 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Pre-Departure Orientation for Overseas Volunteers
Organizational Overall
Plenty of information appears on our Website, please make sure to read about
who we are, why we do what we do and what we’re attempting to achieve. Truth
in information is important to us and we do not wish to mislead anyone.
We are highly unstructured, meaning that you don’t have to punch a time card,
there’s no office place per se and that we prefer that volunteers decide on their
own how to go about providing a service to the community. In other words, we
want you to find out for yourself, with the guidance we could offer, what you will
eventually do and in what manner.
Based on our experience with other volunteers we would say that if you are a
very "structured" person or someone who would rather work under well-defined
parameters then our present condition may pose some challenges. On the
other hand, if you are more flexible and willing to take risks, if you have more
experience and are more adaptable to changing conditions, then you may find
our conditions non-threatening. We are an emerging organization and would
like to see ourselves as malleable and self-learning. We see you as
contributing to our organizational learning. Ultimately we want you to have a
meaningful, productive and exciting experience.
Volunteering for FMG
You'll start with library training so that you can be there and meet many of our
clients, kids 6-15 mostly and youth, then select which projects (crafts, academic
support, self-esteem, arts) you'd like to do. There are possibilities of
involvement in the community as well and once you’re ready we’ll be there to
assist you in selecting a project of your choosing.
Your service expectations include at least 30 hours a week, half of that at the
library. Special projects will depend on your talents and experiences and we're
here to help. This would be a good opportunity to take risks, self-motivate
yourself into doing something different and taking advantage of an open
environment to expand your creativity.
At the present time we don’t have staff or office (we are totally a volunteer
organization as no one receives a salary or financial benefits) and use the
library as our operating center, so you’ll be in the midst of the action with the
freedom to decide based on your talents, experience, areas of interest and local
needs. Any craft projects that you could do with a group of 10-12 people
(children/youth) would be interesting. At any time we’re here to help.
We see ourselves as a channel, a catalyst, for community service for people
who are service-oriented, culturally appropriate and justice-driven. We have a lot
of community deficits but prefer to be asset-driven, seeking to provide our clients
and audiences the best of ourselves and the best possibilities for personal
development. When you work with us you’re then helping us accomplish the
mission of “bettering the lives of people.”
Cross-Cultural and More
This is an introduction to some of the general aspects of your cultural transition
in the days ahead. It is hoped that it will help you prepare well and that you will
then feel free to ask any relevant questions before your arrival.
We suggest first of all that you think in terms of:
1) Giving you the initial first days to adjust to your new environment. This means
climate, food, sounds, noise, water, cold showers in the volunteer house :-), and
to get a "feel" for the community, among other things.
2) You have many ideas about what you would like to do, start checking things
out in order to make them realistic as much as possible. During this time ask
us all the questions you like in regards to your areas of involvement and what
you think might be possible.
3) We are a new organization, in the early stages of development and still in the
process of formalizing programs and approaches. We are in our second year of
a 3-year development process, a normal duration for organizations such as
ours. Any suggestions or observations from you would be valuable.
4) Explore your expectations and reflect on what they mean. If you wish write
some statements in regards to each of the following areas and ask yourself
"what do I expect?": food, noise level, garbage disposal, wealth and poverty,
social relations, communication styles, expediency, time flow, etc. A valuable
tool appears at http://www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/pdf/iceburgofculture.pdf, simply
ask yourself what do you expect. Expectations are important because they are
bound to be "violated," meaning that some things may turn out to be better than
expected, others worst than expected, in each instance an adjustment might be
needed. The more you know about your expectations the better your chances of
good adjustments.
5) One important aspect is the social context, meaning that Las Terrenas is a
very "special" place. You may attract a lot of attention, some, I'm sure, unwanted.
Being foreign, female and attractive may translate into wrong ideas for some,
not all, but definitely for some, particularly for volunteers who are Caucasian.
Many of the European women that come here do take on temporary or
convenient male partners, they're called "sanki-pankies." If you are Caucasian,
single and walk around by yourself may lead some to assume that you're in the
market for one of them, particularly if you go out to some of the dancing places.
