Over the past year, Partners of the Americas has rallied to use the power of partnerships to raise awareness about COVID-19, deliver aid, and come together to help the communities who needed it the most. Read more in our 2020 Annual Report in English, Spanish, and Portuguese! |
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Virtual Campus for Public Health — Take free health courses from the Pan American Health Organization through their Virtual Campus for Public Health. Sample courses include "Leadership: The Future of the Health Professions Workforce" and "Psychological First Aid (PFA) in Disaster Management in the Caribbean." (Available in Spanish and Portuguese)
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WHO Launches Mobile Application for Yoga — The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Government of India, is launching WHO mYoga, a free yoga app to help people stay active and healthy.
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Six Tips to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by the News — The pandemic has brought with it daily news briefings and a seemingly never-ending influx of COVID-related headlines. Learn how to cope when all the negative news overwhelms you with these tips by Greater Good Magazine.
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The Membership Unit wants to thank everyone who contributed to the 2021 Membership Survey this June. Stay tuned for key results.
In June, the Unit continued to host a number of events providing information on PartnersCampus and PartnersConnect. In July, the Unit invites you to join our upcoming PartnersTalks event on July 26 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) titled "Awareness & Voices of Disability Rights."
Additionally, the Unit encourages you to update your profile on PartnersConnect so the Unit can better tailor the number and types of volunteer and event opportunities. Please be sure to confirm your email address, language preference, interests, and skills. Update Your Profile Today.
Lastly, the Unit invites you to participate in the recently launched Communities of Practice (COP) on PartnersConnect. In these communities, you will connect with like-minded individuals and learn more about programs and initiatives in key areas around the Americas. Don't wait, join a COP now:
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Education and Global Citizenship Unit |
On June 10, the 2021 Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF) for U.S. Alumni was launched. The opportunity, funded by the U.S. Department of State (USDOS) and implemented by Partners,
awards grants of up to $10,000 for U.S. citizen alumni of government-sponsored exchange programs to carry out public service projects that make the most of the skills, knowledge, and networks gained through their exchange experiences. This round’s themes are promoting media literacy education, protecting the environment, bolstering outreach to underserved communities, fostering alumni network development, and building community through arts, sports, language, and technology. If you are or know someone who is an exchange alum, make sure to register on alumni.state.gov and check out the FAQ page for more information on CDAF 2021.
This month, the USDOS announced the new Education & Culture (E&C) program for fiscal year 2021. Details about small grant assistance funds, travel in 2022, the 2022 What Works conference, and more are coming soon. Last month, the following Chapters received E&C small grants: Cochabamba, Florida-Barranquilla, Wisconsin-Nicaragua, Southwest Colombia, Uruguay, PartnersCampus Uninúñez, Illinois-São Paulo, and Colorado-Amigos de Iracambi. Their projects will address STEAM, art therapy for people with disabilities, the environment, entrepreneurship, and workforce development.
On June 10, 2021, the 100,000 Strong in the Americas (100K) Innovation Fund held an event with the Inter-American Dialogue to discuss their new report on how the 100K program leverages funds to catalyze lasting academic partnerships and educational exchange opportunities for students across the Americas. The event featured a panel of experts including Partners President & CEO John McPhail and the Assistant Secretary for the USDOS Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Julie Chung.
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This month, the CPU's Juntos Aprendemos Chief of Party, Gustavo Payán, visited Cartagena, Colombia to meet with members of the education communities, city authorities, and local partners. During his visit, Gustavo discussed with local stakeholders the challenges facing the education system in Cartagena, such as poverty and inequality, as well as the pressure placed by a large influx of migrants. He learned about strategies to improve access to quality education implemented by Juntos Aprendemos partners and programs, such as Programa Saberes, which focuses on developing the pedagogical skills of community-based caregivers. Gustavo also heard firsthand from a student who, after losing her mother during the pandemic, found the strength to continue on with the help of a STEM program called “Play and Believe, Believe and Learn.” As a result of her participation in the program, the student developed an app to identify challenges in her community of Pasacaballos and develop collective solutions to those problems. Juntos Aprendemos is a five-year (2021-2026) project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that improves the capacity of the education system in Colombia to provide access to quality education, particularly focused on communities impacted by migration.
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Economic Development and Health Unit |
The Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program continues to provide remote technical assistance in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and Myanmar. In June, the program continued providing innovative remote support to local beneficiaries and began preparations to resume in-person travel to its core countries. If you are interested in participating on an assignment and traveling to one of the host countries, please email [email protected] with your resume or CV attached. The F2F team looks forward to providing a hybrid model of support to their communities in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, and Jamaica, in which they combine remote and in-person trainings. For example, while they return to the traditional F2F format, the team will continue to update and expand the F2F YouTube channel to allow for inclusive participation in F2F programming and make information and best practices accessible to all.
