Behind the Scenes of Lake Titicaca-GCN Brown Bag
Mark your Calendar-October 1st, 2010 12pm-1pm at GCN/ISE Office: 129 North 2nd Street #102, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Spaces limited! RSVP: info@globalcitizens.org; 612.436.8270
Located at 13,000 ft. above sea level, Lake Titicaca is the second most popular tourist stop after Cusco and Machu Picchu, known for the highest navigable lake in the world and the mysticism of human life on its islands. Each month, hundreds of tourists travel to the Department of Puno, nestled in the southeastern corner of Peru and journey into the lake to observe the ways of life of the rural, peasant Aymara and Quechua island inhabitants. The boatloads of visitors often do not realize the consequences of their presence on these communities.
Speaker- Laura Kurland is the Regional Coordinator for Latin America with Global Citizens Network. In 2006 Laura traveled to Peru as a Fulbright Scholar to study the impact of political decentralization policies on marginalized rural indigenous communities in the southern department Puno. She researched the miscommunication and conflicting perceptions between the government and local indigenous (Aymara-speaking) community members. She focused on the areas of health, education, and local development needs in communities of extreme poverty living over 14,000 above sea level. She also conducted an independent study to understand the positive and negative impacts living tourism has on community cohesion and development in the rural island communities of Lake Titicaca. The presentation offers findings from her research as well as a dialogue space to consider the traveler’s role and impact in alternative tourism opportunities.
After completing her M.A. degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, D.C., Laura returned to Peru for another 15 months. She worked on a project with rural farmers to promote organic quinoa production and access to the local restaurant market. She also volunteered with a local tour agency to develop a youth literacy volunteer curriculum on the island communities of Lake Titicaca.
Join the GCN team at our first brown bag lunch at our new office from 12pm-1pm on Friday, October 1, 2010. Metered parking available on streets. Spaces are limited, please RSVP! info@globalcitizens.org; 612.436.8270
Open House Save the Date! GCN/ISE-Journey through our New World
Thursday, October 14th, 2010 4pm-8pm
129 North 2nd St., #102, Minneapolis, MN 55401
In celebration of the first year of our strategic alliance and our move to a downtown Minneapolis, we invite you to join us to tour the new GCN/ISE office and connect with board, staff, trip participants and volunteers!
We invite you to learn more about Global Citizens Network and Intercultural Student Experiences as you journey through our new office:
Show and Tell! Meet youth participants from GCN and ISE who will share memories from their recent trips.
Be Green! Find out how the GCN-ISE team is being green and environmentally friendly in our new space.
Break Bread! Grab a chair at the table and learn about the importance of meal times and the home stay experience with GCN hosts and ISE U.S. Host Families.
Tea & Spice Time! Warm up with a cup of Moroccan tea or Mexican hot chocolate and learn about exciting opportunities for educator exploration and leader training.
Volunteer your Vision! Meet our new GCN-ISE Resource Development Coordinator and share your perspective and experience.
Celebration Central! At the final point on your journey, celebrate with GCN-ISE board and staff as they answer questions and share more as we move forward in year two of our partnership.
RSVP by October 1, 2010: 612.436.8270 or info@globalcitizens.org
GCN Welcomes Erin McGillivray-Resource Development Coordinator
Erin McGillivray is the Resource Development Coordinator.
Contact Erin – erin@globalcitizens.org 612.436.8275
Having devoted the last decade to participating in and promoting international service, Erin aspires to expand her global network and to inspire others to do the same.
While earning her BA in Business Leadership from the University of Puget Sound, Erin studied abroad in Nepal with the School for International Training, fully embracing the experiential education approach. During that time, the ubiquitous beggars of Kathmandu tugged at her heart and she focused her independent study project on the topic, returning home with a new outlook on life.
She went on to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya, providing teacher training in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and integration into the curriculum. Her secondary projects included student peer counselor training, school health club formation, girls’ empowerment mentoring program, HIV/AIDS education in the village, grant writing assistance, and obtaining scholarships for HIV/AIDS orphans. After securing last place in an international camel derby in northern Kenya, Erin extended her stay in East Africa by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and then traveling for 10 weeks overland in public transportation from Nairobi, Kenya to Cape Town, South Africa.
In 2008, she was able to visit her Peace Corps site and her Kenyan friends and also had the opportunity to travel in Ethiopia. Her most recent cross-cultural excursion was in the village of Chirapa, Peru as a GCN trip participant. Through these experiences, Erin learned that global immersion changes lives and looks forward to sharing its power to transform with others.
Since returning to the states in 2005, Erin continued her career in nonprofits by working as a Peace Corps recruiter and a Campaign Manager for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The combination of these roles gave her a solid foundation for partnering with supporters and volunteers of GCN and growing the network of global citizens together.
“As a lifelong advocate for international service and cross-cultural immersion, I look forward to continuing to play an integral part of the vision to create and sustain a network of globally minded people.”
