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As part of the commitment to the environment, understanding that we have a lot to learn from the synergy processes that nature presents, clean-up days were carried out on the Nigua River and on the Najayo and Boca Chica beaches, in the Dominican Republic, in June 2022. Several members of the refugee, migrant and host community were present to clean the spaces of garbage and waste, thus collaborating to improve the public space. This exercise served as a platform for interaction between the participants and in turn as a stage to get rid of prejudices and attitudes that go against integration, empathy and kindness. Large amounts of waste were collected by the community, which prompted the following reflection: how well is the community taking care of its rivers and beaches? Regardless of their origin or condition, all people are responsible for their environment, which is why this activity was quite useful to reinforce the sense of belonging and responsibility of the community.
The San Rafael Catholic School received the pedagogical meeting and more than 500 students participated in the activity, having their first approach to string, wind and percussion musical instruments.
Maestro Javier Abi Harb, Director of the OSBDV and who has more than 30 years of experience in music, was in charge of presenting this unique meeting that captivated hundreds of children and adolescents. Harb expressed that “this initiative aims to give tools and communicate to young people and students of all educational levels in the Dominican Republic that if they can learn to play an instrument, that they can discover a talent in music, that is why we have started this project where Venezuelan and Dominican musicians that make up the Binational Orchestra can offer their knowledge and contribute it to these communities, the goal is that in every corner of the school, community, province there is a choir, an orchestra made up of boys, girls and adolescents who have in music a space to grow, to have discipline, to be able to have an occupation in parallel to studies”.
The administrative director of the San Rafael school, the parish priest Gonzalo Herrera Díaz, expressed his pleasure at the presence of the orchestra in the school and considered it a real opportunity for the students: “This is something beautiful that the students of this school experienced today, seeing how they integrated and paid attention is something very positive that fills us with joy, it is important to have these spaces so that young people have a path of discipline, that our boys and girls can learn something else, music is joy, discipline, responsibility , and I know that we are going to achieve many things with this project”.
These meetings are scheduled to be taken to different educational institutions with the aim of promoting musical education in every corner and thus forming orchestras in the communities of this country, with children and young people from schools and colleges as protagonists.
