Mission
​SOMOS provides tailored, community-based, learning opportunities and home-stays where the community is our classroom. Through partnerships with individuals, schools, colleges, universities and non-profit organizations, SOMOS strives to promote vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities.
From the Director
Welcome!
I’m pleased to present SOMOS — an education center that provides community based education initiatives, retreats and summits — where we intentionally create learning opportunities that are meaningful, relevant and yes, transformative — with the goal of bringing out the best in you! I’ve been teaching, researching and implementing these types of programs for the past 30 years, starting my career as a Peace Corps volunteer in
the Dominican Republic. I attended graduate school at Cornell University, where I conducted my research on economic out migration from the Dominican Republic and its impact on local development. I then obtained my PhD from UNC Chapel Hill in Education, “Culture, Curriculum and Change”, conducting my dissertation research on the unforeseen hegemonic agendas in education, research and community service.
The insights I gained from this research allowed me to develop a deeper understanding and vision on how to engage students, teachers and community members within these settings. As a teacher educator (serving on the faculty at Mississippi State University, Nazareth College and the NC State Department of Education) and as a community outreach administrator (at Duke University’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies), I was able to implement courses and programs that allowed students, teachers, and community members to develop this vision and to understand how to maximize the human potentials within these settings by first addressing their own positions and responsibilities and then to critically explore the hierarchies and
structures that minimize one’s potential — ultimately, liberating
one-self from the borders and boundaries that marginalize and exclude. In short, I’m now able to incorporate this same vision in the programs and community initiatives at SOMOS where we work with individuals, schools, colleges and organizations to create vibrant, equitable, inclusive and sustainable communities. We hope you can join us on this journey. If you have additional questions or suggestions, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at leanne@somos.center.
LeAnne Campbell, PhD
Location
La Cumbre de Salcedo
SOMOS is located in the mountains of La Cumbre de Salcedo, within a small rural village of 40 households. Sitting atop a mountain, SOMOS enjoys spectacular views of the valley to the south and to the east and west. The road leading to the center is known as the entrance to “The Lilies” — a village further up the mountains, once surrounded by fields of lilies. Due to the extensive and complete loss of coffee plants, over 85% of the people residing in this area have moved to urban centers with the hopes of finding better employment. Those who stayed diversified their crops and continue to farm, mainly cacao (chocolate), plantains, bananas, avocados, zapotes, sweet
potatoes, yautia, corn and beans. SOMOS also grows these same crops. Sitting in a peaceful, quiet and tranquil corner of La Cumbre, SOMOS is surrounded by extensive gardens, orchards and cultivated plots, providing produce to share with families in the village as well as guests who attend the Exploratory Retreats. In addition, SOMOS grows mangos, pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, peppers, squashes, passion fruit, star fruit, jack fruit, eggplant, oranges, lemons, limes, and all kinds of additional vegetables.
SOMOS also assists in community projects, specifically water projects, computer/English classes, youth groups, a womens' group and tree nurseries. These projects are free to those residing within and around the village of La Cumbre.
Province of Las Hermanas Mirabal
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Recognized for it’s thriving artistic scene, it’s rich cultural history, and a long history of successful agricultural farming, the province of Las Hermanas Mirabal is home to several universities and local NGO’s. As a result SOMOS has been fortunate to partner with these institutions as well as local schools, cooperatives and individuals.
Contact
SOMOS Center
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Calle de Las Lirios, La Cumbre De Salcedo
Salcedo, Dominican Republic
Whats app contact: (919) 768-2836
Email: info@SOMOS.center
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