Common Good Video Series: Rebirth in the Dominican Republic

Sojourners

25 Apr 201303:24

Summary

TLDRThe video script highlights the Dominican Republic's natural beauty and acknowledges its social challenges. It introduces 'Zurza,' a non-profit entity focused on environmental sanitation, working directly with residents to improve their living conditions. The community in the capital's 'La Salsa' neighborhood, named after its three springs, is engaged in waste management, promoting a culture of refuse, reduce, and recycle. Funds generated are dedicated to programs for the elderly, fostering a sense of respect and community solidarity. The script emphasizes the importance of understanding the common good as a shared responsibility, not just an individual's or the leaders' concern.

Takeaways

🏝️ The Dominican Republic is a country with natural beauty, often known for its sun and beaches.
🌍 It is also a country with felt needs and problems, highlighting the complexity beyond its touristic image.
🌱 'Funciona' is a non-profit project that serves as a pilot model for what can be achieved with dedication and effort.
🤝 'Zurza' is a non-profit entity dedicated to environmental sanitation, working directly with residents to improve their living conditions.
🏘️ The community work is centered in the capital of the Dominican Republic, specifically in the 'La Salsa' neighborhood.
💧 The name 'La Salsa' comes from three springs in the lower part of the neighborhood, used for recreation and bathing.
🗑️ The main work involves managing solid waste and promoting a culture of refuse, reduce, and recycle.
💰 Money generated from the solid waste program is dedicated to a program for the elderly, addressing a significant demographic.
👵 The elderly participate in recreational, psychomotor, and cultural creativity activities, preserving traditions.
🎭 The foundation has fostered respect for the elderly in the community through cultural activities like poetry, singing, and dancing.
👫 'Pulsa Azul' focuses on solidarity, defining it as sharing the common good and identifying with the people.
🔍 The concept of the common good is emphasized, clarifying that it belongs to everyone and not just a select few or the leaders.

Q & A

What is the Republic Dominican known for besides its natural beauty?
-Besides its natural beauty, the Republic Dominican is known for having felt needs and problems, which the script suggests can be addressed through projects like the one mentioned.
What type of project is being discussed in the script?
-The script discusses a non-profit project dedicated to environmental sanitation, which works directly with residents to improve their living conditions.
What is the main activity of the Zurza community in the Republic Dominican?
-The main activity of the Zurza community is working with solid waste, promoting a culture of refuse, reduce, and recycle through a solid waste program.
How does the Zurza community generate funds for their programs?
-The Zurza community generates funds through their solid waste program, which is then dedicated to programs for the elderly.
What is the demographic that the Zurza community particularly focuses on with their programs for the elderly?
-The Zurza community focuses on an elderly population that was often forgotten and neglected, providing them with recreational and psychomotor activities.
What cultural activities are the elderly involved in according to the script?
-The elderly are involved in cultural activities such as poetry, singing, dancing, and transmitting cultural creativity.
How has the foundation managed to revive respect for the elderly in the community?
-The foundation has managed to revive respect for the elderly by involving them in community activities and recognizing their contributions to cultural creativity.
What is the concept of 'solidarity' as defined by the script?
-Solidarity, as defined by the script, is sharing the common good and identifying with the community, recognizing that it is a collective effort and not the responsibility of any individual or group.
What is the significance of the 'Barrio La Salsa' in the script?
-Barrio La Salsa is significant as it is the community where the Zurza's work is based, and it gets its name from the three springs in the lower part of the neighborhood, used for recreation and bathing.
How does the script describe the community's approach to environmental sanitation?
-The script describes the community's approach to environmental sanitation as a collective effort, focusing on reducing, reusing, and recycling solid waste, and creating a culture around these practices.
What is the role of the non-profit entity in the community's environmental sanitation project?
-The non-profit entity plays a crucial role in directly working with the residents, improving their living conditions, and fostering a community-based approach to environmental sanitation.

