Youth Upliftment International (Amélioration Jeunesse Internationale) is a non-profit organization working with youth from Padre Granero, a poor community located in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The organization was created to oversee Collège Amélioration Jeunesse, a primary school which will serve street children and other vulnerable youth in the community.
Kate first had her heart stolen by Puerto Plata's street children, when she took her first vacation to the Dominican Republic in 2008. She continued to travel back to Puerto Plata numerous times a year to assist "her" children however she could. It started out as collecting donations in Canada such as clothing and school supplies.
With each trip back, the children she had befriended grew older, yet their situations only seemed to grow more desperate. While the clothing donations were appreciated, she was beginning to realize that this was a pure hand out and not a hand up. The school supplies were beneficial, yet most of the children had no use for them as they were not in school. When she saw a 12 year old boy struggle to write his name, she knew that continuing to bring school supplies was useless if the children had no one to show them how to use it. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, yet instead of learning in classrooms children could be found in the streets begging, shinning shoes, and on the beach selling sea shells to tourists to name a few popular "occupations".
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| Two Young Haitian Street kids, Puerto Plata |
There are a number of private schools in the city which offer a quality education, however the two school systems which are available to poor Dominican and Haitian children are public schools and grassroots church run classes. These two options provide very little in terms of education, resources, and discipline. They also require parents to purchase their child a school uniform which is around $45, an impossible purchase when most families make that much money in a month. Most of the kids feel that by working or begging, their time is better spent as atleast they will be able to earn a small amount of money for food and other basic needs for themselves and their families.
After many years of getting to know the children and their community(2008-2012), the idea of Collège Amélioration Jeunesse was born. Our vision is to provide a quality education to the children of Padre Granero, those who are denied an education because of discrimination and poverty.
The goal for the school is to provide students with a quality education in a nurturing and safe environment. With a teacher ratio of 1:12, vs. public schools at 1:40, our students will be able to receive the attention they need to thrive not only academically, but socially too. With a zero violence policy, we want to create classrooms where students feel comfortable to express their creativity and ask questions.
The school will follow both the Dominican and Haitian curriculum, as well as incorporate English classes. The Dominican Republic is one of the most popular Caribbean tourist destinations, and being completely confident and fluent in English will greatly benefit each student.
Our goal for the school is to add on an additional class every year, until we have reached grade 6, which will make the school a fully functioning primary school.
Upon graduation, Youth Upliftment International is committed to continue to assist our students through the ESCAPE Scholarships program, which provides school scholarships to youth who are bright, but do not have the means of paying for school.
Our dream for the school will only truly be fulfilled, when we are able to assist our former students as they enter into colleges and universities.
