Indiana Partners Meets with Nationalities International Festival |

Again in 2004, Indiana Partners Annual meeting will be held in conjunction with Nationalities Council International Festival. The Festival is open to School and Student Groups on November 4and 6 and to the general public Friday afternoon from 2 PM to 9 PM; Saturday from 10 AM to 9 PM and Sunday from Noon to 6 PM.

Matthew N. Clausen, Partners VP, To Speak at Annual Meeting |

As Vice President for Partnership Development, Matt Clausen's primary focus is to strengthen Partners of the Americas' network of volunteer partnerships. This involves capacity-building of local nonprofit chapters in volunteer management and resource development, improving communications and information-sharing, and integrating the organization's larger funded programs with the grassroots activities.
   

A Strategic Plan for Indiana
Partners |

Professor Melvin Sharpe frequently uses Indiana Partners' situations as a source of class projects for his students. Last Spring such a project was a Strategic Plan for Membership Development. A summary of the students report was prepared for the Indiana Partners' Board of Directors by member Virginia Riesenbeck.
    

Brazilian Educator Adapts Lessons Learned in Indiana |

Brazilian Theatre Artist & Educator Joice de Brito e Cunha visited Indiana earlier this year. Here is recent e-mail showing how she has adapted her work to the needs of blind and visually impaired after her visit to Indiana programs.

Second Year of Youth Agriculture
Exchange |

For 15 years, Indiana Partners has offered a youth exchange program called the Youth Ambassadors Program. Under the program up to six teenagers visit the partner state during the respective "hot" season: January/February for the Gaucho kids, July/August for the Hoosiers.
   

Are You an Indiana Partners
Supporter? |

Indiana Partners depends upon the support of those familiar with our international activities. If you are not sure as to how current your participation is, go to: math.purdue.edu/~wrf/04mems.pdf

Renew or Join Indiana Partners |

To renew your membership or join Indiana Partners go to: math.purdue.edu/~wrf/wrfinfoform.pdf

Indiana Partners Meets with Nationalities International Festival |  

Again in 2004, Indiana Partners Annual meeting will be held in conjunction with Nationalities Council International Festival.

The Festival, held in Exposition Hall on the Indiana State Fairgrounds, is open to School and Student Groups on November 4and 6 and to the general public Friday afternoon from 2 PM to 9 PM; Saturday from 10 AM to 9 PM and Sunday from Noon to 6 PM.

Indiana Partners' Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 6 from 10:30AM to 12:30PM. The site of the meeting will be the John Barto Cafeteria on the north side of the race track. This is the same site used for the last several years. The best entrance is Gate 6, off Fall Creek Boulevard. Turn right to drive around the oval to the Farm Bureau Building.

Important Partners business will include election of persons to serve on the Board of Directors. Interesting features will include reports from youths who went Brazil last summer under the Youth Ambassadors Program (YAP) and also under the Youth Agriculture Exchange (YAE). Look for more about these groups elsewhere in this News Letter. A representative of the partners international office in Washington, DC, will bring news of our parent organization.

Light refreshments will be available prior to the meeting.

The International Festival features displays and foods from many of the ethnic groups found in the Indianapolis area. Plan to join other Partners for lunch at the Festival in Exposition Hall.

For more information about the International Festival go to: nationalitiescouncil.org

For more about the Indiana Partners Annual Meeting go to: math.purdue.edu/~wrf/annmtg04.html

For a map: math.purdue.edu/~wrf/annmtg04.pdf

Matthew N. Clausen, Partners VP, To Speak at Annual Meeting |

As Vice President for Partnership Development, Matt Clausen's primary focus is to strengthen Partners of the Americas' network of volunteer partnerships. This involves capacity-building of local nonprofit chapters in volunteer management and resource development, improving communications and information-sharing, and integrating the organization's larger funded programs with the grassroots activities that together complement the overall mission "to work together as citizen volunteers from Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States to improve the lives of people across the hemisphere." Matt has trained volunteers in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, the United States, among other countries.

Matt received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College and his Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has spent considerable time living abroad. In Ecuador, he worked as a volunteer English teacher with World Teach. He subsequently lived and worked in Quito for two years, managing cut flower exports for an Ecuadorian farm group. He also has spent time in West Africa. Matt first joined Partners of the Americas to work for the USAID-funded, Partners-implemented, Farmer to Farmer Program.

A Strategic Plan for Indiana Partners |

(Melvin Sharpe, Professor of Journalism at Ball State University in Muncie Indiana, frequently uses Indiana Partners' situations as a source of class projects for his students. Last Spring such a project was a Strategic Plan for Membership Development. A summary of the students' report was prepared for the Indiana Partners' Board of Directors by member Virginia Riesenbeck.)

The problems were defined as a need for motivation of membership, a lack of awareness of the target audiences within the state of Indiana. Intrinsic to the problem(s) is a lack of funding and sponsorship. The students also stated that previous activities needed to be more structured and permanent headquarters needed to be found.

