We kicked off the celebration a few days before the main event with the arrival of our site directors in Pittsburgh. One of the highlights of the weekend was a visit to the office of Mayor Bill Peduto, who declared November 1st, 2014 Amizade Day in the most livable city of Pittsburgh. Another great moment was the Site Director’s Summit, an opportunity to evaluate and rethink practices as a group. Bolivia’s Jean Carla Costas, Appalachia’s Nate Siggers, Brazil’s Micah Gregory (virtually), Poland’s Anna Kraus, Navajo Nation’s Melissa Woody, Jamaica’s Matthias Brown, Trinidad & Tobago’s Beulah Joseph-Clunis, and Puerto Rico’s Eugenio Lopez Matos joined the summit, featuring founder Dan Weiss, past Executive Directors Mike Sandy and Eric Hartman, and the current Executive Director Brandon Blache-Cohen. The Summit, which including both practical training as well as reflection and story sharing, was such a great way to set the stage for such a meaningful weekend.

Nearly two hundred people attended the Amizade’s 20th Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser at The Children’s Museum. The VIP Reception opened with music from Matthew Tembo  while everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner of paella, curry, and sandwiches catered by Mad Mex and Kaya. Amizade was honored to have longtime friend, alum, and former intern Ryan Gayman as the event host, introducing speakers including Melissa Woody, who exemplified how Amizade’s participants and communities help each other through priceless life experiences all around the world. Walter and Betty Lou Weiss reminisced about the early days of Amizade while Mike Sandy led the room in a toast. Finally, Amizade’s current Executive Director Brandon Blache-Cohen spoke about the legacy of engagement, connection, and contribution of Amizade throughout the last twenty years.

The main event was a lively celebration that opened with a proclamation from Councilman Tom Baker declaring November 1st Amizade Day in Allegheny County. The night also included inspiring speeches from past Executive Director Eric Hartman as well as the introduction of the Amizade Hall of Fame and it’s first inductees, Marvin and Martie Wachs, Jean Carla Costas, Mathias Brown, Steven Winn Alexander, and founder Dan Weiss who was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award. The inductees were celebrated and praised for their years of service and incredible contributions to Amizade.

Together, Amizade friends, alumni, staff, site directors, and supporters enjoyed live music, food, desserts, dancing, and several even took home fantastic raffle prizes. In the end, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate these twenty years of friendship, learning and service.

A special thanks to The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Matthew Tembo, Let Them Eat Cake, big Burrito Catering, our dessert and raffle donors, and all of our wonderful volunteers who helped in making this incredible celebration.

Be sure to check out our photo gallery on Facebook

The institute this year was at a retreat setting on beautiful Skaneateles Lake. This enabled participants to build quick, strong bonds, and critically reflect on GSL best practices. It was a deeply collaborative institute, and participants not only had the opportunity to workshop their own future GSL programs, but also crowdsource ideas for what ideal programs might look like. At the end of the institute, participants presented on what they had learned, and how they might be able to improve GSL programming.

Stay tuned for announcements about possible future institutes.

The theme is service and learning about homelessness and hunger in Pittsburgh, Morgantown, and D.C.

The Irish will have a full slate while in Pittsburgh. Our organization partner, Hear Me, will be helping facilitate interaction with Hill District youth. Other activities include a Halloween Party, helping build a Kaboom playground, and a fun night at Kennywood’s Fright Night.

Currently the students are in Washington D.C. where they are working at Central Union Mission, which is a men’s shelter. While there, students will be helping out and serving meals. The D.C. experience will also include working at DC Central Kitchen, and 5000 meals a day.

While in the D.C. area students’ will also get the chance to go on a US Capitol Tour, a trip to Arlington Cemetery , and Holocaust museum.

While in Morgantown the students will serve at Bartlett House. Other than service the group will get a West Virginia University campus tour and meeting with stakeholder in which Amizade Alumni are invited to participate.

