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As part of the Program of Cultural Exchange, Melassa coordinates internships for international students to live, study and work in the Dominican Republic helping to advance Melassa's proyects, in particular in the coordination of workshops, the organization of main activities such as the International Delegation and grant writing, and in the stages of research and documentation.  Melassa helps students to find affordable lodging and we also help them to find other activities of their own interest, such as Spanish classes, dance classes, and other educational and cultural exhanges with Dominican organizations and universities.  If students are planning to stay a whole semester, credits can be arranged with their corresponding institutions.

Currently, Melassa is implementing a computerized after-school program and a library project in partnership with the local school of Mata Los Indios, Villa Mella, and we are particularly interested in recruiting tutors for reading, writing, and math skills as well as other subjects such as English and Basic Computers.   We are particularly interested in students who have some computer skills and who can work with Spanish-speaking children and adolescents.  If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Karin Weyland by Email: kweyland@codetel.net.do
 
 

The summer interns were dedicated to projects in the ADASEC Food Kitchen in the town of Palavé and the Melassa Communitary Center  in Mata de los Indios, Villa Mella. The intern Julio Mora was in charge of the first project, filming in the "bateyes"  developing a work methodology and sharing knowledge of culture and  identity and doing artistic activities with children in the food kitchen.   Meanwhile,  Paola Mateo was in charge of the Melassa Communitary Center (inagurated June 11, 2004) located at the Mata de los Indios Primary School, San Felipe, Villa  Mella, where every Wenesday and Thursday interns and members of Melassa Foundation are teaching English,  Computer and Reading,  Writing and also there are future plans to present films about identity and Internet use, which have been in colaboration with Intec students.  The Intern Anaís Surkin actively colaborates in both projects and also subtitled documentaries and wrote the script for a project entitled "Women of April."   All activities are done under the supervision of the Melassa Foundation.

The interns told us their experience in the following texts:

"The brightly colored space of yellow and orange that alternates from wall to wall in the office of the Melassa Foundation has been a welcomed change to the lifeless dreary off white color office that I have stationed my body at for the last seven years.   But it was in this environment that I have contributed and served with pride and determination to reduce the problems that the community encounters through insight, knowledge, compassion, and persistence.  All of the attributes and experiences that it takes to comprehend the functions and influence of a community based organization and the labor of community service I learned in this city agency.

Therefore, entering the environment of Melassa was an easy transition, the only difference is that it was a non profit community based organization which heavily depends on the donations of others and volunteers to cultivate their specific objectives which happens to fall under my area of study.  My perception of what community service actually is has not altered or deviated much from when I began because I have always understood that it is work that demands unlimited patience in order to achieve a desired objective or at least create some type of positive change. What makes this type of work the more difficult is lack of resources and lack of interest from the community, not implying that this is the case here but it ascends my perception of those individuals in that struggle to a whole new level.  Those types of individuals are members of the Melassa Foundation.  I have learned that community service to them does not just mean assisting the community, to them the definition of community service means to empower that community with knowledge and pride so that they may progress forward as a community. The foundation also attempts to demystify these false ideologies of community service through hands on involvement and experience with the communities they empower.

My experience in Melassa with these communities has been one of familiarity as far as cultural aspects that I recognize within Dominican Republic from my family but also one of discovery.  I say discovery because they are many other aspects of traditions and customs that contribute to the identity of the Dominican people that was never mentioned or acknowledged growing up.  Thankfully, there have been social scientists that have documented these cultures on paper so that they may be preserved.  The preservation of these cultures through visual documentation is one of Melassa´s main objectives and one of the most important, in my opinion.  An image has the ability to cement itself into ones memory much more so than words. Through my internship I have been able to assist in the subtitling of the organizations documentary Congo Pa Ti and began development of a script for a documentary focused on the Bateyes. The documentary will address the issues of discrimination and the status of citizenship for the Haitians and Haitian Dominicans of these impoverished communities that the government has not deemed worthy of its assistance.

