WHO IS QUALIFIED TO PARTICIPATE?
A qualified volunteer must be able to commit to a five-week summer program and be at least 18 years old at the start of camp. A working knowledge of Spanish is also required (must be able to effectively communicate with children and teachers in Spanish). All classes are taught in Spanish.
HOW DO I APPLY?
To apply, download and fill out the 2012 Summer Camp Volunteer Application and send with a $40 application fee and three letters of recommendation to:
The DREAM Project
916 Williams Rd, Unit 2
Colchester, VT 05446
*This is a new address as of Feb 24th, 2012. Applications sent to the old address will be forwarded here.
Please note: applications will NOT be reviewed unless competed in full.
WHY IS THERE AN APPLICATION FEE?
The $40 application fee helps cover the administrative costs of the application process. We need to charge a fee to support the solicitation, recruitment and review process for our volunteer program.
HOW MUCH IS THE VOLUNTEER FEE? WHAT DOES IT COVER?
The cost is $1,800 per volunteer, which covers one week of training, accommodations, 3 meals a day during the work week (Sunday dinner though Friday lunch), drinking water, pick up/drop off from the airport in Puerto Plata (up to 48 hours before the start of camp and 48 hours after the end of camp), oversight, field trip fees, transportation, and other program costs. The fee essentially covers your expenses for the 5-week stay except for weekend meals and laundry. It does not cover airfare, personal spending money or international health insurance (see IMGlobal.com for plans).
CAN VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE A REDUCED FEE?
We do not offer fellowships to summer camp volunteers. However, we do encourage you to seek outside donors, grants, and fellowships to sponsor your work. Past volunteers have sent letters to extended family and friends asking for a donation to DREAM in their name to help cover their volunteer fee. For more information on fundraising, visit our Volunteer Resource Guide.
ARE MEALS OR HOUSING PROVIDED FOR THE VOLUNTEERS?
For volunteers who pay the program fee, accommodations are provided along with meals from Sunday evening to Friday lunch (weekend meals are on your own). The DREAM Project will make housing arrangements. We typically rent out an entire hotel for all of our volunteers to live together. The hotel provides the evening and morning meals and lunch is provided at camp. You will most likely have 1-2 roommates and each room contains a small kitchen and bathroom. We accept roommate requests for those who know others in the program.
ARE HOME-STAY PLACEMENTS AVAILABLE?
Home-stays are not available to our summer camp volunteers. Since this is only a five-week program, and it is important for volunteers to be housed together, home-stays are not available for this session.
I HAVE HOUSING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, AND CAN PROVIDE MY OWN MEALS. DO I STILL HAVE TO PAY THE VOLUNTEER FEE?
If you are technically a local volunteer, your fee will be reduced. Please email info@dominicandream.org for more information. There will still be a fee to help cover oversight, transportation, field trips, lunch at camp, and other costs. The camp is free for the children who attend, so funds also help cover their expenses.
IS THERE A MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM STAY?
You must be able to commit to the entire five weeks. The first week is orientation week, and is absolutely required for all volunteers who have not worked with DREAM in the past, and camp runs for the following four weeks. Volunteers can opt to come earlier or stay longer to help with camp set up or clean up, but housing will not be covered past the official dates of the program (meaning you will have to pay for additional nights at the hotel that the fee does not cover).
DO YOU HAVE TO SPEAK SPANISH?
Yes. You must be able to effectively communicate in Spanish with the children in your classroom. Spanish proficiency will be used to determine available placements. The entire program is run in Spanish, so we encourage you to brush up before arrival. Programs such as Rosetta Stone or Live Mocha (www.livemocha.com) can be useful.
HOW CAN I GET IN CONTACT WITH A PAST VOLUNTEER?
Please contact info@dominicandream.org for specific contact information on past summer camp volunteers.
WHAT AIRPORT SHOULD I FLY INTO AND WHAT AIRLINES FLY THERE?
