Volunteer Review Spotlights:
Dove Youth Development is celebrating the invaluable contributions of our volunteers. Their dedication and commitment make a profound impact on the lives of our children, fostering growth, learning, and empowerment within our community. With open arms, we've recently welcomed numerous individuals through our doors, each bringing their unique skills, experiences, and passion to enrich the lives of our youth. As we honor our volunteers, we recognize their selflessness and the ripple effect of positivity they create, shaping a brighter future for generations to come.
TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS
I had the privilege to spend my spring break at Dove Youth Development and it was the best experience I’ve ever had. The kids and the staff will forever be in my heart.
Dove Youth Development is changing lives, one child at a time. It also changed our lives. Seeing how these sweet and appreciative children behave despite their circumstances and living conditions reinforced our sense of privilege.Thank you for allowing us into your world and spending time teaching English to these eager children.
I had the most amazing experience in Puerto Plata at Dove Youth Development. My purpose of traveling here was to serve the children at Dove. The staff was amazing and are true angels to these children. I came here ready to educate and teach these children, but really then ended up teaching me. There is so much love in these children’s hearts and I can’t wait to come back again! 🕊️
Hands down one of the best weeks of my life! If you are going to volunteer this is the place to do it. The staff went above and beyond to make us feel safe, comfortable and most importantly apart of their family. The kids were so much fun to interact with and tried to include us in everything they did. I couldn’t put into words how wonderful Dove youth development is.
Had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with Dove Youth Development during a Global Outreach trip to the Dominican Republic with BSMCON recently. As a part of our days there we did pediatric health screening for the students, toured the public and private hospitals in Puerto Plata, walked around the neighborhoods the students live in, held a community health screening, and led different health promotional lessons for the students. Every aspect of this trip was incredible and fed my soul in ways that I couldn't have predicted. The kindness and humility everyone working in the center has as well as their passion for these children is palpable. The children are all nothing short of incredible, funny, kind, and joyful. To see in-person the resources and dedication that Dove has for these kids was humbling including their beauty salon, a computer lab, and excursions. Since returning from my trip, all I can think of is the amount of work that had already been done in public health that is community led for these kids and the work that still needs to be done. The jarring difference between the public and private hospital mimics many issues that persist in the United States as well with wealth indicating the treatment available for the patient and the resources available for the nurses. The private hospital has only recently obtained a Cath Lab while the public hospital is overflowing with ICU patients. Many nurses split their time between the private and public hospital in shifts which reminds me of what my mother used to do when she was a nurse in Lima, which was in the 1970s. So much more can be done on not only an international but local level because that's where community leaders emerge, from individuals that see a need that hasn't been met and put everything they can to meet it. This trip not only fueled my passion for public health but solidified my need to make this into my career. Thank you so much for my classmates on the trip and the Dove Youth Development for having the kindest people on staff and cultivating a safe environment for these children to be in. I am definitely going to come back!
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