Palave is an old batey that the documentary will be focused on and since the internship began I have been going to Comedor Palave every Friday from 10am to 12pm to facilitate workshops on explaining identity and culture to children from that community.  It was in this area that I definitely faltered through my fear and inexperience with children.  The reason for this workshop is that Melassa believes that in order to document a culture, a community, a people, you must give something back.  Assisting the foundation in this workshop were students from INTEC who were instrumental to the successes of these workshops and ADASEC for allowing this collaboration to take place.  Comedor Palave was uncharted territory for me but it was a space that provided enough insight into my fears that it slightly diminished them

In addition to acquiring some skills in documentary production and development, developing an agenda for a workshop with children I have also been fortunate enough to participate in an internship with a local cable station called T.V. Areito. The station focuses on developing and producing programs that visually illustrate all cultural aspects of Dominican identity.  This internship has greatly improved my Spanish grammar, diction, and pronunciation by providing its professional atmosphere and social interaction.  It is unfortunate that I am only here for a month because I have not also gained knowledge but I have also been incorporated into the foundation and its struggle.  There is more that I could have contributed.

There are theories on how community based organizations could provide the best service and information to attain their objective or improve them.  During this time I have read reports of various methods addressing this issue of relevance with examples of each and what their faults could be depending on the conditions that exist in that current environment.  Some of these theories-which have occurred in the United States and Europe-are collaborations between community organizations and educational institution that links service with learning, and community organizations hiring educational institutions to conduct research.  It also discussed the transformation of communities driven by a common cause like AIDS and toxic pollution to become producers of scientific knowledge instead of consumers. Their efforts have expanded the definition of scientific work, challenging mainstream scientists.  All of these theories and methods are being implemented in the Melassa Foundation, of which I have personally experienced.  This theories are logical and have been very successful but what always disintegrates this theories are the collaborators egos, one faction not understanding the others perspective and not recognizing that everyone involved are students as well as teachers.  There is nothing I could add to these methods, the thing that is required is a sense of respect and understanding for all involved.  And Melassa tries to achieve that everyday through their workshops, documentaries and dedication."
 
 

The summer of 2004 was one of the best summers of my life.  I have always been drawn to everything Dominican.  Although I have been involved with Dominican communities in New York and in Puerto Rico, had previously visited the Dominican Republic and have read extensively on the topic, I did not have much hands-on experience in the country. The experience of spending my summer working at the Melassa foundation was a perfect means of integrating myself into Dominican daily life.  I learned so much.  I went places, did and saw things that many ordinary Dominicans would not go to, do nor see.

My experience was particularly wonderful because it was so varied.  When people ask me what I did during my internship at Melassa, there is no one simple answer.  I was involved in and integrated into so many different projects.  From translating and subtitling the documentary, “Congo Pa’ Ti”, which Melassa produced, to teaching English to adolescents in the Mata de Los Indios community of Villa Mella, to researching for and writing a script for a television special about women’s participation in the Dominican revolution and US invasion of April 1965, to bringing artistic and cultural activities to the young children of ADASEC’s food kitchen in the former batey (sugar-cane cutters) community of Palavé, each aspect of my work and life in the Dominican Republic complimented the others.  The intellectual/academic work enhanced the community-based field-work and vice-versa.  In addition to formal work, the environment at Melassa and in the country was very friendly and social, so that I felt integrated into the foundation as well as into Dominican society.
 I have come away from this summer with a wealth of new experience and knowledge as well as a confirmation of my desire to go into community oriented development work, particularly in the Dominican Republic.

During the months of January through May, four students of CIEE (Council of International Exchange) are developing some educational projects in the library with the objective of familiarizing the students with its materials. This week, the fifth graders began reading a poem written by Pedro Mir. Then, they made some drawings based in different phrases that they chose. Rosalina Minier, member of the Mata de los Indios Community, graduated from the same school, is currently in charge of the library under the supervision of Karin Weyland who is the Director of the Melassa Foundation and Nikina Martinez, General Assistant of Melassa.  The proyect has three phases, one to familiarize students with the books, a second one to provide individual attention to students, and a third, to organize a contest for best readers and grammar.

