Published on Brock University (http://brocku.ca)
Alternative Reading Break
Dominican Republic
Participants on this trip will be travelling to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic to work with an organization called Outreach 360. Our team will be staying at a housing site in the midst of the community, with plenty of opportunity to interact with children and families in our free time. During the day, we will be teaching English in local elementary schools to a variety of grade levels and will have the opportunity to see and experience the community where we are staying in the afternoons/evenings, as well as on the "culture day".
Participants:
- 1 Professional Staff Team Leader
Service Projects:
- Teaching English in local elementary schools (no experience teaching or ESL certification required)
- Small projects around the housing site or community (this may include digging, building, painting, games with children, etc.)
Community Partner:
Outreach 360 provides services and programs to all ages of the community, with a focus on disadvantaged children and a goal of “releasing the hero within” each of these children! The economics of Monte Cristi are very poor, the children only go to school for half a day, and there are minimal extracurricular activities for the children to participate in. Outreach 360 serves the local community by teaching English, completing construction/painting projects, providing Spanish education, creating awareness surrounding environment issues and by providing strong role modelling and fun activities for children to participate in outside their classroom hours.
Visit Outreach 360 on-line at: www.outreach360.org
Cost:
This trip will cost $1600 Canadian per person*. A down payment of $200 toward the cost of this trip is due by the application deadline in the form of a cheque or cash. Please make all cheques payable to Brock University and note your name and student ID in the memo line. With space on the trip being limited, all deposits will be returned to students who are not selected to participate this year.
*Flights are not booked at this time. If flights can be found for less than what is currently budgeted for the trip, the cost of this trip will go down and an updated trip cost will be provided to the selected participants.
Medical Precautions:
Brock University, in consultation with Public Health and DFAIT Canada, strongly recommends that all participants have an up-to-date Tetanus, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B vaccines. Anti-malaria medication is also highly recommended. Any medical related needs are the responsibility of the participant and not included in the cost of the Dominican Republic experience.
Accommodations & Meals:
Our team will be staying together at one of Outreach 360's community centres in Monte Cristi, DR. Participants will be sleeping on bunk beds and will have access to modern washrooms and shower facilities. Mosquito netting will be provided for sleeping.
Our team’s main meals will be provided by staff of Outreach 360 and will include local items (chicken, beef, rice, beans, salads, plantain, etc.) with more North American style breakfasts (pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, hard boiled eggs, etc.), which are included in the cost of the trip. The water used in meals and available for drinking is purified. We may also venture into the local community for a snack or to see a Dominican grocery store during the week. On the way to and from the Dominican participants may wish to eat a meal at the airport. These stops will be at each individual's expense and not included in the cost of the trip.
If you have any additional questions about the Dominican ARB experience, please feel free to contact Sandy Howe at showe@brocku.ca or at x4126.
This trip is now full.
Dominican Republic Participant Expectations:
- Available to fully participate in all pre-departure meetings (dates to be determined - typically Sunday evenings).
- Available to fully participate in the post-trip meeting (Saturday, March 2, 2013).
- Available to fully participate for the duration of the Dominican experience during Reading Week (Saturday, February 16 - Sunday, February 24, 2013).
- Submission of a $200 non-refundable down payment (cheque or cash only) with the submission of the application.
Please make all cheques payable to Brock University and include your name and student ID in the memo line. The down payment can be dropped off to Sandy Howe in DeCew, Room 207 during business hours. As there may be more applications than available spots, if you are put on a waiting list or your application is not accepted, this down payment will be returned to you.
- Submission of all remaining trip fees by 4:00pm on Friday, January 11, 2013 (minus the $200 down payment).
Note: If a participant withdraws from the program at any point after the trip is paid for (flights + Outreach 360 fees) and a new participant is able to join the trip, the withdrawn participant is still responsible for their fees associated with Outreach 360 as indicated on the Outreach 360 registration page, as well as the cost of changing the name on their flight to that of the new participant. If no one is able to fill the spot on the trip, the participant is responsible for all fees associated with the trip (any refund if the flight is able to be cancelled will be returned to the participant). As of Friday, January 11, 2013, all trip fees are considered non-refundable and must be paid in full as soon as a participant accepts a spot on the trip.
- Responsible for ensuring valid travel insurance and health insurance is in place for the duration of the Dominican Republic experience.
- Responsible for following all safety related guidelines outlined by the trip leaders and partnering organizations.
- Responsible for arranging valid travel and health insurance. I agree to check with my parent/guardian regarding valid international Health Insurance.
- Responsible for producing a valid passort and/or VISA (international students).
- Understand that this is a substance free experience (no drugs or alcohol may be consumed during the experience or purchased to bring back into Canada).
- Understand that this program is facilitated through Brock University and as such, the Code of Conduct for Brock students extends to cover all behaviour during the experience.
Peer Team Leader Information:
Each trip can only be a success with the help of students willing to step up into a leadership role! Peer Team Leaders will be chosen who complete the application below (any applicants applying to be a Peer Team Leader, will also be considered for general participant spot on the trip in the event that we have more applications for Peer Team Leaders than we have spots available.)
Additional Expectations of Peer Team Leaders (in addition to the expectations of a participant outlined above):
- Participation in Peer Team Leader meetings leading up to the trip, as well as one meeting upon return
- Assistance in facilitating pre-departure meetings, leading ice breakers, etc.
- Organization of a team social activity (optional for participants) in advance on the trip
- Assistance in facilitating the post-trip meeting
- Assistance in gathering photos/media after the trip and with the creation of display boards for volunteer appreciation event
- Assistance in facilitating reflection activities during the trip
- Willingness to assist the profession team leaders with tasks during the trip as necessary
For taking on this extra responsibility, Peer Team Leaders will receive $100 off the cost of their ARB trip. Applicants for Peer Team Leader may be contacted for an interview.