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Commemorating the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor |
On June 12, 2021, Partners commemorated the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL), as well as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor. This is a year in which we are called to increase our efforts to prevent and eradicate child labor, especially given the increased threat that the COVID-19 pandemic poses to vulnerable families and communities.
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Changing Lives with Pride |
LGBTQIA+ Pride Month is celebrated worldwide, yet the community still faces violence and discrimination. To promote acceptance, the Partners Goiás, Brazil Chapter created Projeto Resist, a project that works to provide free and personalized legal and/or psychological care to members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have suffered or suffer from homophobia in the state of Goiás. |
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In Memory of Rosalind Elahi |
Sadly, Rosalind (Roz) Elahi, Partners Senior Accountant and Consultant, passed away on June 19, 2021. Roz joined Partners in 1988 and after retiring in 2009, remained on the Finance and Admin staff as a consultant in grant accounting. Roz was passionate about Partners' mission. She trained field staff in Guyana and Nicaragua and worked with Partners' A Ganar and POMMAR projects in Brazil. Roz's first love was her family and she was a mentor over the years to young staff. After retirement, Roz volunteered at an animal rescue shelter preparing animals for adoption and was a supporter of St. Jude and the Humane Society. If you have any photos or memories you would like to share, please send them to Barbara Bloch or Carmen Sepassi so we can prepare a book for her family. We send our condolences to her family and friends.
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In Memory of Marjorie Jackson |
Sadly, Marjorie Jackson, the founder of the St. Vincent-Long Island, New York Chapter, passed away on May 29, 2021. In 1981, Marjorie Jackson was instrumental in Partners coming to St. Vincent. She was seeking help for the School for Children with Special Needs and was advised that Partners worked through partnerships. With Partners, Marjorie then founded the Chapter, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. In honor of her contribution as the founder of the Chapter, a scholarship has been established in her name to help children with special needs. We send our condolences to her family and friends. |
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In Memory of Juan Carlos Camps |
Sadly, Juan Carlos Camps, the President of the Paraguay Kansas Partners Chapter, passed away from complications with COVID-19 on June 2, 2021. Juan Carlos was a teacher trainer and head of the academic department of the Binational Center in Asunción. He also taught linguistics, semantics, and pragmatics at the National University of Paraguay. Juan Carlos used his teaching and mentoring skills to connect and advance education, and open doors to opportunities for his students in Asunción. We send our condolences to his family and friends. |
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Check Out This Upcoming Event for July 2021 |
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Partners of the Americas is hiring! We are currently seeking:
- Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Specialist (Juntos Aprendemos)
- Human Resources Director
- Procurement and Administration Assistant (Juntos Aprendemos)
- Director of Finance, Administration, and Human Resources - Colombia
- Jamaica Field Officer (Farmer-to-Farmer)
- Director of Institutional Strengthening (Juntos Aprendemos)
- Colombia Field Officer (Farmer-to-Farmer)
- Colombia Finance & Administration Assistant (Farmer-to-Farmer)
- Program Assistant (Mexico Awareness)
- Digital Communications Specialist (Mexico Awareness)
- Skills Development Specialist (Mexico Awareness)
- Administrative Assistant (C4D)
- Associate Director of Business Development
- Accountant I, AP/AR
- Finance and Administration Manager
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Open Internship Opportunities |
Partners of the Americas is looking for interns! We are seeking:
- EDH Intern
- Finance and Accounting Intern
- Business Management Intern
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Small Grants Proposal Reviewer Opportunity - CDAF |
Want to play an important role in expanding access to opportunity and international relationships, as well as building bridges of mutual understanding? The USDOS and Partners are recruiting volunteers to join the review committee for the 2021 Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund for U.S. Alumni. This prestigious competition provides grants of up to $10,000 to teams of past participants of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to carry out public service projects using the skills and knowledge they gained during their exchange experiences.
To be considered for this role of enabling exchange alumni to implement impactful projects, please complete the application form by July 15, 2021.
The review process will take place from Wednesday, July 28 through Tuesday, August 17, 2021. Selected reviewers may complete their proposal reviews anytime within this time period. The estimated amount of volunteer time is between 3-6 hours in total. If you have any questions, please submit them here. We look forward to reviewing your application soon!
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