly outlined standard of behavior. The camp itself is organized thematically into four different weeks:
(1) Who am I? Celebrating Individuals
(2) Who Makes up My Community? A Celebration of Dominican Culture Week
(3) Who is my Neighbor? A Celebration of Haitian Culture Week
(4) Who are these Visitors? A Celebration of International Cultures
Activities and field trips are subsequently designed to coincide with the theme of the week. Camp begins with Parade Week, designed to build individual pride and self-esteem among the campers before putting that pride on display in a banner and song-filled parade through downtown Cabarete. The following weeks focus on strengthening personal identities as well as enhancing understanding and respect for other identities within the community. By providing personalized attention through foreign and local mentors, summer camp provides a safe environment that encourages youth to build on their own strengths and develop their self-esteem. The Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer School & Camp is more than just a camp, it is a crucial educational program that provides youth with guidance and redirects the relationship tourism plays on this small community. Youth enjoy basic hygienic lessons on hand washing and tooth brushing in health class and are also introduced to more complex concepts, such as racism, by going on educational excursions, witnessing its consequences and speaking with those who have experienced it firsthand.
Programs:
Youth Program
Adolescent Program
For Future Volunteers:
The DREAM Project will be accepting summer school & camp applications starting September 15, 2009. The deadline for the 2008 Summer School & Camp passed on April 25, 2008. Please emailvolunteer@dominicandream.org to request more information.
Project Timeline:
2008
• The DREAM Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer Program celebrates its 5th anniversary by expanding to
operate two camps serving 250 youth and adolescents.
2007
• The DREAM Project hosts a summer program at the DREAM Center for the first time.
• Swimming lessons are incorporated into the progam.
2006
• A volunteer staff of 54 lead a five-week summer program for 185 children
• DREAM partners with Batey Libertad and Grassroots Soccer to bring HIV/AIDs and sexual awareness education to at-risk adolescents
2005
• DREAM celebrated second annual Guzman Ariza Summer Camp
• A volunteer staff of 22 lead a summer program for 120 campers
• DREAM leads first educational excursions taking children everywhere from Sosua to Ocean World in
Puerto Plata
• DREAM conducts its first successful Apprenticeship Program, placing 30 children in the local businesses
for ½ workdays
2004
• DREAM celebrated first annual Guzman Ariza Summer Camp
• A volunteer staff of 10 leads the first annual summer program for 90 children
Program Goals:
The objectives of the Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer School & Camp Program were developed with the purpose of creating a model support program that would help keep children in school, instill life and job skills and, most importantly, the confidence they need to develop to their full potential. The program creates a framework of structure that provides guidance and academic enrichment to our participants, providing them with the opportunity to succeed. Implementing quality academic tutoring programs that target students’ literacy, math, writing and ESL skills increases student achievement. Students who are behind become engaged in academics, which in turn, affect their performance and attendance in the academic school year. Offering education on socially prevalent issues such as racism, HIV/ AIDS and basic health, exposes adolescents to global issues that affect their community and life. Establishing a safe environment that encourages youth to build on their strengths ultimately develops self-esteem for future generations.
The outlined goals of the 2008 Guzman Ariza DREAM Summer School & Camp Program are:
• To create a safe environment, where youth can build on their strengths and interests, ultimately
developing their self-esteem.
• To develop and implement quality academic tutoring programs that support the development of
students’ literacy, math, writing and ESL skills.
• To provide education on socially prevalent issues including racism, HIV/ AIDS and basic health.
• To train Dominican teachers and parents who can utilize what we teach them year round.
• To create more public awareness to leverage the costs of this program.
• To increase business involvement in establishing internships for adolescents.
• To solicit skilled volunteers, who will run and ultimately generate the funds needed to sustain the
summer camp program on an annual basis.
• To obtain quantifiable results so as to create a model to be replicated in other communities.
Program Needs:
Please note that all items must be hand-carried to the Dominican Republic. If you have items you wish to send, please contact us so that we can coordinate sending them to a counselor to bring down.
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