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Dominican Republic Vida Joven
In 1985 Dick Dugger invited Cliff Anderson to the Dominican Republic to meet with a group of Dominican and American businessmen and explain the vision of Young Life. That meeting marked the beginnings of Vida Joven Dominicana. Because of that meeting, Jose and Delly Postigo, went to Castaway in Minnesota as adult guests. Jose went on to become the first president of Vida Joven in the DR and helped create the first committee. Since there were no experienced or trained Dominican leaders yet, US based Young Life groups came and spent weeks in different barrios in Santo Domingo helping to start clubs in those neighborhoods. In 1989 Mik and Phyllis Cain and their children came to Santo Domingo to help start an International Schools Club at Carol Morgan school and to help train National leaders for Vida Joven, becoming the first missionaries to work with Vida Joven Dominicana.
In 1991 Marv and Elaine Asfahl moved to the DR to help run the ministry here and continue to train those nationals who were involved. In 1993 Scott and Jen Steele moved to the DR to run the International schools ministry at Carol Morgan and became important leaders with the Dominican volunteers; Scott later took over as National Director.
Perhaps one of the most important dates in Vida Joven history is in 1994 when Rafa Alejo began club in Barranca, La Vega. Antonio (achu) de Leon, Any de Leon, Julia Veloz, Dioni Veloz, and Aldo Joel Felix all were kids and later student leaders in that club who now form the core of our Vida Joven staff. Rafa came on staff officially in 1998 and Any, Achu and Julia all followed him two years later.
The history of camps in the DR had a rough start. In 1996 Red Rock Ranch was started under the construction leadership of Chad and Krista Wallace. In 1997 it was destroyed by members of the Dominican armed forces for little to no reason. In 1998 Vida Joven aquired the land in Jarabacoa that has come to be known as Pico Escondido. Construction began in 1999 and continues still today and Vida Joven has hosted camps there ever since. The ministry owes a great debt to the many people who have come with work teams and invested their energy, time and money in this ministry.
In 2003 Scott and Jen Steele left the DR and Arturo Paulino took over as the first Dominican National director with the help of his wife Tracy (Kunf), who had started Vida Joven in Santiago in 1996. Milagros also began supporting student staff that year and Aldo and Dioni became the first two student staff members and the ministry continued to grow.
Today there are 17 active clubs in the DR that minister to roughly 460 kids each week. There are 5 full time staff, one part time staff, and 5 student staff members who help oversee and train 80 volunteer leaders and 250 campaigner kids. Clubs have started that minister to International school kids, Haitian teens (Jenn Vi), and students with disabilities (Capernaum). Through the investment of so many—some named here and many not, God has worked amazingly to impact the lives of teens in the Dominican Republic. We praise him for what he has done.
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