Sidsel and Howard have been volunteering at the Community Centre in La Boca – an after school club that focuses on teaching English to children (and also adults on varying afternoons). The volunteers are working with children as young as 5 years old, up to around 14 years old which means addressing their varying levels of English proficiency whilst sharing time between the youngsters equally can be very difficult – especially when there are up to 15 children in the room and sometimes only one volunteer to assist the coordinator.
The Community Centre has recently acquired some text books to help them with the lessons which have proven to be a great help in focusing the children when sometimes the word games and group discussions around the white board can become rather boisterous! It was a very concentrated start as the children all carefully coloured in an outline of a crocodile before starting some of the writing and spelling practice of writing “my name is”. For some of the children these exercises were very easy, and having two volunteers working together on this particular day allowed a little more time to search for a wider variety of exercises for the following day, work that was both entertaining for the children whilst also being educational and taxing.
Activities with simple verbs have proven to be a great way to start off with the children at varying levels – they particularly enjoy the 'I like to...' game where they get a chance to practice talking about hobbies and things they like to do. This then sometimes progresses into a simplified game of 'charades', where the children pick a verb in English and have to act it out. (although it is wise to place these activities towards the end of the lessons as the children quickly become excited and will not be keen to return to quiet study!) A little competition has also proved to be a good way of working with the children in an interactive way – sometimes boys against girls to see who can list the most words, in topics such as food, days of the week and family.
Catering for children with such varying ages, concentrations and education is a real challenge for the volunteers on this project. But for the few, short moments when the class is focused and enjoying learning another language, it makes the time trying to control the shouting, running and arguing all worthwhile!
[Find English version below] Cuando hablamos de historia, hablamos de hechos y personas que la construyeron. Desde las organizaciones sociales recordamos, mencionamos y reivindicamos a quienes reflexionaron y forjaron alternativas pensando en un mundo con justicia social e igualdad para los pueblos.
Eduardo Galeano contribuyó no solo a visibilizar a los pueblos oprimidos, sino que lo hizo de forma brillante y creativa: los reclamos, las injusticias y denuncias a los oportunistas, opresores e imperialistas. Admirado por muchos, se movió por "el abajo y a la izquierda", como sostienen sus hermanos zapatistas a los que tanto defendió. Otros hitos en el recorrido de su vida resaltan su persistente defensa de la tierra y del ecosistema.
Sostenía que sentir y pensar no debían ser acciones separadas en el hombre ya que con ambas en armonía el hombre construye un mundo de solidaridad donde el amor es tan necesario como el pensamiento.
Galeano, como Rodolfo Walsh o Mariátegui, serán recordados por su aporte, tanto cultural como político, a la creación de una conciencia que intenta descolonizarse del capitalismo y soñar con la emancipación de los pueblos.
Su legado seguirá facilitando el tránsito hacia un mundo menos “Patas arriba” que el actual.
Algunos de sus libros más inspiradoras: “Patas arriba: La escuela del mundo al revés”, “Las venas abiertas de América Latina”, El Libro de los abrazos”.
El más inspirador de sus mensajes televisivos “El derecho al delirio”.
When we talk about history, we also talk about events and people who built them. Social organizations like us remember and claim those who thought alternatively and fought for a world with social justice and equality for all people.
Eduardo Galeano contributed not only to visualize the oppressed peoples, but did so in a bright and creative way: the claims, injustices and complaints to the opportunists and imperialist oppressors. Admired by many, he moved "low and left" as the Zapatistas, his brothers, who he defended.
Other milestones in the journey of his life, highlight its persistent defense of land and ecosystem. He argued that feeling and thinking should not be separated in man and, in harmony with both, man builds a world of solidarity where love is as necessary as thought and actions.
Galeano, like Rodolfo Walsh or Mariátegui, will be remembered for their contribution, both culturally and politically, to create a consciousness that tries to decolonize from capitalism and dreams of the emancipation of the peoples. His legacy will continue to facilitate the transition to a world less "Upside Down".
Some of his most inspiring books: "Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World 2000", "Open Veins of Latin America", The Book of Embraces ".
The most inspiring of their television messages "The right to delirium".
Una vez más, Latinoamérica se muestra unida a través de sus presidentes, pero por sobre todo a través de sus pueblos que son quienes luchan y garantizarán la independencia y la paz para todo el pueblo americano.
Nos podemos preguntar por qué se denomina a este encuentro la Cumbre de las Américas y no "de América". La respuesta está en la propia historia que no debe ser tapada o soslayada. América es una y muchas. La América imperialista y la que lucha por su segunda independencia, la latina y la anglosajona. Si esta América será una sola, ciertamente no será bajo el imperio de ninguno de sus países, sino una América de países libres, soberanos y solidarios entre ellos.
Los mandatarios, presidentes constitucionales de los 34 países de América, se reunieron por primera vez en la historia. Si bien es la 7º cumbre que se realiza, es la primera a la que asiste el presidente cubano Raúl Castro quien además no dudo en estrechar la mano de su par estadounidense diciendo ante las cámaras de todo el mundo que Cuba no aparta las profundas diferencias políticas entre estos dos países pero que sin embargo considera que los pasos a seguir deben ser de paz y dialogo.
