Help me find something to do for my son - Summer

Hola Suarzen,

Love the question, actually an interest of mine! Too bad you didnt live in Canada I could recommend so much for him to do, to keep busy!

What kind of things does he like to do, what does he enjoy?
Hobbies, interests, dreams, etc.? ASK him! Dont let him get away with the common teenage response of....' Ummmm I dont know?' Tell us more about him and his personality. At 19 you dont need to know what you wnat to do with thw rest of your life but figuring out what you like or dont really like is a start and take it from there.

How much money do you have to support his trip/adventure, since I am assuming he does not work? But I would highly recommend he fund at least some of his trip.
In Canada we have a program called KATIMAVIK. 2 of my friends teen sons participated and enjoyed it.
Katimavik - Canada's youth volunteer-service program

Do you have any such programs in the USA?

I am in my early 30's and here is my 2 cents.
Dont send him to the DR for the summer. Sure he can 'hang' out with family, but he has been here a few times and has done that already.
Help broaden his horizons! Send him somewhere new and where he will have to learn how to be more independent, self reliant, etc.. Somewhere where he will be forced to be out of his comfort zone. That is how we all grow and learn and learn things about ourselves.

Travel is the best education, it opens your mind like nothing else. You learn life skills you cant learn from a text book.
I love how many of my Auzzie and European friends travelled before they entered university or after they graduated. It was expected of them and almost like a rite of passage into adulthood.

I wish that mentality was more popular in N.A.

I know that Mustard Seed Communities - Immanuel in Monte Llano has accepted groups of students to do volunteer work. Some work with the kids (who are all physically and mentally disabled), others have done things like painting or building a play area.

They have adjoining property that needs to be cleared for building. My guess is that volunteer labor for that would be most welcome.

I do not mean to be offensive, but if his English is clear and free of too much slang and sloppy pronunciation, there is a proposed program in Cabarete with which he could volunteer. (I am La Profe for a reason, !)

There is a small school in Puerto Plata which would love to be able to run a summer day camp for the students, but that is something that would need a larger group of workers to pull off.

If he has any interest in the medical field, it is possible to arrange for him to work with other volunteers who go into the Hospital Ricardo Limon (the public hospital) and help care for the patients.

The Hogar de los Ancianos near San Marcos has, in the past, been open to the idea of visitors for the elderly who spend most of their days just sitting in a chair. I am sure some of the men would enjoy a game of dominos! His Spanish would have to improve in such a situation, but that is not a bad thing.

[http://www.peacecorps.gov/

How about Spanish classes abroad in summer school...

Is your son interested in learning Spanish and bringing it up to a certain level of fluency?

You mentioned he understands a lot therefore he's already a few steps ahead of the game. Formal studies in a classroom setting would give him an advantage over other students who are learning full scope meaning comprehension, reading, writing, and speaking all at once which normally is the formal second language or bilingual learning process.

In my own experience, I found the summer immersion classes a lot of fun primarily because the weather is good, you meet people who are not from your school or local surroundings, you are totally focused because it's one subject and not several at a time and the activities the school plans are cultural, diverse and encourage the opportunity to speak.

One experience I had in my youth was summer school in Nice, France. I was told 'you are going' and believe me I never objected to it and somehow deep inside I knew it would be fun and a life long memorable experience in the French Riviera for the first time. My teacher was excellent, I met other students from all over the world, the tours were great etc. The tour group that I went with has been around for over forty years and is very successful. Have a look at EF Tours. Many language schools around the world are offered including Spanish.

The language level of each student is assessed both oral and written in order to be placed in the correct level. I was placed in the highest level offered and it was a great experience because it was nice to be among other multilingual speakers and I also defied the myth about Quebec French.

Send me a PM if you would like more details.

School Trips, Educational Travel, Student Trips | EF Educational Tours


Educational Travel, Student Travel | EF Educational Tours


Good luck!


-Marianopolita

Another vote for independent travel perhaps combined with some voluntary work and a short language course.

There are places like Antigua Guatemala where you can do both.

e.g.
Language Schools Program - Study Spanish and Volunteer Work in Antigua Guatemala

bob saunders said:

[Peace Corps

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Peace Corps is only for college graduates or people with significant work experience and requires a lengthy application process that would not be completed in time. Also, you cannot choose your country as a volunteer.

Try looking at Amigos de las Americas. It's a great summer-long volunteer experience and it looks like they have a project in Azua. Their website says their 2009 summer application has been extended.

wow

las2137 said:

Peace Corps is only for college graduates or people with significant work experience and requires a lengthy application process that would not be completed in time. Also, you cannot choose your country as a volunteer.

Try looking at Amigos de las Americas. It's a great summer-long volunteer experience and it looks like they have a project in Azua. Their website says their 2009 summer application has been extended.

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this looks like such a wonderful program. it makes me wish i could just quit my job for the summer and go volunteer to help children and just enjoy working/living with them. great link!
suarzen, i too would suggest some volunteer type work. i have a link to a program that helps build houses for poor families, i will look for it and post it here in a bit....for a young man at that age maybe some good hard work/labor would be nice for a change. :cheeky:

hey suarzen, here is the link i was referring to:
https://www.cambiandovidas.info/
these projects usually run for about a week or a little longer but so rewarding when you see the end result of hard work and teamwork!

