Volunteer Guide - Dress Code

Women - Professional Dominican women dress very modestly.  Wear skirts or pants or capris below the knee.  NO SHORTS,  spandex type pants,  skinny jeans, tank tops, or sleeveless dresses. Long shorts to the knee or below can only be worn while running before breakfast, or to wear over your swimsuit if you go to the beach with the kids. A one piece swimsuit always. Or you can wear a two piece with a tank top or tee-shirt. If you plan to go to church, bring a long dress or long skirt and blouse. Bring a pair of closed toed shoes.

Guys - bring long pants for working in the schools or health clinics. If you plan to go to church,  bring long pants and a nice polo or dress shirt. Bring a pair of closed toed shoes. You may wear shorts during times you are not working in schools or health clinics, church or formal/professional gatherings.

Tattoos and Jewelry - The areas in the Dominican Republic where we work are old country, conservative areas. And we also work with conservative religious orphanages. Reputation in the areas where we work is very important. We want our volunteers to be respected as an American Peace Corps worker or local school teacher would be. Therefore, we ask that you cover any tattoos if possible, and minimize the visibility of any piercings, and minimize jewelry.  We request especially that guys minimize the visibility of earrings. We thank you for going out of your way to respect the local culture in which we are working.  

Dominican Republic Culture Lesson/Outreach360 Dress Code

Outreach360 has a seemingly strict and inflexible dress code. It seems contradictory to the “be flexible, fun, Caribbean, alternative break” environment we are in. Why? There are several cultural reasons that merge together that have created the Outreach360 dress code.

#1—We are Committed that our Volunteers are Respected Similar to how Local Teachers or American Peace Corps Workers are Respected

Dress is very important to Dominicans, much like it was in the U.S. and Canada way back in the 50’s and 60’s—when men regularly wore a suit and tie, and women dressed up to go to the market. Professionalss dress very modest and proper—long pants, long sleeve shirts, collars, long skirts, etc. If they go to the bank, they dress up. If they go to a party, they dress up. Children will often attend our summer camps dressed in their Sunday best.

In contrast, Americans and Canadians tend to dress “sloppy” —shorts, tee-shirts, tank tops, etc. Partly because that’s our culture, partly because most Americans and Canadians in the Dominican Republic are on a vacation. Regardless, compared to the higher standard of dress shown by the Dominicans, we appear sloppily dressed.

We haven’t attempted to address the casualness of our dress—we aren’t going to ask our volunteers to wear collared shirts, shined shoes, etc. That’s too much to ask! But we are expecting our volunteers to dress more modestly—no shorts, no tank tops, etc. That simple step goes a long way in having Dominicans view our volunteers not as beach vacationers, but as professionals here to teach and make a difference. Much like a local teacher or American Peace Corps worker.

#2—We are Committed that our American Female Volunteers are Respected 

Women have a few additional challenges in the countries where we work that our male volunteers do not:

Nicaragua is a more male dominated societies. Professional women are more of a rarity here than they are in the states and provinces. They have to work hard to earn and keep the respect of others; the same is true of American and Canadian women working in the country. A modest dress is one way of keeping that respect.

Shorts—a woman’s thigh is considered a very sensually intimate area; much more so than the states or provinces.

Hollywood reputation—for much of the world, their view of American women is based on what they see on TV and in the movies—which often portray American women as promiscuous or in a sexual context. Dressing more modestly helps to fight this stereotype.

#3 - Our Sponsors Believe in Conservative Dress 

Culturally, international people can not work in the Dominican Republic without a local “sponsor”.  For example, it’s almost impossible for an American to get a local bank account without a local signing for it. As a highly visible organization, it’s necessary that Outreach360 also have a sponsor. 

Common Questions/Answers:

Why is Outreach360 so concerned about being respected in the community? Because of the strong reputation Outreach360 has developed in the areas where we work, doors are opened to us that are quite unique—being able to teach in local schools, being able to be involved in the health system, etc. This wouldn’t be possible without maintaining a high level of respect in the community. And without the respect of the community, an individual volunteer would not be effective in the classroom.

Why can’t I wear long shorts that cover my knees? We have tried to be flexible in the past to meet various volunteer’s requests and exceptions. Unfortunately, with over 3000 volunteers working with us each year, we were spending an extreme and inordinate amount of time being “fashion police” and fashion counselors. “Are these shorts long enough?” “Are these shorts professional enough? “ These board shorts are as long as capris; can I wear them?” “How come she can wear those shorts, but I can’t wear these shorts?”, etc. etc. etc. We aren’t willing to spend our time doing that; there is too much work to be done. So, no shorts. 

Why do you allow volunteers to run in basketball shorts before breakfast or dinner?
We often have volunteers join us who are regular runners, perhaps training for 10K’s or marathons, or members of a cross country team. It seems that in this case, there is a real need and justification to have the flexibility and comfort needed when running that only shorts can provide.

What about when we are playing basketball, or going for a hike?
Just like making exceptions for different types of shorts, there are numerous situations where it might seem justifiable to wear shorts. We have made the decision that shorts are only worn when running before breakfast or dinner, and with the kids at the beach.

Why the Restriction on Two-Piece Bathing Suits?
American and Canadian women draw a lot of attention at the beach, especially when wearing a bikini. To the point that it has caused some very uncomfortable situations for our volunteers in the past. Taking the small step to requiring a one piece suit has significantly improved the situation.  

Do I have to wear shorts at the beach over my swimsuit?
Only when we take the kids to the beach, for modesty reasons. When it’s volunteers only at the beach, you do not need to wear shorts over your swimsuit.

I didn’t know about the Outreach360 dress code!
We work hard to communicate the dress code to each volunteer. Typically, each volunteer receives several reminders to review the Volunteer Guide prior to the trip. And we send a copy of the Volunteer Guide Summary, including dress code, to each volunteer along with their Outreach360 tee-shirt.  There should be no surprises.

Thank you for your patience with our dress code. Remember that we have volunteers working with us for months and even years at a time; they live with this dress code continuously.   We hope that adapting to it for a shorter period of time will not be that challenging. We believe it will improve your volunteer experience significantly.