The closest airport to Cabarete is the Puerto Plata International Airport (airport code POP), which is about a twenty-minute drive from Cabarete. DREAM arranges airport pickups and drop offs from the Puerto Plata International Airport only. American, JetBlue, and Continental airlines offer routes from the U.S. to Puerto Plata. Cheaper fares may sometimes be found flying into Santiago or Santo Domingo, but volunteers are reminded to factor in the cost of round-trip cab fare to Cabarete, which averages around $70-$80 from Santiago and $100-$150 from Santo Domingo.
IS THE COMMUNITY RECEPTIVE TO VOLUNTEERS?
Yes. DREAM has worked to establish trust within our communities and schools over the past decade and each year the enthusiasm grows greater for the DREAM summer camp. In fact if anything, our program is too popular, with waiting lists of over 100 children. The children and communities welcome DREAM volunteers and eagerly await the beginning of camp.
WHO WILL I BE WORKING WITH?
The summer camp is comprised of an international staff with varying backgrounds. Volunteers also work side by side with Dominican teachers, parents and community members to exchange ideas and teaching methods. The DREAM summer camp is truly a cross-cultural exchange and the counselors are all encouraged to spend time forming ties within the community. One of the goals of the Guzmán Ariza Summer School and Camp is to offer local teachers from DREAM-sponsored public schools access to quality professional development. We actively seek trained professionals with at least three years of teaching experience and fluency in Spanish to volunteer this summer as teacher trainers in the content areas of math and literacy.
WHAT WILL THE WORK SCHEDULE BE LIKE?
Volunteers should be at camp Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The day consists of rotations to different classes with a break for lunch, which is eaten with the campers. Field trips are held on different days throughout the week, and may mean the volunteers will have to arrive earlier or stay later, depending on the trip. Volunteers have the weekends free to explore the countryside, but should let a director or staff member know where they will be traveling. Volunteers must be back in time for Sunday night dinner, which usually includes important camp updates and notes. Volunteers are not allowed to take time off during the weekday, as there are only four weeks of camp and every day is important for the children. Sick days are permitted.
ARE THERE MEDICAL FACILITIES NEAR BY?
Cabarete has a 24-hour medical and dental clinic in town called Servi-Med. Servi-Med is run by a multilingual staff that can handle most minor illnesses and injuries; however, the facilities are limited. There is a well-run private hospital (Centro Medico Bournigal) 40 minutes away in Puerto Plata.
WHAT SHOTS DO I NEED?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no required vaccinations for entry into the Dominican Republic. The CDC does recommend Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and typhoid vaccinations, as well as current routine vaccinations (TPD, MMR, polio, etc. most of which are generally up to date if you have attended a public school in the US in the last 10 years). There is a risk for malaria and dengue fever in rural areas of the Dominican Republic, especially near the border of Haiti. The risk is very low in more developed cities and towns including Cabarete. Please check with your local doctor about taking Malaria medication. DREAM always encourages volunteers to follow the advice of your personal physician!
DO I NEED INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE?
All volunteers should be insured and will be required to sign paperwork stating they have medical insurance. If your plan will not cover you in the Dominican Republic, short-term international health insurance can be purchased at online. DREAM recommends the plans at IMGlobal.com.
DO I NEED TO GET A VISA?
Almost all of our summer camp volunteers never get a visa because the process is quite long, and fees are too high. Visitors from the US, Canada, and most EU countries who do not obtain a Dominican visa prior to entry are required to purchase a $10 tourist card upon arrival at the airport. Plan on carrying exact change in US dollars. Additionally, you will incur a $20-30 fee upon leaving the country for staying more than 30 days. You will need to pay the exit fee in either US dollars or pesos (carry as much exact currency as you will need for this transaction upon exiting). We will give you a letter explaining you have been volunteering with DREAM for the past month, in order to try to waive the fee.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?
Check out the following sites: dominicanrepublic-guide.info, Active Cabarete, DR1, and Debbie’s Dominican Travel.
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