MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
The perfect project for energetic, creative and outgoing people
Volunteer Placement a/o Internship Opportunity
Practice and further develop your Social Media skills while experiencing a foreign culture! The purpose of this Social Multimedia project is to promote the foundation's mission which is primarily to raise awareness of the rights of all children in Samaná. You will promote our causes through Social Multimedia which includes content published through local media and social media channels. This program aims to address parenting issues and child welfare through educational videos and social media publication. You will produce short videos, documentaries and radio/television broadcasting content. In the past, our volunteers have produced animated motion pictures, recorded videos, worked on photography, conducted interviews, and updated our social media platforms. Even though project topics are provided, volunteers are encouraged to come up with their own ideas. Part of the work consists of keeping track of the foundation´s work with the children and documenting our program activities (e.g., taking and editing pictures and videos and editing content).
Requirements
This program is suitable for students with free holiday time, pre-university students, students taking or planning to take any multimedia related studies, marketing or journalism as well as professionals. Some previous experience with social multimedia, a basic understanding of DSLR cameras and familiarity with editing software (including Photoshop, Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Pro) as well as social media management and/or social media marketing experience are very helpful. But all that is really necessary are enthusiasm, self-reliance, patience and an open mind. However, volunteers with advanced experience are strongly encouraged to apply. You don't have to speak fluent Spanish; we provide free Spanish classes on a regular basis, full support and 24/7 back up. If you speak English and only little Spanish you can still help a lot. However, some Spanish skills will enrich your experience. An ideal volunteer will have a curious personality, and a keen interest in photography, writing, and other forms of creative multimedia, culture and learning new languages. The foundation has a DSLR camera and PC with video and photo editing software installed. We require volunteers to bring their own laptop and encourage them to bring their own equipment to supplement what we are able to provide.
Volunteer placement or internship
This program can be booked as volunteer placement or as internship. Most of our participants join as volunteers and are free to commit from between 12 to 40 hours per week. Thats up to you! As an intern however you probably have to fulfil requirements set by your school or university. Please let us know your school or universities internship requirements in advance so that we can work out your personalised work plan together. Also inform us about your personal goals and expectations and we will see how we can help you to achieve them! We expect our volunteers and interns to dedicate a minimum of three hours/ four days per week and a maximum of eight hours/five days per week working in their respective programs.
Time Commitment
A minimum time commitment of 2 weeks is required. For volunteers and interns with little experience, a six to eight weeks minimum time commitment is encouraged.
Availability/Holidays
You can participate in our programs throughout the whole year. Please make sure to arrive on a weekday so that we can arrange everything for your arrival.
Placement Location
The Aldeas de Paz Foundation headquarters is in Samana, which is located on the North-East of the Dominican Republic, at the heart of the peninsula of Samana. This provincial capital with 15000 inhabitants is a very peaceful and safe town. Samana is constituted by a community with a strong sense of social responsibility. The people themselves consider the town very safe, there is no more crime here than in an any average small European town. The Dominican Republics countryside as a whole is very peaceful, and certainly one of the safest regions in the Caribbean.
Your time at Aldeas de Paz
Volunteers/interns usually come by themselves or with their partner to our foundation. However, we do offer family placements as well. In case a family decides to stay with us, the minimum age of the children is eight. Individual volunteers/interns have to be at least 16 years of age. Volunteers/interns under 18 need to bring a written permission from their parents or guardians.
Aldeas de Paz works hard to keep the required financial contribution to an absolute minimum and to offer financial transparency by practicing an open book policy. The calculation of your financial contribution or donation is set up so that the longer you stay the less you give per week. We do this to encourage longer stays, recognizing that longer stays lead to more significant volunteer work and more energy contributed in the form of donated time in place of money! We are a registered tax exempted charity and all monetary contributions are referred to as donation since what you pay is generally 100% tax-deductible for you. Speak with your tax adviser to learn how the cost of international airfare can be tax-deductible as well. Please also read our Terms & Conditions. Check out how your donation is spent, and read our Financial Reports.
Special Offer
Spanish language classes - volunteers or interns receive free language lessons regularly during their placement. The classes focus on developing communication skills so that students are able to put their knowledge to practical use as soon as they step outside the classroom. Our teaching method enables students to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. The idea is to learn Spanish in a natural and spontaneous way, just as students have learned their mother tongue. Our students speak Spanish right from the very first day, using it in typical real-life situations: the basic syllabus is supplemented by special exercises, such as role-play, situational dialogues and work projects. Outside the classroom, the learning process continues as you immerse in the Spanish language and in the Dominican culture.
Activities can include but are not limited to:
Take photographs and/or video documentation and report, interview, write and edit content related to our social programs and foundations activities
Edit and publish through online social media, the webpage, blog and through local media channels
Support the day-to-day running of the NGO and attend meetings with authorities and community members
Use Multimedia content to connect people emotionally to pressing social, gender and environmental causes
Assist with computer literacy classes and online work skill training for local young adults from disadvantaged communities
Raise awareness for human and animal rights through artistic, creative and educational Multi-Media content
Assist with Social Community manager´s role to put together a content schedule for Social Media pages and help with editing and publishing content
Write blog posts, articles, newsletters and other communication materials which can include a mix of media such as written content, videos, images and podcasts
Help respond to comments, when appropriate, in order to foster a vibrant community and add value to the user´s experience
Assist with expanding our online presence improving functionality and SEO for our webpage and social media communication
Help create, manage and grow the charity´s presence through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other strategically relevant online properties
Build solid relationships with interviewee and other participants
Coordinate with service operators, radio and TV stations for public awareness interventions related to various topics around children rights, education and health
Samaná is the name of both the peninsula and its biggest town, as well as the bay to the south located in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic. It is a dramatically beautiful peninsula, like an island unto itself, of coconut trees stretching into the sea.