Internal factors were identified as communication barriers within the organization due to the rotation of important people in those leadership roles. External factors included, as identified by the students, were social-economics and preferences regarding competing exchange programs.

The three goals are:

• To create awareness among business leaders about Indiana Partners of America.
• To create awareness of Indiana Partners among University Communities.
• To create awareness with high school guidance counselors to in order to communicate with high school students.

Strategies and tactics were spelled out for the target audiences, such as selected businesses, universities, and high schools. Tactics included one on one communications by phone, verbal and written initiatives followed by evaluations. This did not always appear to be measurable. Time lines would not be readily obtainable and authority and responsibility for interventions were not addressed. Samples of letters and testimonials from members were included. Media kit and facts about Partners was included.

This document provided needed information for Partners, and provides an excellent starting point for future growth and direction.

I'm very happy to share with you that I started my first workshop of Drama for visually impaired people.

It is going to be held on 8 meetings of 3 hours each. Well, the first day I had only four people but yesterday, on the second day I got 6 people. For me it has been very rewarding. I'm learning a lot. I'm adapting the exercises I usually use for the regular students and they are responding fine.

You should see their sense of humor! They make jokes even about the fact of being blind (which surprised me) like one improvisation in which a guy was holding a newspaper and the wife came and said: "Hi, what are you doing honey?" to which he responded: "I'm reading the paper, can't you see?" and she then said: "No".

After that, I got really at ease for working with them. They teach me how to guide them up to the stage and so on.

They told me that one difficulty they face is that they don't make gestures because they have never seen any gestures, so they simply don't move their arms because they are afraid that if they do, the gestures might be discrepant (not appropriate). So I'm starting to work with body expression to make them express what they feel and then I'll give them a feedback on the result.

Yesterday they also had a relaxation exercise which had a follow-up of an exercise of expressing movements with every part of their body. Then, I played a very vibrant song by an African-Brazilian musical group called OLODUM (mostly drums) and sung by Paul Simon and I made them MOVE and shake their bodies to the sound. It was great.

For the final presentation on the last day, I plan to have a poem recital put together as a short play. They themselves are selecting the poems.

So, my friends, thank you for showing me what you have done there and this is the echo of what I gained from you and I'm sending this echo back to you.

For 15 years, Indiana Partners has offered a youth exchange program called the Youth Ambassadors Program. Under the program up to six teenagers visit the partner state during the respective "hot" season: January/February for the Gaucho kids, July/August for the Hoosiers. Indiana has never met its quota; Rio Grande do Sul always does!

Following an unsuccessful effort to extend the program to rural youth through an alliance with the 4-H Program, Board member Bob Book initiated discussions for a similar program involving the FFA (formerly known as Future Farmers of America), an association dedicated to teaching the importance of agriculture in American life. The result is Youth Agriculture Exchange (YAE), launched in 2003, a cooperative program involving Indiana and Rio Grande do Sul resources in the partner states.

From July 18 through August 3 this year, three Hoosier teenagers and a teacher experienced both the culture of Rio Grande do Sul and learned about its agriculture. The travelers, were selected by FFA and members of Indiana Partners. Their tour also included rural areas with farms and commercial sites related to agriculture.

The 2004 contingent consisted of:

• Jeremy Christman, Poneto, Indiana
• Raychel Frances Dodd, Rushville, Indiana
• Kathleen Marie Pickering, Knightstown, Indiana
• Blair Orme, Teacher, Rushville, Indiana

The group started their tour in Porto Alegre, accompanied by Gaucho teenagers who had traveled to the U.S. during the January/February, 2004 Youth Ambassador Program.

The tour continued with a visit to the mountain towns of Gramado and Canela. These towns present wonderful scenic views as well as revealing the strong German influence of their earliest settlers. This portion also allowed them to sample distinctive Gaucho food and experience traditional dance.

From July 19-21, the YAE group visited the Bom Pastor Agriculture High School. During this period they were able to interact with Brazilian teenagers, to learn about their educational system and to experience their culture and customs.

From July 22- 25, the group visited the southern half of the state. They saw large cattle farms and slaughterhouses. They were also able to cross the border for a brief visit to Rivera in neighboring Uruguay.

The group returned to Porto Alegre for a one day and then ventured out once again. At Nova Prata, sister city to Noblesville, Indiana, the Hoosiers visited the Yoki Popcorn Processing Plant as well as wheat and corn farms. Traveling west, they stopped in the towns of Santo Angelo and Ijui, near the historic Jesuit Mission - Sao Miguel das Missoes. Then, they visited the John Deere Plant in Horizontina.

The trip concluded in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, a city with a population of more than one and a half million people. Here, they were given the opportunity to spend their time however they liked.

We expect future reports from our Hoosier travelers later. A complete report of their activities can be found at: geocities.com/harukazenohito/YAE2004.

To renew your membership or join Indiana Partners go to: math.purdue.edu/~wrf/wrfinfoform.pdf.

Don't forget the Annual Meeting at the Indians State Fairgrounds at 10:30 AM on November 6, 2004.