We are excited to announce that Mathew Tembo will be performing his trademark Afro fusion & Reggae fuelled music during the VIP Reception as well as the main event.

The VIP Reception begins at 6:00pm, immediately preceding the Celebration & Fundraiser. At the VIP Reception, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from our Site Directors directly about the wonderful things happening in Amizade’s Communities around the world and talk with alumni and supporters about their Amizade experience. The VIP Reception tickets include entrance to the main event.

The Main Event will begin at 7:30pm and will have an open bar, raffles, music, and dancing. Hear from speakers including Amizade’s founder, Dan Weiss, and Site Directors from around the world.

Food at both the VIP Reception and the main event will be provided by Mad Mex and Kaya. Get ready for tasty treats such as Kaya salads and paella, Jamaican green curry, quesadillas, taquitos, hummus, and more.

Attire for the event will be festive cocktail. What is festive cocktail? Pretty much whatever you want it to be. If you are looking for an excuse to dress up this is your chance but don’t feel any pressure to bust out that tux (maybe leave the sweatpants at home).

The event will be held at the Children’s Museum located at 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 on the North Side. The Children’s Museum will have free parking in their parking lot.

Also featured will be fun activities such as screen printing and painting.

Spread the word and the excitement about the party (during, before, and after) on social media! Use the hashtag #Amizade20.

For more information visit: amizade.org/20thanniversary

Buy your tickets at: amizade20.eventbrite.com

Tickets will also be available at the door.

We are proud to share that Appalachia Site Director, Nate Siggers, has been awarded a cash prize from Williamson Health & Wellness Center during their Health Innovation Hub’s Entrepreneur’s Pitch Event.

On October 3rd, 2014, local residents and regional leaders come together to see entrepreneurs compete to win cash prizes for their local business ideas at.

Each entrepreneur pitched their idea in 3 minutes or less with a Q&A after each pitch. Judges then decided on the top 3 winners of (1st place) $7,000, (2nd place) $5,000 and (3rd place) $3,000. In the end, there were 4 winners, as the judges determined to have a 4th place winner who would also receive a cash prize to continue to develop their local business idea.

Amizade Site Director in Appalachia, Nate Siggers was awarded the $3,000 third place prize for bringing tourism and volunteerism to Mingo County.

Other winners were:  1st Place ($7,000) – Maria Arnot building My Mobile Market, a mobile farmers market in Williamson. 2nd Place – ($5,000) Tom Myers building hydroponic agricultural projects throughout central Appalachia.

Photos by Stonestreet Creative.

1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Now we have America. The post office is closed. End of story, right?

Not quite.

“The Indians are so naive and free with their possession that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone. They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” -Christopher Columbus.

At Amizade, we are in no rush to celebrate Columbus Day. And if that quote above is not enough to convince you check out this great resource.

The Canary Effect: Kill the Indian, Save the Man (2006)

At the end of the day, Christopher Columbus did not discover America (it is hard to discover something populated with 15-20 million people). Rather, he was responsible for genocide and a pioneer of slave trading (not to mention, people already knew the world was round before Columbus).

With these facts in mind, should we really be celebrating Columbus Day? We don’t think so, and Minneapolis and  Seattle seem to agree. Taking a page out of Minneapolis’ book, Seattle’s City Council voted unanimously this past summer to celebrate the Holiday with a twist, calling it Indigenous Peoples Day. Rather than celebrating Columbus, the day now focuses on the indigenous people, raising awareness on issues such as racism and discrimination, and moving the focus to social justice.

Popular webcomic The Oatmeal has also suggested ditching Columbus in exchange for another historical figure who, though he shares some of Columbus’ crimes, displays what to do when you realize you are on the wrong side of history. Bartolomé de las Casas started off in the same boat as Columbus until he realized the evil that was taking place, turned a 180, and eventually became known as the “Protector of the Indians.”

Some states have just altogether dropped the holiday. Resulting in what is known as… Monday. Either way, whether you celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Bartolomé Day, or Just Another Monday Day, let’s rethink Columbus Day.

