InteRDom Supports the Caribbean Youth Environment Network
Santo Domingo, August 4, 2009

In order to uphold its mission to promote academic and cultural exchange and internationalization, InteRDom is extending its support for the week-long initiative Caribbean Youth Environment Network Congress (CYEN). InteRDom will be assisting in the promotion and execution of the event, which will be held in Santo Domingo from August 8-15, 2009.

The mission of the CYEN is to bring together 30 youths from around the region to learn skills, ideas and tactics for making change in the Caribbean, given that the population of the Caribbean region is one of the most vulnerable in the world to the negative effects of climate change. The training will cover a number of topics related to the theme, including campaign planning, international climate policy, on-line tools, media work and more.

CYEN is a biannual event that was first hosted in St. Lucia in 2003. This marks the first year that the Dominican Republic participates in the initiative, as well as the first year that the event is hosted by a Spanish-speaking nation. Other participating nations include Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Belize and many more.

The agenda of the Congress includes panel discussions and training sessions on climate change, field visits to community projects led by youths in the Southern region of the country and a reforestation project on the outskirts of Santo Domingo. Participants will also have the opportunity to take a walking tour of the Colonial Zone and participate in other activities with the goal of learning more about the culture and history of the Dominican Republic.

The event is co-sponsored by InteRDom’s parent organization, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarollo, which will also host the first three days of training seminars. Other sponsors include the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), PLAN International, Peace Corps, Brigadas Verdes, Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano (CAD), and the Inter-institutional Technical Group of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic.

InteRDom is an initiative of the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and its sister organization in the United States, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), which has, since 2005, offered students the opportunity to acquire professional experience through internships in Dominican organizations and companies related to their areas of study. The program significantly contributes to the development of the national labor sector and the advance of academic research.