In less than one month GCN’s 2010 Team Leader Training will be underway! We are excited to welcome trainees and facilitators to Marine on the St. Croix, MN for the weekend-long training session. GCN team leaders are dynamic, responsible individuals chosen for their leadership skills and willingness to facilitate meaningful experience for others. Trainees will participate in an energetic exchange of ideas, experiences and preparation to learn to lead in ways that align with the GCN philosophy as well as respect and honor our host communities’ needs.
For more information on this and future opportunities, contact Linda Stuart at linda@globalcitizens.org
Experience Brazil & Nepal with GCN in 2010!
Support development through cultural identity with the Tibetan Refugees in Jampaling, Pokhara Valley, Nepal October 16-November 1, 2010
There are still a few spaces available this fall for GCN’s trip to the visit the Tibetan Refugees of Nepal. The settlements, each 20-40 minutes from the town of Pokhara on Lake Phewa, were founded between 1962 and 1975. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled and set up government in India. Refugees came to settle in Pokhara to maintain their way of life. Each site has a community of 1,000 people, including a school of 250 students, a small health clinic, a monastery, an old folk's home, and a carpet factory. Younger people weave, trim, dye and design carpet, while elders spin and roll yarn for their livelihood. They also engage in the cultivation of corn and making and selling Tibetan handicraft, as there has been a six-year downtrend in the carpet business. The people are Buddhist, wear a mix of Tibetan and western clothes and 80 percent of the population is literate. Some leaders and most young people speak English; older people speak Tibetan or Nepali. The GCN experience is time in the host community, which allows for plenty of time to get to know the local community in your own way.
For more information, contact Sam Hinton: sam@globalcitizens.org
Share the shores of Northeastern Brazil with the Tupi-Guarani and Xukuru communities. November 12-22, 2010
This fall, GCN offers an exploratory trip to learn first-hand about the Tupi-Guarani and Xukuru indigenous communities of Northeastern Brazil. The team will connect with our host organization and potential partnerships and projects with the communities in Northeastern Brazil. In turn, this is an opportunity for communities to learn what it is like to work with a GCN team.
Participants will spend their time learning from the partner community about potential projects, experiencing the local life-style, food and housing. They will "break bread" with the community and connect about ideas and hopes for future GCN teams. Through their interactive support, exploratory trip participants will assist both GCN and the host community as they understand and plan for potential upcoming work-project visits.
A trip of this kind requires a lot of flexibility on the part of the team. GCN is looking for individuals interested in spending their time and energy to interact with a variety of people from the region's communities. Team members will help the team leader by providing active feedback from their visits to multiple communities.
Spaces are limited! For more information, contact Laura Kurland: laura@globalcitizens.org
Trying to find a good book about Quechua mythology? How about understanding the synthesis of Navajo philosophy? GCN has partnered with Amazon.com to offer a special online selection of books for the Global Citizens in our Network! Check out the store by clicking here: Amazon Associates Page. http://astore.amazon.com/globcitinetw-20
If you have any great finds that you care to share, please send us your top picks so we can add on to our growing list!
Launch a Revolution with BBC in 5 Minutes!
Here’s a short sample list of 5 things you can do in 5 minutes to help launch a revolution through Social Media:
a. Become a Fan of the BBC on Facebook
b. Post a link to the BBC website on your organization’s website
c. Post a BBC status update on Facebook
November 19-21, 2010, Minneapolis, MN
Volunteer 3-5 hours of your time at our table. Please contact Erin at erin@globalcitizens.org or 612.436.8275 to sign up for a time slot. This is a great way to connect with other return trip participants, get out in your community, and relive your GCN experience. GCN will also be hosting a presentation at the Expo. Bring/send a friend! More details to come. See you there
Have you heard what’s happening on 10/10/10? Join the movement! According to 350.org, 10/10/10 is the day of the “Global Work Party” and will be a MASSIVE opportunity to celebrate climate solutions at the local level. GCN supports the efforts of 350.org and 1010global.org and encourages you to do the same.
Top Ten Ways GCN Teams and Staff Reduce Their Impact:
What do you do to reduce your impact or cut your carbon? What will you do on 10.10.10 to make a change? Learn more here: http://www.1010global.org/global/101010. Get ideas and/or register your event (of any size!) here: http://www.350.org/workparty-ideas and let us know about it by dropping us a line at info@globalcitizens.org.
If you want to expose your children to other cultures in a way that is more real, in-depth, personable and memorable – by working in community with them rather than just traveling – this is the way to really learn about another culture.
We were exposed to something few of us get to experience. Most often we simply drive through communities. This time we got to meet and really get to know people, and they were so generous. We got far more out of the experience than we gave.
Kathy P., Rock Point, AZ (family of 4)
This was our best family vacation and a phenomenal experience. I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to do this with my children. My children realized that although the people in the community we visited didn't have a lot of material possessions, they had some things we didn't. The community members were funny, loving and generous.
The group experience was what made it so great. The team leaders were remarkable. They never passed judgment and treated my children like full members of the group, so they acted that way. The experience made them more confident and more excited about taking other travel adventures.
