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HAPPY DOLPHINS AND DOVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
HAPPY DOLPHINS
DOVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND HAPPY DOLPHINS PROJECT
ARE PARTNERING TO SUPPORT THE KIDS OF DOVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
WITH THEIR AMAZING PROGRAMS. READ ON TO LEARN MORE AND
HELP SUPPORT THIS INCREDIBLE PARTNERSHIP!
OUR MISSION
To bring confidence, joy, and a sense of hope and wholeness to the underprivileged children of the North Shore
of the Dominican Republic through water sports and the connection with the ocean.
OUR VISION
Happy Dolphins is a sustainable project which aims to enhance lives through education in swimming, water sports, and respect for the ocean.
SURF CAMP
Over a 6-week period, the Happy Dolphins Summer Surf Camp teaches 200 children, ages 10 to 16 from Cabarete and Puerto Plata.
Our goal is to offer 600 lessons and the program includes water shoes, lycras, surf gear and snacks. Surfing is not only one of the coolest sports in the world for a child to practice, it also brings many physical and psychological benefits.
By surfing regularly, children get a full body workout, as it is one of the most intense cardiovascular sports on water. The child sees the it as fun time, not as tedious exercise. Surfing is also great for the child's mental health. It offers stress and anxiety release, often common in kids at risk. All of this contributes to the child's overall well-being.
The Happy Dolphins Summer Surf Camp teaches kids about safety in open water and encourages them to get to know the beach they are visiting: wave patterns, currents, and what to do in times of uncertainty. A sense of pride grows in the child, as he returns home and tells siblings and parents of his surfing adventure.
SWIM INSTRUCTOR/LIFESAVING CERTIFICATION
Swimming
By creating 10 swim instructors each year, Happy Dolphins will teach 800+ kids how to swim by 2024. Did you know that out of 10 kids, 8 DON'T know how to swim in the Dominican Republic? This is due to an ancestral fear of drowning, especially as the mama has to work from sunrise till dusk, and often the father figure is missing altogether.
Learning to swim empowers the child and gives him access to the wonderful playground that are our tropical waters. Plus, swimming opens a world of job opportunities in water sports.
The Swim Trainer Certification program, carried out by a prestigious international institution, will enable young individuals to teach swimming to the little ones in the community through Happy Dolphins swimming program Ya Se Nadar.
Thanks to access to community pools, 10 instructors will teach the children to swim, and we will change the statistics around, to 8 out of 10 children knowing how to swim!
Lifesaving
Our goal is to provide 100 lifesaver certifications by 2022. So this fall, we are coordinating a program with a renowned international volunteer organization to make this a reality.
Unfortunately, drownings are not uncommon in coastal communities. By building a team of lifesavers, Happy Dolphins is not only promoting a safer environment in our beaches and hotel pools, but also creating confident leaders who earn a clean and dignified living in the ocean.
At Happy Dolphins, we consider lifesavers modern day superheroes.
The program also contributes to the north shore blue economy by the benefiting the tourism industry in support of a better, of a safer experience for visitors.
Help us create leaders through new and exciting job opportunities.