Project Launch:

Judea Nueva is a frontier “pueblito” of approximately 1,000 people located in the most Northwest province of Monte Christi in the Dominican Republic. Situated alongside a major highway, the community is not isolated, however, it does suffer from a lack of environmental education. The first thing a Peace Corps Volunteer noticed upon arrival was children playing baseball next to piles of smoldering trash at their dirt field. While families take great pride in keeping their homes and personal patios clean and tidy, the streets are piled with trash, not only casting a pall on the landscape but also contributing to health problems in the area. With support from World Connect in 2011, an environmental youth group known as “Brigada Verde” was formed with youth ages eight to twenty. Weekly lectures were given as part of the group’s programming on environmental awareness along with environmental clean-up - collecting trash from the gutters, streets, and park. There are many willing and motivated youth in this community that lack constructive, educational outlets. With this youth group, organizers succeeded in not only instilling a sense of ownership among the next generation over their environment but also improved their leadership skills and self-esteem through positive group work so that they can carry these messages and lessons forward.