IBBY-Yamada 2024: Dominican Republic

IBBY-Yamada 2024: Dominican Republic
Lleva un libro en la maleta (Roundtrip Book Exchange Project)

This dual peace education initiative builds a cultural and literary bridge between the communities of Capotillo in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Tetuán in Madrid (Spain), home to a large Dominican immigrant community. The project focused on book exchange and training workshops to foster reading mediation and intercultural understanding among vulnerable youth.

After an initial outreach to schools in Madrid, one institution, CEIP Ignacio Zuloaga, formally received the donation of books by Dominican authors. In response, the project team redirected its efforts toward engaging local NGOs that support Dominican children in Spain. These included the Espronceda Cultural Centre, Cesal, and the Pinar Cultural Centre, along with the Dominican Basketball League in Madrid, which works with youth at risk of gang involvement.

Workshops designed by Dominican author Farah Hallal were conducted in collaboration with these organizations and mirrored by schools and libraries in Capotillo, many of which had previously benefited from IBBY-Yamada support in 2021. The workshops developed culturally responsive strategies for reading promotion and mediation, reinforcing the creation of transnational networks committed to inclusive literacy.

Book donations were facilitated with the support of the Dominican Consulate and Embassy in Madrid, as well as Banco de Reservas volunteers. While the original plan to collaborate with Madrid schools faced challenges, the project ultimately succeeded in linking grassroots educators and cultural organizations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Lleva un libro en la maleta remains committed to sustaining this work beyond the scope of the current project, with continued book donations, workshops, and literary exchanges between the Dominican Republic and Spain.