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June 14, 2012

2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and Workshops

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Participants in the 2012 InteRDom-City College Service Learning Program spent the week of June 11, 2012 participating in orientation sessions, seminars, workshops and dialogues with experts to capacitate them for the important gardening project they are to perform in two semi-urban Dominican communities, Bayona and Cielo.

Presenters at the dialogue included: Francisco Martínez, Director of Agricultural Extension and Training; Luis Miguel Acevedo, Country Director of ADRA Dominicana; and Brígido Peguero, Taxonomy and Botanical Explorations Director at the National Botanical Gardens.

The program officially began on Monday, June 11 with a general student orientation to introduce them to the services and facilities of the InteRDom program and its in-country parent institution, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE).

Students’ preparation became more intensive on Tuesday, June 12, when the City College participants were introduced for the first time to the organizations and experts with whom they will be collaborating– as well as to their student counterparts representing the communities in which they will work– at the dialogue “Gardens as a Means of Social Transformation in Communities.”

2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and WorkshopsThis dialogue provided historical and technical information about the history of urban agriculture in the Dominican Republic, the practices and tools employed, the most popular crops and an overview of the current work being done in the sector by government and other non-profit institutions.  All partner organizations also gave an introduction as to their presence and work in Bayona and Cielo, and restated their commitment to work together even after the conclusion of the service-learning project to ensure the sustainability of these gardens in the communities.  After the presentation, students and experts alike participated in an extensive question and answer session to discuss the topics in more depth.

Presenters at the dialogue included: Francisco Martínez, Director of Agricultural Extension and Training; Luis Miguel Acevedo, Country Director of ADRA Dominicana; and Brígido Peguero, Taxonomy and Botanical Explorations Director at the National Botanical Gardens.

Other experts in attendance were: Luis Eduardo Peña, Director of Extension and Training, and Martín Jiménez, technician, both from the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture; Madelyn Contreras, Project Coordinator and ADRA Dominicana; Ricardo García, General Director of the National Botanical Gardens; and Epifanio Belén, Regional Technician of the Dominican Ministry of Education.

Following the dialogue, on Wednesday, June 13, City College students joined high school students form Bayona and Cielo at the National Botanical Gardens for the workshop “Techniques for the Creation of Community Gardens.”  Students were introduced to techniques for creating compost and fertilizers by José María Bondín, Director of Organic Compost at the National Botanical Gardens, and put into practice what they learned during the Pre-Departure gardening workshop and the special preparation given by Eduardo Peña, a technician from the Ministry of Agriculture, during a practicum afterward.  They learned varied techniques which will be useful in developing the urban gardens such as boxes, pots, and the planting of cuttings and seeds, among others.

“I truly enjoyed having an opportunity to practice our gardening techniques within the Botanical Garden,” commented Amber Brookmire, a participant from City College.” The atmosphere was inspiring and the people were very knowledgeable. It was fulfilling to see the small garden come alive as I learned to plant various vegetables like spinach, scallions, tomatoes and lettuce.”

2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and WorkshopsHostos Community College student Michael Cruz found the compost workshop especially interesting.  “(The most interesting thing I learned is) that you can currently purchase dispensable utensils and shopping bags made completely out of cornstarch.  They’re biodegradable and can be used in the production of compost.”

Both the dialogue and the workshops in the Botanical Gardens were important unity-building, as well as educational, activities for the participants in this project.  In addition to the technical information disseminated—which will in turn be passed onto the communities in the coming weeks—all participants in the project were afforded the opportunity to come together for the first time and discuss their roles in the execution of the project.

The urban gardening initiative in Bayona and Cielo is a collaborative effort between The Dominican Republic Ministry of Agriculture, ADRA Dominicana, the National Botanical Gardens, Global Coalition for Peace and InteRDom Internships in the Dominican Republic.

The program developed between City College and InteRDom is a credit-bearing course that exposes students to both academic and practical experiences that increase their international awareness, cultural sensitivity, professional development and Spanish-language capacities.

The internship program, InteRDom, an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), is the premier internship, research and academic study program in the Dominican Republic. It offers international students the opportunity to research important topics at the forefront of the United Nations agenda, obtain professional experience by interning with Dominican organizations and businesses related to their fields of study and/or earn academic credits by taking courses and seminars at a local university.

2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and Workshops 2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and Workshops

2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and Workshops 2012 CCNY Service Learning Program Is Underway with Dialogue and Workshops

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