All about my experience with the Mi Mundo magazine
Kat Jinyi Li, Mi Mundo magazine volunteer
Teaching in the Mi Mundo program at the DREAM Project allowed me the unique opportunity to combine my professional background as a newsroom journalist and my current position teaching Humanities in New York City public schools. Working together with the local DREAM staff, I was able to create and implement a journalistic writing curriculum in Spanish. This experience inspired me to pursue a bilingual teaching certification here in New York City, which I am working towards today at my school in Brooklyn. The skills I developed as a teaching volunteer at DREAM help me to better serve my school community here in Brooklyn, which is home to an increasingly larger number of newly arrived families from Latin America.
Kat and the youth participants at the camp
Kat during an excursion with the camp youth
Beyond my professional growth as an educator, I also built long-lasting relationships over the summer with local staff, international volunteers, and, of course, with my students. Over the summer, we bonded over early breakfasts by the pool, daily lunches at the DREAM Center, nightly dinners, hanging out at Cabarete beach, weekend trips around the region, and even nights out dancing.
We exchanged teaching tips and shared our experiences with the campers. Younger volunteers have reached out over the past school year for guidance in their teaching careers, and the local DREAM colleagues check in with me regularly.
One of my DREAM colleagues even came to visit me in New York City and was able to spend a day at my school here in Brooklyn with me.
None of these bonding experiences would have been possible without the intentional community building planned out by the DREAM volunteer staff.
Finally, I cannot begin to emphasize the heartwarming amount of support I personally received from DREAM’s Volunteer Coordinator, Roselyn, and the rest of the summer camp staff as an international volunteer traveling alone with a 6-year-old child, who was, at the time, wheelchair-bound. At every step of the way, our time in the camp, both for myself as a volunteer teacher and my son as a camper, was made as accessible and inclusive as possible. I look forward to returning this summer for another memorable experience, with further opportunities for growth as an educator, revisiting friendships from last year, and forming new connections.
About the Author: Kat Jinyi Li, Former DREAM Summer Camp Volunteer
Katherine Jinyi Li is a multilingual educator and journalist based in Brooklyn, NY. She holds multiple degrees in history, public policy, journalism, international affairs and education. Her current focus is creating curriculum that brings multiple identities and languages together in conversation through the study of literature and history. Katherine has been a part of DREAM's youth journalism team, Mi Mundo.