Cuba sigue reclamando que se termine con el bloqueo a la isla, así como la devolución de los territorios cubanos de Guantánamo (actualmente en poder de Estados Unidos). Asimismo, reclama más ayuda para países como Haití, que reciben tratos injustos y colonialistas, y ayuda escasa para un desarrollo real que no sea solo asistencialista.
Por su parte, el presidente venezolano, Nicolás Maduro, al igual que su par de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, remarcaron el cambio de rumbo de Latinoamérica: “Nuestros pueblos nunca más aceptarán la tutela, la injerencia, ni la intervención”, dijo el mandatario ecuatoriano en referencia a EE.UU. Asimismo, Correa destacó la respuesta contundente que ha dado la región a favor de la derogación del decreto del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, en contra de Venezuela — al cual declaró una “amenaza para su [EE.UU.] seguridad nacional”—.
La Cumbre de los Pueblos, que se celebró en paralelo, consensuó una declaración final en la cual destacó la solidaridad ante los intentos imperialistas, rechazó la orden ejecutiva del presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama contra Venezuela y exigió el levantamiento del bloqueo económico, comercial y financiero de EE.UU. a Cuba. Asimismo, abogaron por la independencia de Puerto Rico y defendieron el legítimo derecho de Bolivia a tener una salida al mar.
The People's Summit, organized by social movements and grassroots organizations, will be held in parallel with the Summit of the Americas. This effort by grassroots organizations was born as a response to the historic role of the SOA in advocating for free trade, neoliberal policies and the so-called Washington Consensus. During the event, representatives from Latin American labor unions, indigenous confederations and feminist groups, among other grassroots movements, will have an opportunity to articulate various issues affecting the region.
The People's Summit will host workshops and presentations on 15 different topics, ranging from the threat to peace in the region posed by the United States to the fight to end the economic blockade against Cuba. As part of the People’s Summit activities, Bolivian President Evo Morales will deliver a speech Friday, where he is expected to discuss the current aggression from the U.S. government toward Venezuela.
Thus far, President Morales and his Ecuadorean counterpart Rafael Correa are the only two heads-of-state who have confirmed their attendance. The summit’s organizer, union leader Olmedo Beluche, says the participants will submit a joint declaration of proposals to regional leaders, which aim to facilitate stronger lines of communication between governments and social movements.
Meanwhile, leading up to the seventh SOA, various forums for social sectors are taking place, including the second Business Summit of the Americas and the Hemispheric Forum of Civil Society. Hundreds of civil society leaders from across the region will gather in Panama City April 8-10 for the Civil Society and Social Actors Forum, to address themes such as democratic governance, security and citizen participation.
However, the meeting, which takes place just before the start of the Summit of the Americas, has come under sharp criticism following the recent decision by its organizers to exclude the Cuban Workers Federation (CTC) from participating in the event, despite it having submitted its request on time. “We would have liked to have been part of the Civil Society Forum, but they were not interested in a showing of an authentic gesture of democracy, which our union represents … Nonetheless, we will participate, together with the rest of the trade unions and social movements in the region, in the People's Summit,” CTC representative Duarte Vazquez stated in an interview with Trabajadores published Monday.
Coincidentally, the event's organizers approved the participation of at least 10 right-wing opposition organizations that have received financial support from the the U.S.-backed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) including: the Venezuelan Institute for Social and Political Studies (INVESP); Consortium for Development and Justice; Alternative Justice; Ecuadorean Center of Environmental Rights (CEDA); Justice and Participation Network; the National Press Association (ANP); and the Foundation for Parliamentary and Citizen Participation Support; among others.
The Social Actors Forum also coincides with the second CEO Summit of the Americas, at which hundreds of leading business figures and heads of state from throughout the Western hemisphere will gather to discuss regional economic issues. The invited guests include keynote speakers such as Thomas J. Donohue, Co-President of Barrick gold, the world's largest gold mining company, which was listed as the 12th least ethical company in the world by Swiss Research firm Covalace.
The CEO Summit will also include an appearance by Chief Financial Officer of Cargill Marcel Smits. Cargill is the world's largest agricultural commodities trader and one of 10 transnational corporations that controls more than 80 percent of the world’s seed supply, monopolizing world trade in grains and seeds and criminalizing the ancestral practice of exchanging seeds.
Another notable invitee is Andrés Gluski CEO of the controversial AES Corporation, a Virginia-based global energy developer, which in 2011 launched the Panamanian Changuinola dam, resulting in widespread protests over the complete relocation of more than 1,000 Ngöbe subsistence farmers whom were affected by the dam. The invited guests and the corporations they represent pose a grave threat to Latin American sovereignty by undermining the interests of popular social movements.
Over the years, various Latin American social movements have launched massive resistance movements against the unethical practices of transnational corporations. As an alternative to the SOA-sponsored summits, the parallel People’s Summit represents radically different political objectives and ideological visions. The basis of these differences must be understood in terms of the region’s base-level support for progressive Latin American governments and respect for national sovereignty.
