About this role
Youth Development is a critical need in the Dominican Republic with one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the region, almost half of the population under the age of 25, and youth unemployment rates around 30%. As a Youth Development Facilitator in the Dominican Republic, you will contribute to national priorities by collaborating with local counterparts in guiding youth to transition into healthy, productive, civically engaged citizens and building the capacity of host country service providers, groups, and communities to prioritize positive youth development. The Youth Development project works in collaboration with local counterparts to reach youth 10 – 24-year-olds and adults by co-facilitating life skills, employability skills, and sexual and reproductive health education. Volunteers and their counterparts encourage regular participation in clubs and mentor youth. Volunteers will work in upper elementary schools (US equivalent of 4th - 6th) and secondary schools (US equivalent of 7th – 12th grades, Municipal Councils, and with the Provincial Offices of the Ministry of Women and parents when possible. Peace Corps Volunteers provide regular, consistent support to youth in underserved communities, working together with service providers and young people as a trusted friend and mentor. This daily contact and mentoring are Peace Corps’ niche Peace Corps Volunteers enhance existing school or community-based programs by building up local capacity to support youth development activities. In some cases, Volunteers support and coach counterparts to develop new programs that help empower young people and give them the opportunity to reach their full potential. These programs build skills, harness positive energy, encourage ambitions and healthy decision making, and urge youth to further their education, all providing sound bases for young peoples’ transition into healthy, productive, civically engaged adults, capable of intentional life planning.