High School Community Service & Volunteering Programs in Dominican Republic

My daughter returned absolutely glowing. She went to the DR, she wanted to stay there longer! She loved her mentors, loved everyone there, and made new friends. She said it was the best thing she has ever done!! And as a parent, the support was exceptional. This trip was my daughter’s first. Knowing how supported she was while there and how I was at home - I will not be nervous to send her or another one of my kids.

This experience was enjoyable to the utmost degree. I learned so much about myself, others, and the problems that the world has regarding public health. I genuinely believe that I will take what I have learned in this program and apply it to my life back home. In addition, this program put me on track to becoming a better person.

As a parent you do a lot of research into these types of trips/experiences before agreeing And then a whole lot more in the lead up to and then the actual event. I cannot commend GLA administration and support staff for the support they gave me, a UK based parent Nothing to much trouble. Daughter had fantastic time Daily blogs amazing No doubt she'll be asking to next year. I can think of no good reason to say no.

I have always been on the somewhat negative side of life. After coming to the Dominican Republic I have realized that life isn’t bad. This inspired me to change my attitude and help out the Dominican Republic communities with a better attitude. I will take this back to the US

I feel like a better person and that I truly immersed myself into the communities. The instructors were very smart and they knew how to explain things that the volunteers maybe didn’t understand. They truly touched our emotions.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewAugust 22, 2024

Hey Jack! Thanks so much for joining us in the DR! We're thrilled to hear you had such an immersive and touching experience. We hope you join us next summer!

I had an amazing experience with Holly, Nacho, and Kaitlyn in the DR. I experienced things I will never forget and truly felt the passion of my guides to immerse me into their communities. I’m forever grateful for my experiences and I hope to potentially come back in the future

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewAugust 02, 2024

Hey Austin! We know that our Program Leaders were happy that you were part of the group in the DR. Thank you so much for traveling with us, and we're so glad you had a great time. We hope you join us next summer for more adventures!

This program was amazing and has 100% changed my life. Seeing others live in such hard conditions and having the opportunity to help them out was so awesome. The adventures like the waterfall and the beach also made all the hard work that much more worth it. Thank you Rustic Pathways for an amazing week.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewAugust 02, 2024

Hi Abraham! We're so happy to hear how rewarding this experience was for you. Thank you for being a part of it and for all your contributions to the communities you visited! Your life was changed, but we also know you helped change lives too! We hope you join us again next summer!

An all around great experience integrating with the culture here in the DR and seeing the different sides of the country. Gained life lessons and a new understanding of myself along with the satisfaction of helping the people.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewSeptember 06, 2024

Hey Warner! We're happy to hear you had a great time in the DR and that you gained some life lessons! We hope you join us again next summer!

Best: When we did the community service and helped out the community-Interacting with the community during service work. The most memorable part of the Dominican Republic was bonding more with my brothers and seeing the impact we had on the community

When I traveled to the Dominican Republic with Rustic Pathways I loved many of the activities. Helping others get water to their village, the waterfall, beach, and the entire trip as a whole was a great success.

The service work was the most gratifying part of the travel to the Dominican Republic. However, speaking and expanding my Spanish vocabulary was the most memorable to me. It really helped my Spanish spaking skills

The service project in Dominican Republic with Rustic Pathway was impactful. The guides were amazing. Learning about their culture through personal conversations with them really elevated the experience for me.

The medical brigades were the most rewarding because I felt like my participation was having a direct impact on people who needed medical help. I loved being able to interact and communicate in Spanish with them. After seeing the conditions of those who don’t have a lot, I realized I have the resources to be my best possible self and I shouldn’t take them for granted.

GLA has given me countless opportunities to learn what it means to be a leader through the mentors group we have done that helped us reflect about ourselves and what values are we important to us and what qualities we show, to having the opportunity to be the Leader of the Day, taking on an active leadership role to encourage the group, bring the group together, and push others to be the best version of themselves that they can be. This GLA trip has also given me a lot of freedom in terms of showing initiative to bring the group together- which I took advantage of and came up with the idea to have fun team-building exercises and games at the beach to build a closer group and a sense of community. Back home at school and in my community, I will take back what I have learned about being a leader, where I will use the leadership skills I have built up on in my GLA trip to become a better leader and foster a closer and greater community.

During this trip not only did I make lifelong friends, but I also broadened my mind about things that I already was interested in like marine conservation, endangered species, and coral bleaching. We planted trees, picked up trash, and helped out a mangrove forest and all of these activities left me feeling like I was a part of something beneficial and it made me want to pursue something marine career wise!

This experience really helped to solidify my idea to help people in the future and pursue some sort of career in the medical field. It was an amazing experience that showed so many different perspectives for me to learn and take home with me to share with my family and friends. I’d really like to start volunteering at my hospital and I can use the leadership skills and actions I’ve acquired to help me conduct this.

This program was great! super well organized, definitely pack more pants/leggings than the packing list says. i never used my long sleeves, its super hot in the Dominican Republic so be prepared! the leaders and group were great, i highly recommend this trip for anybody interested in public health or just issues in the Dominican Republic.