Santo Domingo – At the invitation of the Ministry of Education (MINERD) through its Department of Arts Education (DEMA), members of the Punta Cana System’s board of directors attended a meeting to explore a strategic alliance aimed at advancing cultural and educational development in Regional 12.
The initiative seeks to unite the efforts of the State, civil society, and the private sector to address the urgent demand for education and cultural promotion in the rapidly growing Verón–Punta Cana area. The proposed partnership would position arts education as a driver of educational, cultural, and economic transformation in one of the country’s fastest-developing regions.
The workshop, held at DEMA headquarters, was led by its director, Gelson Navarro, alongside National Gala coordinator Rosángela Mieses. Attendees included Romina Aschpurwis, president of the Punta Cana Foundation for Cultural and Artistic Expansion (FUNEYCA PC) and executive director of El Sistema Punta Cana; Flavio Di Lorenzo, secretary; Marc Van Wynsberghe, strategic advisor; Olga Lyzhina, representative of Taíno Gifts; and Ryan Peña, manager of the Punta Cana Group Foundation.
Discussions centered on establishing a public-private partnership between MINERD, FUNEYCA PC, and Taíno Gifts to launch a pilot music training program. The project would provide free music education for children and youth from public schools and vulnerable communities, with MINERD funding and progressively assigning teaching staff.
Taíno Gifts would contribute by offering technical internships and linking students with the tourism sector in areas such as crafts, design, dance, and cultural gastronomy—creating pathways for entrepreneurship and employment.
Plans also include the creation of a new Arts Program Center in Verón–Punta Cana to house eight official disciplines: Music, Dance, Theater, Film and Photography, Multimedia, Visual Arts, Jewelry and Costume Jewelry, and Metal and Wood Crafts, under a shared State-community management model.
