We are pursuing several potential projects, including an exchange program of high school biology students. But one project that we have been approached about, from the national Partners in Washington, D.C., concerns a project targeting at-risk children in Panama City.
Partners expects to receive significant funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which would allow the implemention of a prevention program for at-risk children and youth who live in highly marginalized areas of Panama City, including Santa Ana, Curundu, Chorrillo and the district of San Miguelito. These children are at risk for delinquency, dropping out of school, abusing drugs and alcohol, joining gangs, and becoming the victims of violence. A few program components we’re considering involve exchanges of teachers, community and nonprofit leaders, students, and others who are concerned about youth violence and delinquency prevention.
What are your thoughts? Can you recommend any organizations or individuals in Delaware that would be interested in participating on any level – either as advisors or as exchange participants? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
We have some exciting news!
Several members of our board will be participating the international partners conference this Thursday through Saturday in Washington, D.C. The conference is called “Higher Education & International Volunteer Service: A Sum Greater than its Parts.”
Program leaders from around the world will gather to discuss current projects, best practices, etc. We’re sure it will be an eye-opening conference, and we’re hoping to bring back ideas about what we can do to re-energize Delaware-Panama Partners.
The current Delaware board, elected as of Fall 2009, is:
- President: Sarah Kenney
- Vice President: Anum Mallick
- Secretary: Angela Cloud
- Treasurer: Fran Taccone
Sra. Mercedes Barragón de Pinzón is the current Panamá Chapter President, and Dr. Sarah R. Foulke (Sally) is the Delaware Chapter Past-President. She is currently residing in Panama.
Anum, Angela, and I are recent University of Delaware graduates, and we are new to Delaware-Panama Partners. But we come from a variety of backgrounds (nutrition, art, and communication), and we believe we can bring a lot to this historic and culturally rich organization. We look forward to working alongside long-standing members to move the organization forward.
Partners of the Americas is a people-to-people organization that turns ideas into action. We accomplish this by linking U.S. states with Latin America and Caribbean countries in partnerships that use the energy and skills of citizen volunteers, their institutions and communities to address shared concerns of social, economic and cultural development. Partners volunteers and professional staff build on this fabric of enduring linkages to mount a wide array of activities and programs.
The Delaware-Panama Chapter has projects and programs as diverse as cultural exchanges, culturally relevant health information, nutrition education, higher education linkages, promotion of knowledge of women’s rights, service learning, and historic preservation.
