DREAMS
The DREAMS program was founded in 1999 by a group of young St. Mary Catholic High School students in Hamilton, ON during a regular religion class. The students began discussing the issues of poverty an intermational level. They decided that instead of just talking about the issues, they wanted to address them - head on. After talking to their teachers and School Board about a potential international experiential learning trip, this group of young students was put in touch with a Scarboro Missions priest living and working in the rural province of San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic - Father Louis Quinn.
~ changing lives ~
Father Lou was involved in several projects with ADESJO at the time and decided to invite this group of young people down to Ocoa to join him in working on one of his development projects - little did he know, this small group of students from Hamilton, ON would eventually turn into hundreds of youth volunteers coming to Ocoa each and every year. That first group came up with the name "DREAMS" for their mission, which stands for Dominican Republic Educational and Medical Support.
Over the past 16 years, the DREAMS program has grown into something rather incredible. Working together with ADESJO in San José de Ocoa, DREAMS participants join us for a week at time, dedicating their time to work on a building project that ADESJO has pre-arranged based on the needs in our communities. These students are given the opportunity of a lifetime - an opportunity that many young people are not fortunate enough to experience.
Groups spend their time in Ocoa living in and sharing with one of the rural communities that ADESJO works in, really giving the youth the full cultural experience that one should have when traveling abroad. This allows students to truly immerse themselves in the Dominican culture and learn what it means to live simply. It is amazing to see how their lives are touched by the people of Ocoa.
If you are in high school and are interested in bringing the DREAMS program to your school, send us a message! An ADESJO representative would be happy to speak with you about how you can get the ball rolling in becoming part of our DREAM team. Not in high school, but still looking to participate on a DREAMS trip? If you are a university or college student, or above the age of 18, you can still participate on a DREAMS-like trip with one of our partner organizations, The New World Community (www.thenwc.com)!
The NWC offers trips to San José de Ocoa through their CLOUD Projects program. When high school DREAMS students carried on to university, they didn't want to leave their DREAMS experiences behind them - so they brought them with them! The DREAMS program was renamed CLOUD Projects for anyone at the university or college level and is now run through the awesome new organization, The NWC. Click the logo and visit their website for more information on what they do and how you can join an already existing group or create your own!
CHECK 'EM OUT!
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
