The Dolphin House, much loved loved by thousands of volunteers, was destroyed by an act of utter stupidity and disrespect, smoking in the Dojo relaxation area: he shouldn’t have been smoking in the house and he shouldn’t have been sleeping in the Dojo.
The loss has been total! BUT, and it’s a big BUT, the response from all over the world has been magnificent and heart warming AND we have an opportunity to create something very special out of the ashes of this disaster.
We have permissions to clear the wreckage from the house (it will be a very bureaucratic process) and we are waiting for quotes from specialist contractors- hopefully we will start clearing the mess over the next few days. Next its getting the rebuild approved and then starting the work. Bureaucracy aside we would hope to reopen the house this Summer- using concrete and steel for the floor and roof structures rather than 300 year old canary pine to ensure this never happens again.
Needless to say we need as much help as we can get. A great many of you are organising fundraisers to this end; please do what you can and as quickly as possible. All funds raised can be donated through our Go Fund Me Page.
Fundraising: If there is any way we can help please let us know. Throughout April we will be providing free accommodation and board, and all logistics, in Tenerife for anyone wanting to undertake The Teide Challenge as a fund-raiser, part of our 50th anniversary EarthDay celebrations. Just book your flight (s) and get fund raising. Let us know if you want to take part so we can reserve space for you and your colleagues.
NB. If everyone who has shown support had donated just £5 then we would already have reached our fund raining target!! Every pound counts!!
What was LOST? The office and resource room were totally destroyed- cameras, computers, TVs, acoustics equipment, hard drives etc all gone, paper records also and a library of over a thousand books. BUT all this can be replaced. Our data and reports are housed in the Cloud and on hard drives kept outside of the house, (last backed up ten days before the fire!). What was really lost was the spaces especially designed for people to relax and talk, watch videos, play music, chill and make plans; it was a place where dreams were made and opportunities perceived and grasped. We have had hundreds of emails from people saying just how much this “House of Dreams” actually meant to people over the years. (see a selection below)
So Far: We have got permissions to clear the site and are securing quotes to get the work done. Our volunteer accommodation blocks were not affected and we are currently working to upgrade them with WIFI, landscaping and office space; we are acquiring additional accommodation for our long term volunteers AND we have brought forward our collaboration with a media centre in Playa las Americas that will have state of the art computer facilities with expert mentoring available by the end of next month.
A Centre for Global Citizenship. One of our favourite groups of the year, an EU funded group from UCB had been with us throughout January. They were working on a number of projects including our Global Citizen Voucher Scheme, a scheme through which individuals can make a real difference to Climate Change, Plastic Pollution and Community Action globally. The night of the fire was the final discussion and we were going to complete the work the following day!! It was to be launched on the whale watching boats and throughout our education network the next week. We are running 2-3 weeks behind schedule.
What is interesting with the huge response we have had is that maybe there is an opportunity to create something very special, a Centre for Global Citizenship here in Tenerife where people can come and from all over the world but particularly from Europe and learn about opportunities to volunteer and collaborate with grassroots communities globally: It would have five key foundations:
If you have any ideas please contact me. [email protected].
Let’s build the dream together, a new better, House of Dreams, a Centre for Global Citizenship.
The loss has been total! BUT, and it’s a big BUT, the response from all over the world has been magnificent and heart warming AND we have an opportunity to create something very special out of the ashes of this disaster.
We have permissions to clear the wreckage from the house (it will be a very bureaucratic process) and we are waiting for quotes from specialist contractors- hopefully we will start clearing the mess over the next few days. Next its getting the rebuild approved and then starting the work. Bureaucracy aside we would hope to reopen the house this Summer- using concrete and steel for the floor and roof structures rather than 300 year old canary pine to ensure this never happens again.
Needless to say we need as much help as we can get. A great many of you are organising fundraisers to this end; please do what you can and as quickly as possible. All funds raised can be donated through our Go Fund Me Page.
Fundraising: If there is any way we can help please let us know. Throughout April we will be providing free accommodation and board, and all logistics, in Tenerife for anyone wanting to undertake The Teide Challenge as a fund-raiser, part of our 50th anniversary EarthDay celebrations. Just book your flight (s) and get fund raising. Let us know if you want to take part so we can reserve space for you and your colleagues.
NB. If everyone who has shown support had donated just £5 then we would already have reached our fund raining target!! Every pound counts!!
What was LOST? The office and resource room were totally destroyed- cameras, computers, TVs, acoustics equipment, hard drives etc all gone, paper records also and a library of over a thousand books. BUT all this can be replaced. Our data and reports are housed in the Cloud and on hard drives kept outside of the house, (last backed up ten days before the fire!). What was really lost was the spaces especially designed for people to relax and talk, watch videos, play music, chill and make plans; it was a place where dreams were made and opportunities perceived and grasped. We have had hundreds of emails from people saying just how much this “House of Dreams” actually meant to people over the years. (see a selection below)
So Far: We have got permissions to clear the site and are securing quotes to get the work done. Our volunteer accommodation blocks were not affected and we are currently working to upgrade them with WIFI, landscaping and office space; we are acquiring additional accommodation for our long term volunteers AND we have brought forward our collaboration with a media centre in Playa las Americas that will have state of the art computer facilities with expert mentoring available by the end of next month.
A Centre for Global Citizenship. One of our favourite groups of the year, an EU funded group from UCB had been with us throughout January. They were working on a number of projects including our Global Citizen Voucher Scheme, a scheme through which individuals can make a real difference to Climate Change, Plastic Pollution and Community Action globally. The night of the fire was the final discussion and we were going to complete the work the following day!! It was to be launched on the whale watching boats and throughout our education network the next week. We are running 2-3 weeks behind schedule.
What is interesting with the huge response we have had is that maybe there is an opportunity to create something very special, a Centre for Global Citizenship here in Tenerife where people can come and from all over the world but particularly from Europe and learn about opportunities to volunteer and collaborate with grassroots communities globally: It would have five key foundations:
- Conservation: In Tenerife, cetaceans would be the focus but the Centre would be a global resource for conservation efforts around the world
- Enterprise (Social and other): The Centre would act as a resource for developing enterprise skills be they commercial or socially orientated. It would provide training and micro-financing to support budding entrepreneurs globally.
- Communications: The Centre would house state of the art technology- computers, film making, photography and sound equipment and studio space and be a base for Story Tellers
- Built Green Environment: The Centre would be a base for acquiring green and alternative building and construction skills, a resource that could train and supply volunteers to projects globally.
- People: The Centre would be a space where people, young and old, can come and learn about opportunities to make a difference and be inspired to become truly Global Citizens, a global resource where people can dream of a better world and then act together to bring it about.
If you have any ideas please contact me. [email protected].
Let’s build the dream together, a new better, House of Dreams, a Centre for Global Citizenship.