Marcy G., Xiloxochico, Mexico (family of 6)
Volunteering in Tanzania was a life-changing experience that opened my eyes not only to the needs of our fellow global citizens, but also to the lovable and exhilarating culture of Bukoba.
Megan age 19, Bukoba, Tanzania
GCN wasn't just a volunteer trip but instead a life altering two weeks that helped me discover myself.
Shannon age 15, Bukoba, Tanzania
Our GCN sponsored program in Tanzania wasn't a vacation but rather a deeply moving experience our family will cherish for a lifetime.
Sean, Dad, Bukoba, Tanzania
Working side by side with my husband and children, helping, reaching out, and learning from people in a culture vastly different from our own together as a family was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. We are already planning our next volunteer vacation.
Karen, Mom, Bukoba, Tanzania
This experience changed all of us. Nothing can compare with it. It's made my kids into global citizens. Before we left for Kenya, I was concerned that my kids were getting spoiled, but the trip showed them how happy people were, even though they had so little by comparison. They also discovered how much more important it is to have experiences instead of things.
My kids are so mature now as a result of the trip. They have a new and broader world view.
Nancy F., Maili Tatu, Africa (3 time repeat participant with 2 kids)
I took each of my two granddaughters on a trip when they turned 13, as a rite of passage. It was tremendously bonding for us. It deepened our love and our relationship, but it also sensitized the girls to different cultures and helped them gain an understanding and empathy for others.
One of my granddaughters was extremely wary. She said, "I don't know how to do this and I don't want to be there." But by the end, she was begging to stay. She had formed some amazing friendships. It was quite a transition.
My advice to families considering this kind of trip is this: Even if you have some hesitation, trust that the experience will be transforming for your child and for your relationship with your child. My two granddaughters are totally different personalities, but the same positive transformation happened for both.
We had so many one-on-one reflective conversations about what we were experiencing and learning. It's a different and more intimate way of being with children.
The team members were incredibly kind to my teenagers. The leaders were such good role models -- caring and inclusive.
Meg V., Rock Point, AZ 2003; La Push, WA 2007
The truly amazing thing about this community is the pride, character, and sense of respect you feel being with them. They carry themselves with esteem. Being with them, you know they will not only survive, they will succeed, collectively using the resources available to them for the good of the whole.
Joyce, Pennsylvania; Kenya Participant
With the beauty, the simplicity, the strength and comedy of this place, each day becomes an adventure to be anticipated.
Gladys, Ontario; Kenya Participants
I learned much more that GCN is about the process of building long term relationships with communities, not necessarily about the process of "building!" It was truly priceless to be allowed to be on the 'construction site' with a bunch of indigenous people in Mexico. Tourists DO NOT get that opportunity-nor should they. We all believed WE TRULY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
Diana, Colorado; Two-time Mexico Participant
I have just this last hour arrived back home after what can only be described as an experience of a lifetime, the people at Jampaling were wonderful and I return with a feeling of accomplishment, and everlasting respect for a group of people who work so hard with such limited resources to achieve their goals.
David, Ontario; Nepal Participant
As a GCN volunteer you expect to fill the role of giver, giving of your time, efforts, money and heart. During a recent trip to Nepal, I felt more like a wide receiver for a pro football team, with countless blessings being passed my way! It started before I even left with support from a bunch of people, some of whom I don't even know, my sponsors through fundraising.
Cherril, New York; Nepal Participant
A positive growing experience that will unfold as time moves on. I do appreciate the warm hospitality of the local Navajo people and thank them for all they did to open our eyes and heart to their life, culture and values.
Jerry, Minnesota; New Mexico volunteer
It has become the most meaningful thing I've experienced in my life. It was more than a casual cultural exchange. I never felt like a tourist - I felt like I was coming home.
Ted, New York; New Mexico volunteer
The trip to Rock Point was a wonderful experience for me. Our team really "connected" and are talking among ourselves of doing other trips together! We all agreed we haven't laughed and sung songs like we did there for a long time. The Navajo people are wonderful, and we were able to share songs, dinner with them and they with us. We were able to complete the projects they had for us and still have lots of time for culture exchange.
Lynne, California; Arizona volunteer
My goal was to get lifted out of my personal and professional rut, to have my head and heart spun around and to land more solid and grounded. For the most part this happened.
Nancy, Vermont; Guatemala volunteer
Because of a scholarship provided by Global Citizens Network, I was able to spend two weeks volunteering in Guatemala, in a rural village called Llanos de Morales. This was my second trip volunteering in a developing nation (I went to Nicaragua two years ago), but my first time working with GCN. My experience was unforgettable and I would recommend it to anyone!
The best thing about the trip was getting really close-up pictures of horses. The hardest part of the trip was leaving Chirapa
Tana-Isabel, Washington; Peru youth volunteer
I wanted to be "in the middle of nowhere" and enjoy it as well as learn about the Quechua culture. My comfort zone has expanded and I enjoyed getting to know the people!
The most inspiring moment for me was receiving a genuine Quechuan percussion instrument as a gift from the community. It showed me that the community valued my presence and it is something that I will never forget.
David, University of Minnesota Participant; Peru volunteer
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