Who We Are
Global Community Engagement is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that sponsors service learning projects in Santiago, Dominican Republic working in underprivileged neighborhoods with elementary schools and the Dominican and Haitian children who live and work on the streets. We work with Dominican non-governmental organizations that provide services to children as well as those in need in the local community.
Our projects introduce students and others from the developed world to the lives and realities of underprivileged children growing up in the Dominican Republic. Participants get the opportunity to play with and teach young boys and girls, aged 5 to 17, many of whom live on the streets of the city struggling to make a few cents a day. On weekday mornings some of these children are able to visit Acción Callejera, a social service organization that provides a safe environment as well as meals, clothing and basic medical services. El Nucleo de Apoyo a la Mujer, another of our partners, provides counseling and services to young women and girls who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Participants join us for one week in the Dominican Republic, providing educational and other programming to the children. You will also have the opportunity to visit some of the cultural and historical sites in and around Santiago.
The focus of your assistance to the children while in Santiago is flexible. Although Global Community Engagement tends to focus on issues of literacy and social development, if you bring special skills or knowledge, we encourage you to share with us ways in which you would like to contribute. The group you travel with will spend one week (Saturday through Sunday) in the Dominican Republic; mornings will be spent working with the children, afternoons visiting various sites of interest in and around the city and early evenings we will engage in reflection activities that will provide context and the chance to share your impressions and concerns with your group.
Our projects introduce students and others from the developed world to the lives and realities of underprivileged children growing up in the Dominican Republic. Participants get the opportunity to play with and teach young boys and girls, aged 5 to 17, many of whom live on the streets of the city struggling to make a few cents a day. On weekday mornings some of these children are able to visit Acción Callejera, a social service organization that provides a safe environment as well as meals, clothing and basic medical services. El Nucleo de Apoyo a la Mujer, another of our partners, provides counseling and services to young women and girls who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Participants join us for one week in the Dominican Republic, providing educational and other programming to the children. You will also have the opportunity to visit some of the cultural and historical sites in and around Santiago.
The focus of your assistance to the children while in Santiago is flexible. Although Global Community Engagement tends to focus on issues of literacy and social development, if you bring special skills or knowledge, we encourage you to share with us ways in which you would like to contribute. The group you travel with will spend one week (Saturday through Sunday) in the Dominican Republic; mornings will be spent working with the children, afternoons visiting various sites of interest in and around the city and early evenings we will engage in reflection activities that will provide context and the chance to share your impressions and concerns with your group.
History
In 2000, while teaching at Florida Gulf Coast University, Dr. Ingrid Martinez-Rico and Dr. Craig Heller saw the need for international service learning opportunities and Global Community Engagement was born. Beginning in the spring of 2001, Craig and Ingrid, along with their two year old son Victor, began organizing groups of students to travel to the Dominican Republic on alternative spring break trips to help build and refurbish housing for underprivileged people.
Other needs soon became clear and GCE began environmental and tutoring programming for a local elementary school. As GCE's involvement has grown, so has our scope. In 2003 we began working with Accion Callejera, a Dominican NGO that provides services for children who work and live on the streets of Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic.
Today, GCE supports poor communities throughout Santiago teaching children about hygiene, environmental awareness, basic literacy and personal development. We also help by building schools, providing material support to classrooms and teachers and supporting the efforts of Dominican non- governmental agencies that provide services for children.
You can help us with these efforts by traveling with us to the Dominican Republic to work and play with the children there. Click on Contact Us to request more information.
In 2000, while teaching at Florida Gulf Coast University, Dr. Ingrid Martinez-Rico and Dr. Craig Heller saw the need for international service learning opportunities and Global Community Engagement was born. Beginning in the spring of 2001, Craig and Ingrid, along with their two year old son Victor, began organizing groups of students to travel to the Dominican Republic on alternative spring break trips to help build and refurbish housing for underprivileged people.
Other needs soon became clear and GCE began environmental and tutoring programming for a local elementary school. As GCE's involvement has grown, so has our scope. In 2003 we began working with Accion Callejera, a Dominican NGO that provides services for children who work and live on the streets of Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic.
Today, GCE supports poor communities throughout Santiago teaching children about hygiene, environmental awareness, basic literacy and personal development. We also help by building schools, providing material support to classrooms and teachers and supporting the efforts of Dominican non- governmental agencies that provide services for children.
You can help us with these efforts by traveling with us to the Dominican Republic to work and play with the children there. Click on Contact Us to request more information.
Values
Illuminated by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The Earth Charter, Global Community Engagement espouses:
Illuminated by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The Earth Charter, Global Community Engagement espouses:
- Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.
- It is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations.
- Everyone has the right to education.
- All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, sexual or gender orientation, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs.
- Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of herself/himself and of her/his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond her/his control.
- Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of her/his personality is possible.
- Respect for the Earth and life in all its diversity.
- Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social and environmental imperative.