The cards, which will be sold on Amizade’s website, come from one of CEOLI’s occupational therapy programs that gives an opportunity for several young handicapped Bolivian artists earn wages to help support themselves, their families, and their communities. For several years, a small group of severely handicapped young artists, led by talented art teachers, has been hand-painting greeting cards of typical Bolivian scenes.

The different card designs are of Bolivian people in native dress, some with llamas and donkeys, set against rural landscapes. All the scenes have vivid colors and are strikingly beautiful. Card options also include Christmas and Holiday themes, perfect for the upcoming holiday season, bringing joy to the receiver of the card as well as bringing help to the artist. In addition to the Christmas themes and syandard cards, there are also Children Cards, which are CEOLI cards done by Bolivian youth.

With the proceeds of the sale of just one card, a young artist can buy two loaves of bread, one litre of milk, half a kilo of apples, bananas or beans, or three bus rides across town. Individual cards cost only $3, a pack of four cards cost only $10, and a pack of 10 cards cost $20. A random assortment of 20 cards can be purchased for $20.

Cards measure approximately 4.5” x 6.5”, and come in a variety of colors and designs. A biography of one of the CEOLI artists is included with the card so that you and your recipients know a little more about the community you are serving. These beautiful cards make a thoughtful gift and show your commitment to creating a more equitable world. Buy a set for your friends and family or to use as your unique personal stationery.

Ceoli was founded in 1986 as an oasis of caring and help for nearly 150 children and young adults in the Cochabamba area. Staffed with dedicated teachers and health-care providers, CEOLI strives to provide the disabled with services and opportunities for improved quality of life that the Bolivian government has thus far failed to offer. As a non-profit organization, CEOLI relies on private donations and very minimal payments from the families of the mentally and physically challenged who are served.

Since 2003, longtime volunteers and supporters, Marvin and Martie Wachs have been assisting CEOLI by finding potential markets and buyers in the U.S. Here is an opportunity for those of us in more fortunate circumstances and countries to extend a hand to young adults who genuinely want to work and earn their own way. As of 2014, the Wachs have transferred the project to Amizade in order to see it continue to grow and succeed.

Amizade is thrilled and honored to announce that we have been awarded a youth and adult leadership exchange program, “Youth Ambassadors Program with South America: Mobilizing Youth Through Leadership Development, Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Protection, and Community Service” by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This two-way exchange program is committed to the recognition and support of the talents and assets of South American and Appalachian youth and aims to engage youth in the innovative development of their communities. The guiding mission for the Youth Ambassadors Program with South America (YAPSA) is to foster individual and collective leadership, critical and analytic problem-solving, and teamwork for youth to see themselves as community leaders, as agents of change, and become actively involved in civic life.

In collaboration with Awamaki in Ollantaytambo, Peru, and the Lions Club of Cochabamba, Bolivia, Amizade will coordinate this dual exchange program which will begin in the summer of 2015 when 12 youth and 2 adult educators from Southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia will travel to Bolivia and Peru for 23 days. This will be followed by a reciprocal exchange of 24 youth and adult educators from Bolivia and Peru who will travel to the US for 23 days in the fall of 2015.

Having worked in Appalachia, Bolivia, and other parts of South America for 20 years, Amizade recognizes that youth are often not provided the education and training to succeed. YAPSA will stimulate and empower the group to envision an ideal community, as well as to explore a variety of methods that citizens can use to work with other stakeholders towards that ideal. Youth Ambassadors with South America will be developed as a culturally sensitive workshop based on Amizade’s 20 years of developing and implementing academic, intercultural immersion, service-learning, volunteerism, and community development programs in 16 countries around the world. In addition, Amizade will work in collaboration with the Lions Club as well as our existing Amizade staff in Bolivia and Awamaki in Peru to ensure that YAPSA addresses the needs of the youth leaders from South America while integrating the unique perspective and context provided by the Appalachia region in the United States.