For more information about the Methodology of the Library Project and the process of evaluation, click here.

The intern Prisca Melliance is doing one video letter to send it one group of Dominican youth of  Washington Heights who work in GAP (Global Action Project) Organisation in Nueva York.  We hope can to colaborate with this group in the future and do a video the two and know Dominican customs in the two places. Meanwhile the video letter helps us to know us and  an enterchange throught new technologies.

WORK WITH VIDEO LETTERS

The proyect of the video letter managed by intern Prisca of the International Exchange Program to send to Dominican youth residing in New York.  This is a collaboratie project with GAP (Global Action Project) located in New York City.

6 March, the intern Prisca worked with girls of the Mata de los Indios community, Villa Mella about video letters. In this moment, we have six goups with two or four girls whom have gone working culture, identity, economy, History and Dominican women.

Yomara, Yomaira, Lucía and Yohanka going to research about the Dominican Culture and they would like to visit  the museum of the Holy Spirit Brotherhood  to film images.

With respect to identity, Theali thought it is possible to enterview some people on the Santo Domingo streets and Villa Mella.  Doing questions about their identity and African heritage.

For economy, Catherine and Merci had the idea to go some cacao, coffee and sugar cane plantations to film.  Due to tourist industry is very important, they would like to visit one resort near the city, and if it is not possible, the Model Market.

Maria, Yanna and Escarlin worked the Dominican History and they believe that we could film the major part of their theme in the Colonial Zone visiting places, such as, Independence Park, El Conde street, Colon Park, etc.

Marianela accepted to work about the Dominican Women  and she says it is adecuate to visit Salcedo Province and to enterview some people on the street to see they know  something about Dominican Women and their heritage.

   Yaffa from Sarah Lawrence College                   Karen Anglada, Marketing student at the UASD

Emily, Nadira and Ana                                     Emily C. from Umass, Amherst

Iris from Passau University in Germany and Emily from UMASS/ Bruny and Nidira

Ana from Humbolt University in Germany and Emily from UMASS

Ana, Jemise and Karin Weyland, Melassa Director                                             Jemise and Ana

Karen, Marilyn, Jemise, Ana, Rosina (who helps in Melassa), Olga (member of  Melassa Board)
and Johanny and Marilyn working in Melassa office.

Yaffa and Karen were in charge of the first part of the Body and Image Workshop which took place in the Mata de los Indios School.  They made dance coreographies, theatre and paint activities around the theme of identity.

Emily Contreras and Emily Breton were in charge of the grant writting.  Iris worked on the Web Page taught classes in the computer lab in the Mata de los Indios School, Villa Mella. Iris also taught computer to Yohanni and Marilyn, two of the girls from the Mata de los Indios community, Villa Mella who currently work at the office of the Melassa Foundation three days a week while going to the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo.  They are both studying Education.

Jemise participated in the Body and Image Workshop and helped to catalogue the Library of the Mata de los Indios School which was donated by Melassa Foundation and Cuesta Bookstore.   She also gave a workshop with Rosina Anglada, the librarian of Flacso (Latino American Social Sciences University) who talked about the uses  of libraries, and how to incorporate the material into the classroom.  Jemise trained Yohanni and Marilyn in how create a database to find books.

