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To Parents and Spouses

Smart and safe travel

Spring 2006

Several times each year, I am asked by concerned parents or spouses, "Is the DR safe?" . As the place that I have been calling home for the last 2 years, the DR is where I feel comfortable and safe. I have to remind myself that while considering Washington State my home several years ago, my perspective of the DR was quite different. Safety is a concept that is spoken of in reference to one's home, and it is natural to have concerns, questions and excitement regarding the unknown. I have come to understand that those who pose that question really mean "What are you doing about the safety of my loved ones in your programs?"

Recent world events have created a great deal of anxiety in North America and around the world regarding safety. US State Department's Worldwide Cautions and Public Announcements (available at www.travel.state.gov) and Center for Disease Control and Preventions Travelers' Health Information (www.cdc.gov) bring up some appropriate concerns for traveling abroad. While these should be taken seriously, it is useful to realize that cautions and concerns are not a recent phenomenon. Nor have they prevented thousands of students and community service volunteers from safely traveling and bettering themselves as global citizens.

The safety of our program participants has always been of paramount importance to us and our sponsoring organizations in the development of educational, and community service in the Dominican Republic. It is important to realize that safety on Dominican Outreeach programs is a shared responsibility. We spend the first day of orientation on safty and rules to make the trip successful. Accordingly, you will find that some of the safety information deals with what we expect of our well-informed, active program participants and of their families.

The Dominican Republic is a truly special place. Still, this is a developing nation and a culture with both similarities and differences to that of North America.

We sincerely hope that the information contained within this letter and the referenced website links have addressed your concerns as a parent or spouse of a participant on a Dominican Outreach program. We look forward to hosting your child or spouse in the Dominican Republic through his or her sponsoring organization. Wr have always held ourselves to the higher, accountability-oriented standards of the international study-abroad industry regardless of the nature of our guests' sponsoring organizations. Our recommendations, policies and procedures have been adapted from publications and workshops by the Association of International Educators (NAFSA). We are innovators, not just in the development of enriching and exciting programs in the DR, but in the standards of care we hold dear regarding our guests, employees, and local communities. We encourage your challenging and important questions as they help us to build stronger, safer and more rewarding opportunities for our future volunteers.

Sincere thanks,

Dale A. Johnson

Co-Founder and Director of Dominican Outreach