[Peace] Service Learning Trip to the Dominican Republic- check out our blog!

[Shara Esbenshade]

We leave for the D-R tomorrow morning! Below is some info about our trip
and here is the link to our blog if you want to follow along!
http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/gargoyle/dominican%20republic/

Love,
Shara

The International High School Initiative at the Center for Global Studies
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign organized a Global
Citizenship Service Learning program for high school teachers and students
in Illinois. The trip to the Dominican Republic will take place from June
15 to June 29.

This motivated group of twenty participants will work with community
residents at Batey Libertad in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic.
Their projects will include building a house for a family, reforestation,
helping launch a community garden, learning about water resources,
participating in economic enterprises that support community residents,
and joining Futbol para la Vida activities — an HIV/AIDS awareness and
prevention program linked to soccer. They’ll also spend time getting to
know families, playing soccer, and visiting other communities in the
Dominican Republic.

Below is a photo of the family for whom a house will be built. The family
and other residents will assist with the building project. It is through
involvement in community improvement efforts that residents become
eligible for a new house. Currently the two older sons live elsewhere; the
three youngest children and parents share one small room of a rented tin
shack. The new house will be built on land that was purchased with funds
raised by our group, and the existing structure on the site (see photo)
was torn down.

Each day, students and teachers will post their reflections and
observations about their experiences to this blog site. We invite you to
subscribe or link to it. If you have questions about the program, please
feel free to contact Karen Hewitt at the Center for Global Studies.