2007 Annual Report
Transition in Leadership and New Priorities
The year was marked by the election of new leaders in both chapters and the emergence of new ideas for the partnership’s 2007-2008 priorities. Promising as the new proposals are, none came to fruition during the year due to miscommunications on expectations and assumptions. But the ground was laid for future development and the partnership’s domestic violence project experienced another successful joint program in 2007.
Project Activity - Current
Students: Colby College student, Erendira Munoz, spent the month of January in RN teaching English to children and adults but disappointed she was unable to engage with a non-profit helping organization as planned.
Domestic Violence: Rossana Roberta Pinheiro de Souza visited Maine and completing another chapter in the multi-year project. The focus this time was on batterers or those who perpetrate violence on others and how professionals in Maine address the problem. She participated in a batterer program in New York City prior to her Maine visit. Rossana was able to visit NYC and Maine due to the generosity of two Maine POA members.
Project Activity - New
Nisia Floresta: The RN chapter proposed a project utilizing unoccupied facilities in the coastal town of Nisia Floresta about 40 miles south of Natal. Once used for dental and medical clinics they were offered to the partnership by the owner as site for dental/medical/social services to the area’s needy children and families. RN and Maine members alike were enthused by the promise of such a project. The proposal was endorsed in principle by both chapters pending development of a detailed plan to be drawn up by committees on both sides and approved by both chapters.
Partners’ 40th Anniversary: Maine chapter member, Jonathan Lee, proposed an exchange of journalists to document the history of the partnership, its highlights and successful projects, and to honor its founders. The documentary would be a tool for recruitment. Jonathan agreed to chair Maine’s committee. The Maine chapter approved the proposal in principle pending RN’s approval. Questions about the proposal remained unresolved at year’s end.
English Second Language (ESL) Teaching: Jonathan proposed the project to help strengthen English language among public school teachers in RN thus improving opportunities for RN students to participate in exchanges with Maine. An ESL teacher in Maine would teach teachers in RN who, in turn, will perfect their English in Maine. Committees were appointed on each side to present a fully developed proposal to the chapters.
Potential projects:
RN state officials expressed interest in collaborative projects in certain areas of concern to both states such as beach erosion and protection. Though not among current priorities they are areas for further exploration and development.
Elections
In Maine: Newly elected members of the Board of Directors were: Al Howlett, Michael Cantara, Priscilla Doel and Lois Galgay-Reckitt; officers elected by the board were: John DelVecchio, President; Faye Luppi, Vice President; Wes Bonney, Treasurer; Steve Simonds, Secretary.
In Rio Grande do Norte: Newly elected officers were: Domingos Guara, President; Rossana Roberta Pinheiro de Souza, Vice President; 2nd Vice President, Marcillo Baretto China; Alexandre Emerson Melo de Araujo, Secretary; Humberto Muniz Dantas, 2nd Secretary; Luiz Henrique Moreira Guedes, Treasurer; Aderbal Martins, 2nd Treasurer.
Related Activity
Maine Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy: Prompted by Partners of the Americas the Maine chapter played a leading role in the formation of the MCCD, a group of organizations based in Maine engaged in an effort to foster mutual understanding between Maine and the rest of the world. Its mission: “To increase substantially the engagement of Maine citizens in international citizen diplomacy. International citizen diplomacy is based on the concept that individuals have the responsibility to help shape relations with societies around the world.”
In 2006 MCCD sponsored a summit meeting of organizations engaged in exchanges and other international activities to find ways to increase citizen participation in citizen diplomacy. By the end of 2007 MCCD had created a database of over 150 organizations and key and successfully advocated for an Executive Order by Maine’s Governor creating the International Relations Planning Committee (IRPC). In support of the Committee, MCCD initiated plans for workshops and a statewide conference in 2008 on Building Global Maine. Steve Simonds was involved in the creation of the MCCD, chairs its Steering Committee and is a member of the Governor’s 7-person Planning Committee.
Membership
The number of active, dues-paying members has averaged 50 over the past five or six year with about the same number of “inactives.” Membership tends to drop slightly when partnership activity wanes and increases with renewed activity. This relatively stable number reflects a solid core of partners committed to the ME/RN partnership and to its many enduring friendships with RN people. The chapter’s goal is to substantially increase active membership by offering more opportunities for productive and personally rewarding opportunities for engagement with Brazilian people and their intriguing cultures.
Annual Report – 2004-2005
2004-2005 were years of renewal, new leadership in Rio Grande do Norte’s POA chapter, exchange of Maine and Rio Grande Do Norte presidents, formulation of future plans and the successful implementation of our joint, multi-year domestic violence project.
2004
RN Chapter Changes Leadership
A new slate of RN officers were elected in 2004 after a court confirmed the legitimacy of the election. It was the culmination of a dispute between the chapter’s former president and his supporters and the newly elected reform group. For the chapter much of 2004 revolved around reorganization, building membership and securing its charter from Partners of the Americas. RN’s anniversary celebration of its 38th year as a POA chapter and recognition of its founders gave further momentum to its re-building efforts.