Dancing is nice, the atmosphere is informal and everyone is out to have a good
time. Going there and dancing as a single woman will trigger a number of
dynamics that may be unwanted. During our in-site orientation you will meet
with her alone and explore this topic further.
g) Misc.: Re clothing, it is more humid here. Volunteers use light cotton skirts
and sleeveless blouses. We encourage them not to use short shorts because
of our context of much sexual exploitation in the community. Incidentally, bring a
water bottle to carry with you, so you can refill it at the house as often as you
need. Also, a small flashlight can be handy. Don't bring expensive leather
shoes, they'll get ruined. You'll need more than one swimsuit, if you jog bring
jogging shoes for jogging by the beach (then go swimming). Mosquito
repellent is a need and sunscreen as well. The water in the house smells a bit
like sulphur (it comes form our well in the house and it is chlorinated and
filtered, but the mineral content is high). We have a CD player in Casa Paz,
bring some favorite music if you wish, something you can leave behind like
copies, there are lots there now. If you have or know someone with a spare cell
phone, used, you can bring it and activate it here for about US$10-15, only need
to buy a calling card. Any phone from the U.S. would work here, seems like and
when you activate you're given a new number. If you don't need the telephone
back home you can leave it behind for use by other volunteers just don't forget
the charger.
Overall, Las Terrenas is not your typical town and a lot of your satisfaction with
the place may derive from adequately clarifying expectations for you, so that we
minimize negative "violations" and maximize "positive" violation of expectations.
In addition, the topics at http://dr1.com/articles/index.shtml may be useful to you.
Select the ones you like and explore further.
Financial Orientation
Information about the Program Fee ($225) and the room deposit (US$100) for
Casa Paz appears on our Website. The following could give you a sense of
financial understanding and security in other areas.
Housing
We have reduced the cost of Casa Paz for FMG volunteers. In spite of the new
Program Fee those on long-terms will save substantially since room charges
were reduced significantly. For 2009 the cost is US$7/day.
Local Transport
Transport in mototaxi is readily available but it's risky (as an example Peace
Corps volunteers are required to wear helmets). Mototaxis cost about RD$20
(or about 60 cents) for short rides in town, more to parts out of town. We may
have one bicycle available for volunteer use and the library is less than a mile
away from the volunteer house. You're welcome to use it and save money on
transport. We only ask you to take good care of it (it has a metal chain and lock).
Local Banking
There are five banks in town, all of them offer accounts in dominican pesos or in
dollars. There are minimum amounts required. They all have ATMs and you
can draw money in pesos from your accounts in the U.S. There's also Western
Union in town, so money can be sent that way. The current exchange rate is
US$1 - RD$32.80, so you get $32.80 for every dollar. You can also open a
checking account, or a savings account, with your passport. Check your bank
policies as there may be substantially fees if using the ATM card from your bank.
Food
You can buy a typical Dominican meal for about US$3-5, depending on what you
want and whether accompanied by a drink (juice, water) or not. Local food is
expensive compared to the rest of the country (we are in a remote place and
there are many foreign residents and tourists), but you will find plenty of tropical
foods, fruits and vegetables. A local "European" supermarket sells French
goods as well and there are 12 other supermarkets in various areas. Casa Paz
has a fully equipped kitchen and your LPG gas is included in the rent. Bottled
water in 5-gallon jars are available for purchase nearby for RD$40-45 or about
US$1.15. Use bottled water for drinking and cooking. You may spend a total of
US$5-10 for food a day, depending on how you eat, but you'll know better after
your first week here.
Safety and Security
Casa Paz is secured, with fencing and iron bars in doors and windows. Keep
the house locked at all times, when not in the house. Keep the front gate closed
at all times. Do not leave electronic equipment such as a laptop outside the
house, in the terrace, if not present, same for all valuables. Do not keep lots of
cash with you, just what you need. If you open a local bank account, you can
draw money from the ATM at the same bank where you have your account and
there would be no fees. There are three banks about two blocks from Casa
Paz. Casa Paz is well-lighted but nearby streets may not be. It may be wise to
bring a small flashlight. Get to know your neighbors, that's your best safety and
we will introduce you to them so they get to know you. If you befriend the women
and the kids you've got it made. Kids will come naturally to meet you and would
want to play with you, particularly next door kids (they did the same with previous
volunteers). They look out for you as well.
Conclusion
Mohandas Gandhi said it best, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” If
you’re coming to work with us it must be because you have values, ideals and
intentions similar to ours then we’re very happy about that. We’re about people,
about service, about developmental transformation and about action. We’re
small, unfunded yet committed. In two years we’ve built a good reputation in
outstanding areas of service in the community. We thank you in advance for
making your contribution toward a better future for many people in Las
Terrenas.
Pre-Departure Checklist. Go here.
Organizational Overall
Plenty of information appears on our Website, please make sure to read about
who we are, why we do what we do and what we’re attempting to achieve. Truth
in information is important to us and we do not wish to mislead anyone.