The town of Samaná is a scenic, beautiful and peaceful port, with friendly and easy-going Dominicans, living their life with tourism, agriculture and fishing activities, all set to the beat and rhythms of Merengue, Bachata and Salsa music. The newly renovated Malecon (seaside promenade) of two kilometers length is perfect for strolling by day and night. It is the perfect place to while away the evening in a relaxing atmosphere in one of the many surrounding restaurants and bars. Hundreds of fantastic beaches surround the peninsula of Samana, which can be explored during a day trip or for the whole weekend.
Las Galeras y El Rincon: A small fisherman's town with beautiful beaches surrounded by nature. Travel by Bus (45 minutes / US$ 2,-)
El Limón: Famous waterfall and swimming. Travel by Bus (20 minutes / US$ 1,50,-)
Cayo Levantado: Small Island with beautiful beaches just of the coastline in Samana. Travel by Boat (15 minutes / US$ 2,-)
Parque National de los Haiteses: Park made of mangroves, caves with ancient paintings and beautiful bays with pristine beaches. Magnificent limestone caves to explore. Travel by Boat 60 minutes / US$ 10,-
Playa El Valle: A small fisherman's settlement with a beautiful beach surrounded by pristine nature. Travel by Moto Concho (MotoTaxi) (20 Minutes / US$ 3,-)
There are famous Kitesurf beaches in Las Terrenas and Cabarete only an hour from Samana! The whole Peninsula of Samana is a Wild and precious natural gem! People are extremely friendly and the nature is gorgeous!
From mid-January to late March the bay is home to to some of the world's best whale-watching.
The longer you stay, the less you pay!
Aldeas de Paz works hard to keep the required financial contribution to an absolute minimum and to offer financial transparency by practicing an open book policy. The calculation of your financial contribution or donation is set up so that the longer you stay the less you give per week. We do this to encourage longer stays, recognising that longer stays lead to more significant volunteer work and more energy contributed in the form of donated time in place of money! We are a registered tax exempted charity and all monetary contributions are referred to as donation since what you pay is generally 100% tax-deductible for you. Speak with your tax adviser to learn how the cost of international airfare can be tax-deductible as well. Check out how your donation is spent, and read our Financial Reports.
What is included
Travel Logistics
The Foundation will do everything to make sure our volunteers remain safe during their arrival and stay in the Dominican Republic. On arrival at the airport you will be welcome by our english speaking driver who will help you personally during your transit from the airport to the bus terminal granting you peace of mind and tranquillity. The driver will purchase your bus ticket while you catch the direct and comfortable bus to Samana, your placement location. Travel-time on the bus is two hours only. On arrival at the placement location, fellow volunteers and our Staff will welcome you and bring you to your accommodation.
The Foundation’s popular volunteer guesthouse apartments are located in the center of the seaside towns of Samaná and las Terrenas, both scenic, laid back and peaceful towns, with friendly and easy-going Dominicans, living their life with tourism, agriculture and fishing activities, all set to the beat and rhythms of Merengue, Bachata and Salsa music.
Our Volunteer Guesthouse Apartments are extremely conveniently located only a few minutes from school or the hospital, the village center and to the beaches and the Malecon, the gorgeous seaside walking promenade, where you will find a lot of restaurants, bars and shops. The villages and their surroundings are very safe and our apartments in Samana and Las Terrenas have lovely neighbours who constantly look after us. All important locations are only minutes away and it’s safe to walk at night. A shared room with two beds is the standard option. Upgrades are available for single room occupancy. Free wifi and use of a washing machine is, of course, is standard at all Aldeas de Paz facilities.
All our apartments are fully furnished and have WIFI and washing machine
Living together with volunteers from all over the world is a unique chance for cultural exchange and can be an exciting and new way of living compared to anything you’ve ever experienced before. It has certainly been a key experience in the lives of many past volunteers! Volunteers work and live together and learn how to be empathetic and considerate of others’ needs. They share their free time, house cleaning tasks and cooking (optional). It means they also become close, develop lifelong friendships and have immense fun along the way! We feel that it is important to highlight that we have created an environment of respect and consideration. If you wish a single room upgrade add €40 per week and an all in Host Family homestay upgrade is €145 per week, including a private bedroom and two meals per day.
Travel Logistics
The Foundation will do everything to make sure our volunteers remain safe during their stay in the Dominican Republic. On your way to Santa Barbara de Samana you will most likely fly into Las Americas airport near Santo Domingo, where we have established a great cooperation with a very personal welcome service for our incoming volunteers! Your driver will help you personally and thoroughly during your transit from the airport Las Americas to the bus terminal which is only 10 minutes away, therefore granting you peace of mind and tranquillity during your travel. The driver will assist you with purchasing your bus ticket and bring you to the bus terminal where you will catch the direct and comfortable bus to Samana, the last stop on the route. Travel-time on the bus is two hours only. On arrival at the placement location, fellow volunteers and our Staff will welcome you and bring you to your accommodation.
Continued Commitment
Aldeas de Paz is open to working with multimedia volunteers even after they have left the foundation. It is possible for volunteers to continue contributing to the foundation as a virtual volunteer after returning home.
Multimedia Journalism & Social Media Management
The purpose of this Social Multimedia project is to promote the foundation´s mission which is primarily to raise awareness of the rights of children and woman in the DR
$351/week
You requested a page that doesn't exist on this site any more. This could be caused by a link you followed that was out of date, by a typing in the wrong address in the address bar, or simply because the post has been deleted.