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May 12, 2011

City College and InteRDom Partner to Present New Service-Learning Program

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InteRDom Internships in the Dominican Republic and the Study Abroad Department of the City College of New York are excited to debut an innovative new program for City College students this summer entitled “Caribbean Culture & Service-Learning Program.” 

The Program will last for 4 weeks from June 11th – July 9th , and will feature a 12-hour seminar on Caribbean culture and identity, in addition to a number of cultural and social excursions to complement the seminar both within Santo Domingo and in other parts of the country.

However the main feature of the City College program will be the team service-learning externship project focused on economic and leadership development of Haitian and Dominican women living and working in the bateyes of rural Dominican Republic.  Each student will have a specific role in relation to the project that will complement their academic and career objectives.  In total, the group will dedicate over 400 hours to the completion of the project.

According to City College Study Abroad and International Studies Director, Dr. Marina Fernando, it was important to establish a service program in the Dominican Republic because of the large number of Dominican Diaspora students enrolled at City College.

“My thinking was that the Dominican students at City College … should make a connection with their country and go back to their country and serve,” Dr. Fernando said.  “I’m looking for the professional development of my students, and I can think of no better place to do it than in the Dominican Republic.”

With this special collaboration with City College, InteRDom aims to set a precedent for other universities to get creative in approaching InteRDom and designing a program that meets the needs and interests of their students.  InteRDom is interested in offering opportunities abroad to increasingly diverse students with broad and varied academic and professional interests.  The City College Caribbean Culture & Service Learning Program will be repeated annually for a growing number of City College students.

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.

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