We are highly unstructured, meaning that you don’t have to punch a time card,
there’s no office place per se and that we prefer that volunteers decide on their
own how to go about providing a service to the community. In other words, we
want you to find out for yourself, with the guidance we could offer, what you will
eventually do and in what manner.
Based on our experience with other volunteers we would say that if you are a
very "structured" person or someone who would rather work under well-defined
parameters then our present condition may pose some challenges. On the
other hand, if you are more flexible and willing to take risks, if you have more
experience and are more adaptable to changing conditions, then you may find
our conditions non-threatening. We are an emerging organization and would
like to see ourselves as malleable and self-learning. We see you as
contributing to our organizational learning. Ultimately we want you to have a
meaningful, productive and exciting experience.
Volunteering for FMG
You'll start with library training so that you can be there and meet many of our
clients, kids 6-15 mostly and youth, then select which projects (crafts, academic
support, self-esteem, arts) you'd like to do. There are possibilities of
involvement in the community as well and once you’re ready we’ll be there to
assist you in selecting a project of your choosing.
Your service expectations include at least 30 hours a week, half of that at the
library. Special projects will depend on your talents and experiences and we're
here to help. This would be a good opportunity to take risks, self-motivate
yourself into doing something different and taking advantage of an open
environment to expand your creativity.
At the present time we don’t have staff or office (we are totally a volunteer
organization as no one receives a salary or financial benefits) and use the
library as our operating center, so you’ll be in the midst of the action with the
freedom to decide based on your talents, experience, areas of interest and local
needs. Any craft projects that you could do with a group of 10-12 people
(children/youth) would be interesting. At any time we’re here to help.
We see ourselves as a channel, a catalyst, for community service for people
who are service-oriented, culturally appropriate and justice-driven. We have a lot
of community deficits but prefer to be asset-driven, seeking to provide our clients
and audiences the best of ourselves and the best possibilities for personal
development. When you work with us you’re then helping us accomplish the
mission of “bettering the lives of people.”
Cross-Cultural and More
This is an introduction to some of the general aspects of your cultural transition
in the days ahead. It is hoped that it will help you prepare well and that you will
then feel free to ask any relevant questions before your arrival.
We suggest first of all that you think in terms of:
1) Giving you the initial first days to adjust to your new environment. This means
climate, food, sounds, noise, water, cold showers in the volunteer house :-), and
to get a "feel" for the community, among other things.
2) You have many ideas about what you would like to do, start checking things
out in order to make them realistic as much as possible. During this time ask
us all the questions you like in regards to your areas of involvement and what
you think might be possible.
3) We are a new organization, in the early stages of development and still in the
process of formalizing programs and approaches. We are in our second year of
a 3-year development process, a normal duration for organizations such as
ours. Any suggestions or observations from you would be valuable.
4) Explore your expectations and reflect on what they mean. If you wish write
some statements in regards to each of the following areas and ask yourself
"what do I expect?": food, noise level, garbage disposal, wealth and poverty,
social relations, communication styles, expediency, time flow, etc. A valuable
tool appears at http://www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/pdf/iceburgofculture.pdf, simply
ask yourself what do you expect. Expectations are important because they are
bound to be "violated," meaning that some things may turn out to be better than
expected, others worst than expected, in each instance an adjustment might be
needed. The more you know about your expectations the better your chances of
good adjustments.
5) One important aspect is the social context, meaning that Las Terrenas is a
very "special" place. You may attract a lot of attention, some, I'm sure, unwanted.
Being foreign, female and attractive may translate into wrong ideas for some,
not all, but definitely for some, particularly for volunteers who are Caucasian.
Many of the European women that come here do take on temporary or
convenient male partners, they're called "sanki-pankies." If you are Caucasian,
single and walk around by yourself may lead some to assume that you're in the
market for one of them, particularly if you go out to some of the dancing places.
Dancing is nice, the atmosphere is informal and everyone is out to have a good
time. Going there and dancing as a single woman will trigger a number of
dynamics that may be unwanted. During our in-site orientation you will meet
with her alone and explore this topic further.
g) Misc.: Re clothing, it is more humid here. Volunteers use light cotton skirts
and sleeveless blouses. We encourage them not to use short shorts because
of our context of much sexual exploitation in the community. Incidentally, bring a
water bottle to carry with you, so you can refill it at the house as often as you
need. Also, a small flashlight can be handy. Don't bring expensive leather
shoes, they'll get ruined. You'll need more than one swimsuit, if you jog bring
jogging shoes for jogging by the beach (then go swimming). Mosquito
repellent is a need and sunscreen as well. The water in the house smells a bit
like sulphur (it comes form our well in the house and it is chlorinated and
filtered, but the mineral content is high). We have a CD player in Casa Paz,
bring some favorite music if you wish, something you can leave behind like
copies, there are lots there now. If you have or know someone with a spare cell
phone, used, you can bring it and activate it here for about US$10-15, only need
to buy a calling card. Any phone from the U.S. would work here, seems like and
when you activate you're given a new number. If you don't need the telephone
back home you can leave it behind for use by other volunteers just don't forget
the charger.