Joint Domestic Violence Project Implemented
Another highlight of the year was the accomplishment of Phase II of the Maine/Rio Grande do Norte joint domestic violence project, Projeto Mullheres Pela Vida, written and conducted in RN by Rossana Roberta Pinherio de Souza (Phase I involved visits to Maine by RN’s Chief Justice and visits to RN by Maine a Maine judge, lawyers and specialists to Natal). Assisting with the application were Maine DV project team members: Faye Luppi, Catherine Lee and Joyce Wheeler. Rossana was awarded a $5,000 grant from Partners of the Americas to research the status of DV in Natal and develop plans for multi-professional courses and seminars, Phase III. Her report was made in August, 2004.
Visitors
The two chapters renewed their long-standing partnership with Maine’s President Jeanette Good’s visit to RN in July followed by RN President Mario Cavalcanti’s visit to Maine in November. Maine was honored also with visits from RN’s Second Vice President Dr. José Melquisedec da Costa Ferreira and RN founder, Dantas Guedes. Dr. Melquisedec is the father of Maine member, Mirelli Murch, a teacher in Chelsea.
POA Renews Maine and RN Charters
Maine and RN POA charters were renewed in 2004. Every three years Partners of the Americas chapters in the U.S. and their partner chapters throughout Latin America and the Caribbean must apply for charter renewal. Operating protocols, plans and priorities are jointly updated and individual chapter organizational standards and commitments are reviewed by POA. It was a particularly challenging time for the RN chapter given the difficulties and disruptions they experienced in the preceding 2 years and new leadership but, happily, both chapters came through with charters intact and a strong sense of renewal.
Deceased: Jimmy Sullivan, long-time member of Maine Partners, died in 2004. Jimmy spent many hours writing and publishing handbooks for RN physical educators serving the disabled and having them translated into Portuguese. USM’s Sullivan Gymnasium is named for Jimmy.
2005
Preparations for Domestic Violence Project – Phase III
Rossana Roberta Pinherio, RN’s director of the joint domestic violence project, visited Maine to confer with Maine Partners’ domestic violence team and begin planning for Phase III in Rio Grande do Norte in 2006. She came to Maine on a Partners of the Americas travel grant that also allowed her to attend POA’s International Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Annual Meeting Program Featured Observations on Social and Economic Issues in Brazil
Professor Sam McReynolds, Chair of University of New England’s Sociology Department, recently spent time doing research in Rio Grande do Norte. He and his Brazilian-born wife, Vanessa, discussed some key social and economic features of present-day Brazil and Brazilians seeking work in the U.S. Sam’s remarks included the following:
There as a large increase in emigration to the U.S. until 9/11. Brazilians now represent the smallest ratio of U.S. visa approvals; Brazilians tend to come to make money and go home; in Rio Grande do Norte shrimp, oil (largest reserve in Brazil), and melons are growth industries and major exports; tourism is growing rapidly but sex tourism is on the rise with one million prostitutes under 12. It’s a growing concern in RN with rapid hotel development along the beaches; poverty persists in the country with at least 45% of the population earning less than 1 dollar per day; the gap between haves and have-nots is as wide as ever with 1 percent controlling 60 percent of the country’s wealth and natural resource exploitation continues in spite of governmental efforts to control it.
USM Professor Takes Theatre Students to Brazil
Theatre Professor Minor Rootes and his wife, Maria, took students to Natal and to Belem, Maria’s native home in Amazonas. Participants paid their way spending roughly 15 days in the country. Minor and Maria are members of Partners.
Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy Steering Committee Formed
Representatives of international and exchange organizations in Maine formed a steering group to initiate planning for a “summit” meeting of such organizations in the spring of 2006. Partners of the Americas is one of the international/national sponsors of the movement. Instigators of the proposed Maine summit were Maine Partners, The Maine-Aomori Sister-State Advisory Council, Archangel Committee of Greater Portland and Portland Sister-Cities.
The group defined citizen diplomacy broadly to include participation in activities ranging from education and cultural exchanges, sister-city, sister-state, home-stays and hospitality for foreign visitors, international studies and foreign language programs, public forums for foreign and domestic speakers, international business and trade, and local international relations support organizations. Organizations and individuals will be invited to participate in the spring “summit” to ‘connect the dots’ of the many good practices of citizen diplomacy in Maine and discuss ways to substantially expand citizen participation in international exchange programs.
Long-time Supporting Members passed on in 2005
Ann Harriman, wife of Charlie Harriman, long-time members and supporters of Partners. Ann served several years as our treasurer.
Conrad (Babe) Grondin, owner and CEO of Prescott Metals in Biddeford, generous Partner supporter and donor of health equipment to Bom Pasteur in Cidade Esperanca.
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