This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address: link
The government of Argentina has lead a recovery process of the properties that were formerly clandestine centres of detention, torture and extermination during the dictatorship years of the Dirty War. The Voluntario Global members and volunteers were given the chance to visit one of these centres locally, called 'Virrey Cevallos' which operated between 1976 and 1977. They are still working to find out exactly how many of the 'disappeared' were detained here.
The centres are public sites that work to promote remembrance about the tragedy this society suffered, contributing to the collective comprehension of its past and committed to the society's present problems and needs. It was also conceived as a place to pay tribute to the victims of the military dictatorship.
In pursuit of this remembrance, the organisation at Virrey Cevallos, alongside some survivors, have been working together to uncover exactly what took place in the building, what steps were taken in its creation and exactly who was detained in such places with the help of testimonials and piecing together evidence to build an understanding of a chapter of Argentine history that until now has been overlooked.
First Day Volunteering as Psychology Assistant in Buenos Aires
Written by Kathryn HollandJust two days after arriving in Buenos Aires, Catherine, a Psychology graduate from New York, made her first trip to the medical centre where she will be volunteering for the next 8 weeks. Not only did she have to deal with the 'first day nerves' of a new job, but also the challenge of communicating in another language, and acclimatising to a very different way of working!
You may wonder why Argentina chooses to remember the date of the beginning of the dictatorship, rather than celebrating the end. It is an event that focuses on educating the young, highlighting what it means to have a democratic system in place and how nobody in the country should ever have to live without basic human rights as occurred that day when the democracy was lost hoping that with this understanding no such violence will ever reoccur, keeping Argentina's future bright.
The Día de la memoria, verdad y justicia falls on the 24th of March every year in Argentina to remember those 30 000 people who were tortured, kidnapped and disappeared during 'The Dirty War', which spanned 8 years. It was this exact date in 1976 when Argentina's democratic government was overthrown by the powers of a civil military dictatorship. The weight of this important date is felt across the entire country as thousands of communities gather in peaceful marches to remember the painful, bloody past to ask for justice for their missing loved ones.
The dictatorship named itself the 'National Reorganisation Process', which sounded shockingly formal, just and correct. As part of their plan to exterminate the military government (who, they believed, undermined human rights) and culturally change Argentinian people, tens of thousands of people were arrested, tortured, abducted, murdered or forced into exile. Most of this violence took place in clandestine detention centres throughout the country.
Among the missing, there is a number of children who were adopted illegally.There is an organisation called Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, which has been dedicated to locating the kidnapped children, and has already found more than 110. On Remembrance Day, the Plaza Del Mayo in Capital Federal, Buenos Aires turns into an annual meeting place for the organisation.
The marches on this day bring together people from all walks of life, all ages, and all parts of the country. Social organisations (like Voluntario Global), political groups, human rights supporters and friends and families of those who were disappeared come together to remember the atrocities that took place and to fight for justice, human rights, and the truth.
Further reading:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-22004491
When The Laundry Project started, about 90% of young people living in shantytowns in Argentina could not continue their education after secondary school due to financial instability. Today, this number has been reduced.
"That's how the The Laundry Project started, as a proposal to resolve this situation. The Laundry Project was born out of a necessity at that time, because we had a lot of young people who were finishing secondary school and were abandoning education", explained Armin, founder of Voluntario Global and The Laundry Project.
On July, 2008, The Laundry Project won the YPF Young Entrepreneur Grant and started looking for a place to open the laundry.
In January 2010, the project opened and started working with 2 washing machines, 2 irons, 1 delivery motorcycle and 5 young people participating. Most of the young people working in The Laundry Project, live in Villa Soldati, a small neighborhood in the south west of Buenos Aires.
As the business grew, more youngsters needed work, and so together with Voluntario Global and the help of former volunteers who raised money for the Laundry, they were able to buy a new washing machine, an industrial iron and a dryer. By the end of 2012, they already had 9 young people working with them.
On the 4th March, 2013 —exactly 2 years ago— Armin was killed by two thieves trying to steal his motorbike. He was only 29. Armin dedicated his life to helping young people from his neighborhood, Villa Soldati, to escape a life of poverty and drugs. Armin had started with The Laundry Project when he was only 23 years old.
On Friday August 8th, 2014 the Cooperative bought a new washing machine, a huge moment for the project as it is the first step towards ultimately leading to a world of more responsible economic growth. This was the first time they had bout something wholly by themselves, without the aid of any national grants or volunteering organisations. This day marked a new beginning for the independent life of the Cooperative.
The next step is to acquire new clients such as hotels to expand the production and create more work opportunities which will in turn go towards the pursuit of a greater social economy. They continue to work towards the same goals that Armin set when he and Voluntario Global started the project meaning that even in his absence he is still a fundamental part of this project.
VOLUNTARIO GLOBAL
Voluntario Global helps local communities by being available to discuss anything that local organizations need, and offering ideas for further change and development.
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CONTACT
Location: General Pacheco. Buenos Aires. Argentina
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