Overall, Las Terrenas is not your typical town and a lot of your satisfaction with
the place may derive from adequately clarifying expectations for you, so that we
minimize negative "violations" and maximize "positive" violation of expectations.
In addition, the topics at http://dr1.com/articles/index.shtml may be useful to you.
Select the ones you like and explore further.
Financial Orientation
Information about the Program Fee ($225) and the room deposit (US$100) for
Casa Paz appears on our Website. The following could give you a sense of
financial understanding and security in other areas.
Housing
We have reduced the cost of Casa Paz for FMG volunteers. In spite of the new
Program Fee those on long-terms will save substantially since room charges
were reduced significantly. For 2009 the cost is US$7/day.
Local Transport
Transport in mototaxi is readily available but it's risky (as an example Peace
Corps volunteers are required to wear helmets). Mototaxis cost about RD$20
(or about 60 cents) for short rides in town, more to parts out of town. We may
have one bicycle available for volunteer use and the library is less than a mile
away from the volunteer house. You're welcome to use it and save money on
transport. We only ask you to take good care of it (it has a metal chain and lock).
Local Banking
There are five banks in town, all of them offer accounts in dominican pesos or in
dollars. There are minimum amounts required. They all have ATMs and you
can draw money in pesos from your accounts in the U.S. There's also Western
Union in town, so money can be sent that way. The current exchange rate is
US$1 - RD$32.80, so you get $32.80 for every dollar. You can also open a
checking account, or a savings account, with your passport. Check your bank
policies as there may be substantially fees if using the ATM card from your bank.
Food
You can buy a typical Dominican meal for about US$3-5, depending on what you
want and whether accompanied by a drink (juice, water) or not. Local food is
expensive compared to the rest of the country (we are in a remote place and
there are many foreign residents and tourists), but you will find plenty of tropical
foods, fruits and vegetables. A local "European" supermarket sells French
goods as well and there are 12 other supermarkets in various areas. Casa Paz
has a fully equipped kitchen and your LPG gas is included in the rent. Bottled
water in 5-gallon jars are available for purchase nearby for RD$40-45 or about
US$1.15. Use bottled water for drinking and cooking. You may spend a total of
US$5-10 for food a day, depending on how you eat, but you'll know better after
your first week here.
Safety and Security
Casa Paz is secured, with fencing and iron bars in doors and windows. Keep
the house locked at all times, when not in the house. Keep the front gate closed
at all times. Do not leave electronic equipment such as a laptop outside the
house, in the terrace, if not present, same for all valuables. Do not keep lots of
cash with you, just what you need. If you open a local bank account, you can
draw money from the ATM at the same bank where you have your account and
there would be no fees. There are three banks about two blocks from Casa
Paz. Casa Paz is well-lighted but nearby streets may not be. It may be wise to
bring a small flashlight. Get to know your neighbors, that's your best safety and
we will introduce you to them so they get to know you. If you befriend the women
and the kids you've got it made. Kids will come naturally to meet you and would
want to play with you, particularly next door kids (they did the same with previous
volunteers). They look out for you as well.
Conclusion
Mohandas Gandhi said it best, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” If
you’re coming to work with us it must be because you have values, ideals and
intentions similar to ours then we’re very happy about that. We’re about people,
about service, about developmental transformation and about action. We’re
small, unfunded yet committed. In two years we’ve built a good reputation in
outstanding areas of service in the community. We thank you in advance for
making your contribution toward a better future for many people in Las
Terrenas.
Pre-Departure Checklist. Go here.
| ©2007 Fundación Mahatma Gandhi. Todos los derechos reservados. |
| Volunteer Application Programs Pre-Departure Info Risks and liability Financial disclosure Crosscultural transitions Country Info Volunteer house Application Form Transport Information |
Fundación Mahatma Gandhi
Visión Global, Desarrollo Local
Visión Global, Desarrollo Local
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| "Sé el cambio que deseas ver en el mundo." Mahatma Gandhi |
