Advance Community Research Project--Fundacion Mahatma Gandhi

  Dominican Republic

Las Terrenas

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Trimester, Winter 
Durations of Program: 3-6 months, 7-12 months and 1-2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: Rolling dates, any time during the year, 1 month minimum.

Description: The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation seeks volunteers and/or interns for its Advance Community Research, aimed at providing our community with baseline research in targeted areas that are important for the history and the evolution of our community. The program could benefit from empirical and non-empirical methods, with special interest in creating an oral history of the community seconded by basic statistical data not currently available.

At the present time there's nothing on the community, so interns/volunteers would work on creating a body of knowledge, a toolbox of resources and would write results for academic and non-academic settings. The writing may take place in either Spanish or English, but translations into French, Italian or German would be very useful as those are the larger communities represented in Las Terrenas.

The volunteer service or internship at this point would start with the basic steps in research design. Simple research would be preferable (to be conducted within a 3-month time frame), particularly when using surveys or conducting empirical methods or survey instruments. The Oral History Project of Las Terrenas may take longer, but this initiative aims at contacting, recording, transcribing and publishing the oral history of the place from a variety of sources, particularly at a point in time when many of the "old folks" are getting really old.

The value of this initiative is inmensurable, so interns would enjoy living in such a beautiful community as Las Terrenas is, but would be making a meaningful contribution to the present and future of the community.

Highlights: Las Terrenas in Samana Province, on the northeastern side of the Dominican Republic, is a community of 20,000 people almost equally divided between males and females. One third of its population is composed of children under 15 and one third of its entire population is totally illiterate. Previously a quaint fishermen's village, Las Terrenas has experienced explosive growth due to its increasing tourism industry.

Las Terrenas is truly a paradise of natural wonders, surrounded by lush mountains, waterfalls, rivers and, quite possibly, some of the best beaches in the entire Caribbean. The area in and around Las Terrenas provide visitors with 20+ miles of beaches, most of them uninhabited.

There are many foreign communities in Las Terrenas, mostly composed of French, Italians, Germans and Spanish, but there are also Swiss, Belgians, Dutch, English, Canadians, a growing population of Russians, U.S. citizens and many from Eastern Europe and elsewhere. There are, of course, a few Latin Americans groups and a large number of Haitians. There's French Lyceum, three K-12 private schools, and large public schools K-12.

Alongside the illiterate persons there are those who speak 3-4 languages. Next to old dominican-style houses downtown you'll find mansions and fancy hotels. The town shows the best and the worst of any rapidly evolving community in which economic growth has come to many while poverty has stricken an equally large segment of the population. Those with poor educational and vocational skills are the most evident target audiences for personal and educational development. Problems with waste management, water supply and pollution endanger the future while creating opportunities for creative development and public policy.

Interns and volunteers will get the chance to see first hand the realities of a two-thirds world country, will be presented with the great potential for doing good and will become change agents even as they themselves are transformed. The most successful intern will be resourceful, cross-culturally skillful, culturally respectful, hard working and focused. Self-starters, self-managed and team players are a plus, particularly if they want to make a contribution to organizational change, organizational learning and organizational growth. We can use all the help we can get!

The Fundacion Mahatma Gandhi is committed to sustainable and people-centered development and also to providing interns with the best possible experience.

Qualifications: a) advance undergraduate, b) graduate student, c) dissertation level student, d) any student interested in conducting research using empirical or non-empirical methods, e) any student in the social sciences with skills in conducting scientific surveying as well as oral history research. Must be proficient in Spanish to conduct interviews or facilitate meetings. Must be proficient in the research methods being used.

Minimum Education: Associates

Cost in US$: $200 program fee for those staying 2 weeks or more, $100 for those staying less than 14 days. $8-25/day housing, $5-20/day for food, each depending on personal choices and style.

Salary / Pay: There are no salary or benefits associated with this posting.

Experience Required: yes

Training or experience conducting research, empirical or non-empirical, particular doing oral history, survey methods and research publication.

Typical Volunteer: A willing participant, a creative and focused person, a culturally respectful individual and someone committed to community development.

Age Range: 18+

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Dominican Republic Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Resume
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Fundacion Mahatma Gandhi's Mission Statement: To enhance the quality of life of the people with whom we work, using suitable resources, in an authentic and continuous learning environment. [Mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas con quienes trabajamos, usando recursos idoneos, en un ambiente autentico y de aprendizaje constante.

Year Founded: 2005