34 participants coming from each of the 31 provinces of Dominican Republic gathered in Santo Domingo from 2 to 4 June 2017 to go through a Facilitator Training Workshop of the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) Programme. The workshop allowed participants to acquire new knowledge and develop specific skills to foster dialogue, understanding, and respect in at-risk areas throughout the country.
The workshop was organized by Arigatou International Geneva together with the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Dominican Republic, Catholic Relief Services, and Progresando con Solidaridad (PROSOLI), a comprehensive development program from the Vice-Presidency of Dominican Republic to help eradicate poverty by empowering vulnerable families through education, economic support, and capacity building.
Most participants were social workers and educators from PROSOLI. There were also participants coming from diverse institutions collaborating with the local GNRC, who wish to implement the LTLT Programme in their own organizations. Participants came from Christian, Bahá’í and Hindu backgrounds, or had no religious affiliation.
The five-day workshop aimed to enable all participants to implement the LTLT Programme with children and youth. Participants from PROSOLI were trained to equip volunteers to implement a tailored program during the PROSOLI summer camps and to multiply it, in a way which would ensure quality, sustainability, and proper customization.
The learning goals were to apply the Ethics Education Framework to the local context and its unique ethical needs; plan a customized program using the Ethics Education Framework to target the specific issues affecting children and youth in the Dominican Republic; develop additional training skills, and include monitoring & evaluation tools to assess the implementation.
The systematic implementation of the LTLT Programme in PROSOLI is part of its programmatic work with children, youth and their families to prevent violence and promote peaceful coexistence.
We extend our most heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Leonor Cruz, Director, Catholic Relief Services, Dominican Republic; and Mrs. Teresa Peralta, Director of Sociocultural Project, PROSOLI for coordinating the workshop; to Mrs. Mónica Bernal, Mrs. Olga Lucía Sierra, and Mr. José Raúl Vargas, Facilitators of the LTLT Programme, for their devotion and commitment in facilitating the workshop; and to the participants for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