Rosina, Jemise, Yohanni y Marilyn trabajando en el sistema de datos de la Biblioteca de Mata de Los Indios y de la oficina de Melassa
Rosina, Jemise, Yohanni y Marilyn working on the database system on the Mata de los Indios Library and the Offices of Melassa Foundation

Jemise is going to continue studies in the Area of African-American and Latinoamerican Studies . She is interested in exploring the place of race in an Afro-Latino/a Identity, that is,  in Black communities in Latin America.   We want to share with you a poem written by her which compares the Dominican value system with Blacks in the United States.  The poem is titled "From my grandmother to my mother"

Oh what beautiful baby!
and very black
My mother said nothing
Really, my grandmother said
what beautiful baby!
and very black
yes, very black, very black
(my mother interrupted)

Okay, my daughter is black and mine
There is no difference between her and her sister
I don't want you to differentiate between the two
If you can't do this, I won't bring them here

So, from my childhood I thought that being white is beautiful and being black isn't
the black barbies, positive comments on my hair by my parents
Couldn't save me from the world and when I was 12 years old,
I ran to the hairdresser,
waited for a long line
to change my curly hair to straight hair
And so, I began to realise my beauty.

Although I am kilometers from my country,
a world out of the customes of my grandmother
I found that thoughts about my hair don't change
But here, instead of silent thoughts, people shout out loud
What ugly hair! Fix it!
Or during a casual conversation at a midwife's home she says
what a shame that your baby was born with ugly hair

I knew immediately that we have in Alabama the same illness that some Dominicans have

Is there a medicine to has the power to end this way of thinking and cure us of this illness?

By Jemise Ray
(Thanks Blas Jiménez, author of  "There is another spainard here",  my parents and Goody Mob for his sing "Beautiful Skin")

The interns writte research papers about their experiences and communitary work in the Dominican Republic trough the Melassa Foundation.

Jemise from the University of Alabama, Birmington working with the students of the Mata de los Indios, Villa Mella

Emily editing a video about the Umass-Melassa 2002 delegation to promote the exchange

Emily and Ana working on the video.
Ana also worked in the video edition "Congo p'a tí" produced by Melassa and managed by Karin Weyland.

Nadira teaching English to Johanny

During the Spring of 2002, we had two students as interns, Janira Bonilla, graduate from Smith College, and Tené Howard, graduate of Amherst College originally from Guyana, who is currently doing a master's program in international education and community work at Columbia University, New York City.  Tené Howard spent two months in the Dominican Republic, coordinating the Hip Hop/Fusion Dance workshop, and helping to document the community of Mata Los Indios.  Tené participated in the March 2002 International Delegation  and taught Hip Hop in the studio of Dominican dancer Soraya Gallardo in exchange for participating in a dance/Afro-Dominican workshop with Dominican dancer, Marilyn Gallardo.  Tené also took dance classes in Ballet Roto Dance School and by the end of her months she could speak fluently, having improved her Spanish in about 100 percent.

Janira Bonilla, of dominican descent was visiting her family in Santiago, and became a Melass'a intern for three months in the Spring of 2002.  Janira also participated in the March 2002 International Delegation as well as helped document the community of Mata Los Indios.  She participated in the Visual Documentation Workshops and did research in the Dominican National Archives for the video-documentary.  Janira and Tené helped in the initial stage of grant-writing, and Janira helped with translations, evaluation forms, and xeroxing.

These are some of their statements evaluating Melassa's program:

From Janira:
"My role was that of student and teacher, mentor and mentee.  I think that we were all open, respectful and eager to exchange our experiences and knowledge.  The activities I liked most were the photo murals and conducting interviews.  These activities were interactive, hands on learning experiences for everyone involved.  The end product was beautiful and left us all with a sense of accomplishment and personal/communal fulfillment.  Overall, it was a beautiful, inspiring and empowering experience"

From Tené:
"First of all, my experience has opened up a view of "America" as not centered in the United States but recognizing the importance of all the Americas.  I was encouraged by the International Delegation to identify myself as American and explain my definition of American as being from both North and South American--it allowed me to express both sides of my identity.  The activities that I enjoyed the most were the activities in the community.  I think that making the mural was a great activitiy that demonstrated us working together.  I also enjoyed the talk at FLACSO because it gave me an economic perspective of what's happening in the Dominican Republic.  I thought that the project was an absolute success!  It couldn't have gone better. The involvement of the community and the delegation was truly and 'intercambio', and the experience was unique and wonderful for me. "