My niece went to Mexico with Habitat for humanity to build houses. She was there for 2 months and came back with more maturity and a sense of appreciation for what she has in life. Now she's planning her next adventure.

Habitat for humanity would be a good experience. However, if you are intent on sending him to the DR do it on the condition that he will be taking classes to become fluent in Spanish. Maybe he could even get a job at one of the families local business. these two things should keep him busy enough but not so much that he doesn't enjoy his vaction.

Theres nothing worst in the world then a latino that doesnt speak spanish, so my advice is to get him into something were he will learn spanish.

I know Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers !! They are still rebuilding from Katrina! would that be something he would like to do?

jalencastro said:

this looks like such a wonderful program. it makes me wish i could just quit my job for the summer and go volunteer to help children and just enjoy working/living with them. great link!

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It really is a great program. A lot of my friends in high school did it and loved it. Fundraising by the young person is a requirement of the program, so applicants tend to be serious and dedicated. I encountered a lot of Amigos volunteers when I was a Peace Corps Volunteers and was impressed by the work that they did.

Oh, and they live with families so they pick up Spanish fairly quickly

I spent summer as a camp counselor long time ago. It was a good experience. Does your son like spending time with younger kids? He can do it abroad: Camp Counselor Jobs Overseas: Work Abroad, International Employment Opportunities Abroad

Touchy-feely activities are all nice, but how about a J-O-B? Preferably something that is very physical, with rotten pay, a slave-driving boss, and long hours. This kind of job probably comes with a shovel attached. No better way to teach a young man that if he doesn't get cracking on his studies, he just might have to do THAT for the rest of his life. After a long day of physical labor, let him hang with his friends as much as he wants to, but I'm betting he will just want to go home and crash every night.....

A really rotten, brain-free, muscle-intensive job when he's still young will give him perspective on just how little hard physical labor pays, so he better get going and develop his brain and education so that he can use his MIND instead. He might even develop some muscles to catch the girls with when he returns to school in the fall.

He might also learn appreciation for an honest buck, if he is, as you say "spoiled rotten". You might have a friend in construction who has just such a position for your son. It's the wrong time of year to make him a bracero for a few months, but you get the idea.

As he gets older, whenever he feels like slacking off, he can look back for some memories of that job to motivate him again, and it might give him perspective in the future.

GringoCArlos said:

Touchy-feely activities are all nice, but how about a J-O-B? Preferably something that is very physical, with rotten pay, a slave-driving boss, and long hours. This kind of job probably comes with a shovel attached. No better way to teach a young man that if he doesn't get cracking on his studies, he just might have to do THAT for the rest of his life. After a long day of physical labor, let him hang with his friends as much as he wants to, but I'm betting he will just want to go home and crash every night.....

A really rotten, brain-free, muscle-intensive job when he's still young will give him perspective on just how little hard physical labor pays, so he better get going and develop his brain and education so that he can use his MIND instead. He might even develop some muscles to catch the girls with when he returns to school in the fall.

He might also learn appreciation for an honest buck, if he is, as you say "spoiled rotten". You might have a friend in construction who has just such a position for your son. It's the wrong time of year to make him a bracero for a few months, but you get the idea.

As he gets older, whenever he feels like slacking off, he can look back for some memories of that job to motivate him again, and it might give him perspective in the future.

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I completely agree. I worked at McDonalds from the time I was 13 (I lied about my age...this was back before they checked such things) and put myself through college at $2.65/hr working my butt off!

I remember hanging out in the library studying for some stupid test, or trying to stay awake in some boring class, and thinking what a drag my life was. I just wanted to return to my Mcdonalds job where I didn't have to think.

Then during school breaks I would return home to live out my dream. After a while "Would you like to upsize that for just 29 cents!" and "if you have time to lean you have time to clean" brought me back to reality. Each time it took less and less time to realize I couldn't do this for the rest of my life.

Even now, when work isn't exactly a peak experience, I find myself fantasizing about how wonderful it would be to pack it in and live for the moment. Then I flash back to my burger flipping days. "Of course, Mr. Johnson. I have no plans for this weekend. I will have that report on your desk on Monday morning." Smile.

suarezn said:

OK all. I have a son who's currently 19 and going through that time in his life where he doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life. He's currently enrolled in a community college taking some generic classes that he can then transfer to whatever college he ends up going to.

Anyhow he's about to finish this semester and be pretty much free for the summer. I don't want him just hanging around his friends here in The US just doing nothing, so I would like to find something for him to do for the summer where he can get some kind of benefit (tangible or intangible).

He's a typical US grown kid (spoiled rotten) - I know that's my fault, but he can be pretty adaptable.

He's been to The DR many times and most of my family lives there - He even spent a summer down there a few years ago - but he doesn't speak fluent Spanish (He understands a lot though).

So I need ideas from the forum on what he can do this summer. Maybe any programs where he could volunteer, internship, learn Spanish, whatever...I just need to pick your brain. Whatever it is doesn't have to necessarily be based in The DR. Any and all ideas are welcome.

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DREAM Project: Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project - I need say no more.