Outlines

00:00

🌴 Dominican Republic's Environmental and Social Initiatives

The paragraph introduces the Dominican Republic as a Caribbean nation with natural beauty but also acknowledges its social and environmental challenges. It highlights a non-profit initiative focused on environmental sanitation, working directly with residents to improve their living conditions. The initiative, named 'La Zurza,' is based in the capital's 'La Salsa' neighborhood, which is named after three springs used for recreation and bathing. The main work involves solid waste management and promoting a culture of refuse, reduce, and recycle. The program generates funds that are dedicated to an elderly program, supporting a significant population of older adults who were previously neglected. Through various activities, the foundation has managed to revive respect for the elderly within the community.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Caribbean

The Caribbean refers to a region that includes the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and the surrounding coasts. In the script, it is used to describe the geographic location of the Dominican Republic, emphasizing its natural beauty and being a central part of the Caribbean's allure.

💡Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean known for its beaches and sunshine. The script mentions it to highlight not only its touristic appeal but also to contrast it with the country's social and environmental challenges.

💡Non-profit

A non-profit organization is an entity that operates without the primary goal of making a profit, focusing instead on serving a public or communal benefit. In the script, the non-profit is described as being dedicated to environmental sanitation, which is central to the video's theme of community improvement.

💡Environmental Sanitation

Environmental sanitation refers to the management of waste and pollution to protect public health and the environment. The script discusses the non-profit's work in this area, directly engaging with residents to improve their living conditions and the community's environmental health.

💡Community

Community denotes a group of people living in the same place or having common interests. The script frequently mentions the community, especially in the context of the non-profit's work to involve residents in environmental projects and cultural activities.

💡Solid Waste

Solid waste refers to non-liquid waste materials that are discarded by households, businesses, and institutions. The script discusses the non-profit's efforts in managing solid waste, which is a key aspect of their environmental sanitation program.

💡Recycling

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into reusable materials and objects. The script promotes the idea of a 'recycle-reduce-refuse' culture, which is part of the non-profit's strategy to manage waste and raise environmental awareness.

💡Elderly Population

The elderly population refers to the segment of a society that is older, often retired, and may require special care and attention. The script mentions an initiative aimed at the elderly, providing them with recreational and psychomotor activities, which is a way to respect and engage with this demographic.

💡Cultural Creativity

Cultural creativity involves the generation of new ideas, expressions, and activities within a cultural context. The script describes how the non-profit encourages the elderly to participate in cultural activities, such as poetry, singing, and dancing, fostering a sense of community and continuity.

💡Respect

Respect is the act of showing consideration or appreciation for someone or something. In the script, respect is highlighted as a value that the non-profit aims to revive within the community, particularly towards the elderly, as a way to strengthen social bonds.

💡Solidarity

Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling and action, often in pursuit of a common goal. The script discusses the concept of solidarity in the context of sharing common goods and working together for the benefit of the community, which is a fundamental aspect of the non-profit's mission.

Highlights

The Dominican Republic is nestled in the heart of the Caribbean with natural beauty.

It's a common misconception that the Dominican Republic is only about sun and beaches.

The country also faces significant needs and problems.

The Zurza non-profit organization is dedicated to environmental sanitation.

Zurza works directly with residents to improve their living conditions.

Community work in the capital's La Salsa neighborhood is highlighted.

La Salsa gets its name from three springs used for recreation and bathing.

The main work involves managing solid waste and promoting a waste reduction culture.

Money generated from the solid waste program is dedicated to the elderly program.

There's a significant population of elderly people who were often forgotten.

Elderly participants engage in recreational, psychomotor, and cultural creativity activities.

The foundation has revitalized respect for the elderly in the community.

Pulsa Azul works for solidarity, defining it as sharing the common good.

Solidarity is about identifying with one's people and working for the common good.

The concept of the common good is clarified, emphasizing that it belongs to everyone, not just a few.

The community, not just the leaders or partners, owns the common good.