Project Esperanza
Service Learning • Cultural Immersion • Spanish Application • Education
A one-week learning and service program with Haitian immigrant communities
| LOCATION Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic | DURATION 7 Nights / 8 Days | STUDENT GROUP Grades 9–12 |
| AIRPORT Puerto Plata (POP) | LODGING All-Inclusive Resort | PROGRAM FEE $830 per person (airfare not included) |
| PROGRAM FOCUS English Immersion and Youth Leadership | ||
Learning Through Culture, Language, and Service
Spend a week in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, learning alongside Project Esperanza, a nonprofit that has worked with Haitian immigrant and refugee families for more than 20 years. Students practice Spanish in real settings, take part in community-guided service at Esperanza's schools and educational farm, and explore how language, migration, and access to education shape daily life. The program is planned with your school and built to connect back to classroom goals.
Why Puerto Plata and Project Esperanza
For more than 20 years, Project Esperanza has worked alongside Haitian immigrant and refugee communities in Puerto Plata. Its work includes grassroots education, support for youth and families, community development, and an educational farm.
This setting gives students a chance to learn about language, migration, education, agriculture, and community life through direct experience with Project Esperanza's programs.
What Your Week Looks Like
Each program is planned with your school and Project Esperanza. A typical week includes tutoring children in English and other subjects in Esperanza's schools (pre-K through 6th grade), cultural learning, and hands-on work at the educational farm, where students learn sustainable farming practices and see how the fresh vegetables grown there supplement Esperanza's nutrition programs and community food distribution. An approved community project rounds out the week. Activities reflect local priorities and your group's academic goals.
Students prepare before they travel and return with observations and work they can connect to the classroom.
Built Around Your School's Goals
Your Next Stop Travels works with schools and Project Esperanza to create an educational experience that supports classroom objectives while providing teachers with planning assistance and local program coordination.
Flexible Programs
Programs can be adapted to a school's academic goals, student interests, and preferred areas of service.
Teacher Leadership
Teachers remain the educational leaders of their students, with support from Your Next Stop Travels throughout the planning process.
Local Expertise
Project Esperanza provides local knowledge, community relationships, orientation, and onsite program guidance.
School & Family Support
Schools and families receive clear information about program activities, costs, travel preparation, and participation requirements.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Staying at Project Esperanza's educational farm allows students to experience daily community life beyond scheduled activities. Shared meals, conversations, cultural exchange, and daily reflection become part of the learning experience, creating opportunities for personal growth, independence, and a deeper understanding of the community.
What Students Will Learn
Students connect their experiences in Puerto Plata to classroom learning through cultural exchange, language, education, community service, and global awareness. Guided reflection and hands-on participation help students build knowledge, communication skills, leadership, and a broader understanding of the world.
Student Learning Objectives
Culture & Community
Explore how history, migration, language, and community traditions influence daily life in Puerto Plata.
Language & Communication
Apply Spanish in everyday situations while recognizing the role of Haitian Creole in the local community.
Education & Opportunity
Examine how access to education, economic opportunities, and community resources affects children and families.
Service & Leadership
Develop teamwork, responsibility, problem-solving, and leadership through community-guided service activities.
Agriculture & Sustainability
Explore connections between agriculture, food systems, environmental responsibility, and community well-being when included in the program.
Global Citizenship
Develop cultural awareness, empathy, adaptability, and an understanding of how individuals and communities can work together to address challenges.
Turn Experience Into Learning
Students document their experiences through journals, field observations, group discussions, and guided reflection. Teachers may extend the learning through presentations, research projects, or student-led initiatives after returning home.
The Esperanza Learning Challenge
Students explore a question related to education, migration, language, or community development, using their firsthand observations to connect the experience with classroom studies.
Connecting Experience With Future Opportunities
Project Esperanza introduces students to possibilities beyond the classroom. Through language, education, community engagement, and leadership, students explore interests that may lead to future studies, careers, and continued community involvement.
Language & Global Readiness
Students apply Spanish in real-world settings and develop cross-cultural communication skills. These experiences introduce career possibilities in international relations, translation, tourism, and global education.
Education & Human Services
Working alongside educators and community programs introduces students to teaching, child development, social work, nonprofit organizations, and careers supporting children and families.
Agriculture & Sustainability
Educational farm and community activities, when included, introduce students to agriculture, food systems, environmental sustainability, and careers in agricultural education and community development.
Leadership & Civic Engagement
Through teamwork, problem-solving, and community-guided service, students develop leadership skills applicable to education, public service, nonprofit management, and community organizations.
Cost Summary
7-Night / 8-Day Student Land Program
Airfare is quoted separately. The land program includes:
- Seven nights of shared accommodations at Project Esperanza's Volunteer House in Muñoz.
- Three meals daily.
- Airport pickup and drop-off at Puerto Plata International Airport (POP).
- Transportation required for scheduled program activities.
- Volunteer orientation and community-guided service activities.
- Local program coordination and translation support.
- Program materials provided by Project Esperanza.
- Travel planning and support for teachers and families.
Family Accommodations
Accompanying family members may choose nearby all-inclusive resort accommodations. Resort rates are quoted separately and are not included in the student land program.
Student Safety Comes First
Student safety is an important part of every program. Project Esperanza, school leaders, and Your Next Stop Travels work together to coordinate student activities, supervision, and emergency planning.
Local Support & Supervision
Project Esperanza provides onsite program guidance, orientation, and local coordination. Teachers and designated chaperones remain responsible for student supervision throughout the trip.
Health & Emergency Preparedness
Before departure, student medical information, emergency contacts, insurance requirements, and individual needs are reviewed. Local medical resources, emergency transportation arrangements, and communication procedures will be confirmed before travel.
Travel & Weather Safety
Activities are planned with attention to local conditions and weather. Emergency procedures, including severe weather and hurricane contingencies, will be established before departure.
A detailed, destination-specific Safety and Emergency Plan will be available to teachers and school administrators. This document will outline medical resources, emergency contacts, transportation procedures, severe weather protocols, and student safety measures.
Ready to Plan Your Group?
Once a school determines its level of interest, the program can be refined around expected participation, preferred dates, school requirements, and student and family needs.
To discuss program options, pricing, or planning, contact Karen Smith.
