Youth Leadership in the Dominican Republic

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Santiago

Depart from the USA and arrive in the Dominican Republic for your ACIS Youth Leadership Program. Meet your tour manager at the airport in Santiago and transfer to your hotel before a welcome orientation and dinner. All meals are included during your tour. Tonight see the spectacularly illuminated Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración on a hilltop park in the center of the city.

Day 2: Sosua

Spend this morning in Altamira working on the Río Grande Abajo Community Project, coordinated by Brigada Verde, a local environmental youth group. The specific tasks will vary according to the current needs of this agriculturally-based community, but could include everything from building stoves to developing sustainable recycling and composting programs to helping with larger construction projects. Practice your Spanish as you're invited in small groups into the homes of local Dominican families for lunch. After lunch, continue to the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua and prepare to get wet: You’re about to swim, climb, and cascade down falls, ending in the sparkling-clean, aqua-blue pools below! Arrive in Sosua this evening for a night's rest in your beachside hotel.

Day 3: Sosua

Start off the day with breakfast at the hotel. Then begin your first leadership workshop at the Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring Project (DREAM). DREAM grew from the vision of a group of Dartmouth students looking to make a difference in 1995, and was formally established as a 501(c) nonprofit in 2002. DREAM currently staffs more than 40 Dominicans, four expatriates and numerous volunteers from across the globe, all working together to change the lives of over 6,000 children a year. During this workshop you will see how the project came together and learn what it takes to be a successful leader in this field. In the afternoon meet with a program coordinator at Deportes Para La Vida (Sports for Life) to learn about the work they do to foster youth awareness of public health issues and community engagement through outreach, monitoring and evaluation. After, enjoy a joint Global Exchange focused on comparative learning and sharing dynamics with the CHICOS Young Men’s Youth Group (YMYG) and the UNICA Young Women's Youth Group (YWYG). This evening's highlight is a leisurely boat ride down the Yasica River that concludes at a bonfire dinner on the beach.

Day 4: Sosua

After breakfast at the hotel this morning, prepare for the adventure of a half-day hike in El Choco National Park. As you explore this lush and diverse jungle eco-system that was once home to the indigenous Arawak Indians, watch for the many species of exotic birds that call its varied flora home. Then descend into the park’s unique subterranean Caves of BUMBA for a swim in their pristine pools fed by freshwater springs. After lunch begin the day’s leadership workshop at Jiu Jitsu de la Costa Academy, founded by revered local leader Papo Soñé, which fosters discipline, self-respect and a healthy outlet for energy and focus to the at-risk youth of Cabarete. Students will learn about the challenges faced by the students here, the programs Papo Soñé has established to help channel aggression and his motivation behind the Academy. Then students will be challenged themselves during an introductory lesson to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Day 5: Santo Domingo

A morning bus ride takes you to San Cristobal. Discuss local environmental and conservation challenges during a leadership workshop with the President of the Dominican National Assembly for the Environment in conjunction with a visit to the subterranean ecosystem at the Pomier Caves Anthropological Reserve, the single most important pre-Columbian site in the Caribbean. You'll study petroglyphs and pictographs in the caves before you journey on to Santo Domingo and check into your hotel located in the city’s historic and charming Colonial Zone.

Day 6: Santo Domingo

During breakfast at the hotel, prepare for this morning’s leadership workshop and presentation with one of the leaders at Movimiento de Mujeres Dominico-Haitianas (MUDHA). Learn about MUDHA’s mission to improve the living conditions of vulnerable communities—especially for Dominican women and children of Hatian descent—while implementing human development programs including health programs, legal assistance, and human rights initiatives. Then students will enjoy a Global Exchange focused on comparative learning and sharing dynamics with students from Anaisas School Drama Group, followed by lunch together. Later spend time exploring the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo.

Day 7: Santo Domingo

Maximize your final day abroad, starting with a Chu-Chu Colonial historical train tour through the Colonial Zone, a UNESCO World Cultural Site and the historic central area of Santo Domingo. See the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor, the Ozama Fortress overlooking the river, the Franciscan Monastery ruins and other historic sites. After lunch you’ll further explore and apply your new knowledge of the city during an exhilarating "Amazing Race" style Culture Quest activity that tests what you've learned on the trip. Tonight’s highlight is a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Enjoy authentic Dominican fare with your fellow classmates as you recap the previous days of amazing and unique leadership learning experiences.

Day 8: Departure

Depart for the USA.