The guiding goal of the YAPSA Program is to build individual and collective leadership, critical and analytic problem-solving, and teamwork for youth to see themselves as part of a community, as agents of change, and become actively involved in community service and civic life. YAPSA will target a diverse group of goal-oriented young adults and key adult educators from Bolivia, Peru, and the North Central Appalachian region of the United States to develop leadership and social entrepreneurship skills, explore themes of environmental protection, and promote collective action to contribute to and participate in advancing positive systemic changes in their communities.

Although youth in each of these countries face issues unique to their own country and community, a number of cross-cutting and common issues affecting youth, such as environmental degradation and protection, can be explored together by adapting concepts, tools, and ideas to specific circumstances faced in each delegate’s home community. YAPSA will take advantage of the diversity of experience and issues the delegates will bring with them from their different countries while identifying and building on universalities that youth face throughout the region. Amizade has found it beneficial to select delegates in small regional clusters, providing a supportive structure to implement change upon returning to their respective home communities.

Stay tuned to Amizade for more details including how to apply to be a participant or a host family!

The library is in the Amizade site of Jukwa, Ghana. Jukwa is a village of 8,500 and lies in the Cape Coast region of Ghana. Just a little over a decade ago Jukwa had no electricity or public water. This is no longer the case today, but many are still without books or educational materials.

When completed, this will be a community library not only for Jukwa. Nearly 21 schools and 10 surrounding villages will directly benefit from this library. The library will be comprised of multiple rooms including a children’s library, adult library, ITC room, offices, conference center, and an educational room. The library will be more than just a learning area, but can also be seen as a community center. In fact, some rooms are already in use by teachers/students and local parliament members.

Community members and Amizade volunteers have put so much time and effort into this project, said Ghana Program Coordinator Sara Wood. “It will be great to see it completed for all involved and for the community to reap the benefits of a completed community library.”

The funds committed for this project will help complete the construction of an existing building as well as fill it with books and educational materials. The library will also be sustainable due to profits from an internet cafe, the rental of the conference room, as well as the sale of food and drink in the snack area. A committee of five individuals (a student rep, a rep of the chief, a rep from the assembly members in the community, a rep from Peace Humanity International and a community rep) will oversee the funds accrued from the profits. These funds will provide the financial support needed to sustain the library.

These funds coupled with the hard work of Amizade volunteers and partners will help see the completion of the library very soon.

With the help of Amizade, Ujamaa got in touch with KVDPA and established a fair trade relationship with KVDPA, providing fair pay and marketing support for their textile designs.

“This new relationship offers our boutique the chance to meet the requests of our clientele for contemporary clothing styles created with African fabric,” said Ujamma.

Items can be purchased at the Ujamaa boutique at 1901 Centre Avenue, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

KVDPA is a nonprofit community-based organization of youth and women, a competent and effective service provider in alleviating suffering through community care and support of those affected by HIV/AIDS.  It was founded in 2006 by Kemilembe Kanani and only three volunteers who had been making fabric clothes for women and school uniforms for children. KVDPA has grown into a vibrant institution with 125 volunteers and more than 250 members. One of the main services provided is hands-on learning in textiles and sewing.

Amizade has been working with several community partnerships in Karagwe, Tanzania since 2003, connecting volunteers and students to community projects for experiential learning and service. Kemi and other members were curious when Amizade leaders told them about a partnership with women of African descent in Pittsburgh, PA who united under the banner of Ujamaa, a word that has its origins in their home of Tanzania.

Karagwe is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by Uganda, to the East by the Bukoba Rural District, to the Southeast by the Muleba District, to the South by the Ngara District and to the West by Rwanda, which is divided by the River Kagera.

Ujamaa Collective is a non-profit organization founded with a social mission to create spaces, opportunities, networks, education and support for Africana women to grow as entrepreneurs, artisans, and servant-leaders so that we may “lift as we climb”.  

Amizade is excited to see this Ujamaa and KVDPA partnership flourish and grow. For updates on other Amizade partnerships like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.