“Building Grassroots Democracy in Minority Communities” Professional Fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia in the U.S.A., April 1 - May 11, 2013 GUESTS’ VOLUNTEERING IN THE U.S.A 19 European professional fellows spent six weeks in the U.S. to gain knowledge in citizen participation and advocacy, engaging minorities, and marginalized populations in civil society and politics, collaborating with community leaders to inform changes in legislation that make a difference in minority communities and building grassroots democracy. Foreign participants were exposed to diverse community organiz-
ing methods for citizens in solving problems in their own communities and gained hands-on experience during their 3-week internship at both public and civil society institutions in the United States and a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture and people. They enjoyed host families and/or home hospitality in different states across the U.S. As part of the experience they participated in volunteer ser-
vice programs to give back to the U.S. communities where they were hosted. This report focuses on some highlights from the European fellows on their participation in volunteer work at their U.S. host organizations, and/or in the community with other volunteers (their host families or U.S. mentors). Thank you for your support!
Rotary Club in Chicago, Illinois and Little Rock, Arkansas Martin Klus: “I am a member of the Rotary Club (RC) Banska Bystrica since 2011, and is it’s Youth Exchange Officer. The RC Banska Bystrica activities include supporting e.g. community, youth mobility and activity as well as international professional and volunteering partnership building.”
“On Tuesday, April 9, I visited one of the oldest Rotary club in the world, the Rotary One Chicago and participated in traditional flag changing ceremony with Ms. Lisa Russ, President of the RC in Chicago, and had a short discussion afterward about perspective collaboration with Rotary Club Banska Bystrica in Slovakia on the various joint projects.”
“On Friday, April 19, I had another delightful visit at the Little Rock Rotary Club 99, with my inviter Mr. William Goolsby, a member of the RC in Little Rock and also father of my third host family. During this visit I shared my experience on service for the community in Slovakia and established professional as well as friend connections with the Rotary Club members.”
*/ Sponsored by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Organized by the Great Lakes Consortium for International Training and Development with WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. – Contract Agent and Manager Website: http://www.glc-teachdemocracy2.org/ Facebook: GLC_TeachDemocracy E-mail contact: glc_teachdemocracy2@hotmail.com
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Volunteering in Chicago, Illinois Milenko Milenkov: “On Tuesday, April 9, Dzhevid Mahmud, Georgi Georgiev, Hajnalka Kiss and I participated in our first volunteering work in Chicago. Together with the
team of the Chicago Coalition for Homeless (CCH) we prepared sandwiches for the road for volunteer community leaders traveling to the Legislative Day in Springfield.”
For more information visit: http://www.chicagohomeless.org/
Anita Vodal: “On Monday afternoon, April 29, Miroslav Ragac and I were doing outreach on the North side of Chicago, State of Illinois. This outreach was part of the Homeless Education Committee of the CCH. Miroslav and I did three outreaches in different locations at various elementary schools. Sometimes we have to approach parents on the school parking lot while they were sitting in their cars, waiting for their kids. During outreach I met and spoke to an education coordinator at Huntington Learning Centre who has been very interested in learning more about homeless students’ rights. I showed him a flyer of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless about current school
forms and free school wavers. We were giving them advice about how to apply, who to talk too, who might be benefit from this, where to find information, etc. There I am speaking to a parent just in front of the school, which has got one of the highest numbers of homeless kids. ”
closings and about rights and possible benefits that homeless students are entitled for.” Miroslav Ragac: “Anita and I were providing information and leaflets to all parents saying, that homeless families and children are eligible for free bus tickets, school uni-
Professional Fellows in the U.S. (April 1 - May 11, 2013)
Ruxandra Borca: “On Thursday morning, April 25, George Georgiev and I volunteer at the workshop for LSNA staff on youth work in Romania. It was the staff monthly meeting and there were around 20 staff in attendance. I talked about Romania programs, popular and formal education, funding opportunities and intercultural diversity in Romania and Bulgaria. We compared the challenges youth are facing in Europe and in the U.S., and we found many common issues. I also talked about Romanian culture and traditions, which opened discussions about similarities and differences between European and American culture and mentality. We discussed political situation in Romania, the transition from Communism to Democracy, the impact of Communism
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Square neighborhood in Chicago. We prepared and served lunch for around 50 homeless people together with other local volunteers. I had interesting conversations with a couple of them - we talked how important the center is, and about the difficulties they have to go through, and we also shared information about our countries and our work in the United States. on nowadays` society, and talked about social and economical issues the Roma people are facing at the moment. I was wearing my traditional Romanian clothes. On Thursday afternoon, Georgi and I volunteered at community service in the New Community Church warming center for homeless living in the Logan
The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) was founded in 1980 and started helping to those experiencing homelessness. CCH runs outreach at family and adult shelters, street programs, and single-room occupancy (SRO) facilities. Each month, three field organizers visit at least 28 facilities
across Chicago. A youth attorney also runs a mobile legal aid clinic that makes three weekly stops at neighborhood programs that serve unaccompanied youth. During these visits, CCH offers practical information. This includes telling parents about a homeless child’s right to free transportation to school, or informing
low-income adults of their eligibility to apply for charity care from non-profit hospitals. Through outreach, CCH involves homeless youth, parents and single adults in developing advocacy campaigns that work to create more access and economic opportunities for people living in extreme poverty.
Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) was established in 1962. LSNA’s mission is to convene networks of neighbors, schools, businesses, social service agencies, faith communities, and other organizations to collaborate for thriving communities in Logan Square,
Avondale, and Lathrop Homes, a densely populated, low-to-moderate income community in Chicago. LSNA is committed to empowering and maintaining these communities as diverse, safe, and affordable neighborhoods in which to live and work, learn and grow. Forty-three com-
munity institutions including schools, churches, block clubs, and agencies are members of LSNA, engaging more than 2,000 people in organizing and supporting programs and campaigns. To read more about LSNA’s and its programs follow the link: http://www.lsna.net
Virginia Organizing (VO) is a statewide grassroots organization in Charlottesville started in 1995. VO dedicated to challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality of their lives. For the past 17 years, VO has established a solid community organizing track record
in Virginia, has provided assistance in the development of new local organizations addressing social and economic issues in communities, and has created a growing network of labor, human rights, faith, housing, environment, education and other non-profit groups to work together to achieve concrete improvements.
The VO’s core approach is to use an intentional method of building one-to-one relationships among people of diverse backgrounds, identifying issues of concern, providing training in research and leadership, and implementing strategies that break down traditional divisions as well as achieve concrete results.
The Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization rooted in faith and democratic values and includes 28 religious, labor, and is the largest grassroots community organization in New Hampshire. GSOP focuses on problems, such as poor
housing, failing schools, barriers to citizenship, unjust working conditions, and lack of access to health care, that affect the livelihood and sustainability of communities. GSOP members and community leaders conduct research to determine which issues to act on using listen-
ing campaigns, one-to-one interviews, and focus groups, and more traditional research methods. GSOP’s community leaders design issue campaigns based upon the research and relationships developed. Visit GSOP website at: http://www.granitestateorganizing.org/
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Volunteering in Charlottesville, Virginia Hajnalka Kiss: “On Thursday, April 18 Daniela Batova from Slovakia and I from Hungary as European fellows spent all day working for Habitat for Humanity in Charlottesville helping to build houses
for low income families at an area that was before a trailer park. This day Habitat involved lots of volunteers, mainly business people and retired men, who offer their free time for supporting those in need.”
http://www.virginia-organizing.org/
“On April 23 we were volunteering at the God’s Storehouse in Danville Virginia doing the service work on behalf of Virginia Organizing Danville Chapter. This facility distributes unprepared food to low-income families either
from federal government or local shops and community donations. We took part in different activities from packing bread, service in drug store to administration work and putting the data about clients into the system.”
Sincere “THANK YOU” to all Host Families for their Generosity and Support!
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Volunteering in Manchester, New Hampshire Raluca Negulescu: “On Tuesday, April 16, I worked as a volunteer in the New Horizons soup kitchen in Manchester. I signed in over 80 people and I helped cleaning the tables. Kevin Kitner, the Program Director, took me on a tour of the homeless and women shelter, as well as of the pantry. I am on the photo with other volunteer. New Horizons is an adult homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, food pantry and operates Angie's Shelter for Women. New Horizons' mission is to provide food and shelter to the people in need and offer supportive services to achieve self-sufficiency.
homes and then serving them from a borrowed camper that would go to those impoverished people in need of nutrition. The soup kitchen is now a place where very poor people, those whose paths in life have met with devastating financial circumstances and the homeless from elsewhere come to receive a hot meal, encouragement and companionship in a place where they are treated with dignity and respect.”
The New Horizons soup kitchen was the first component to New Horizons expansive services. The soup kitchen began as a group of concerned citizens making soup and sandwiches at their
“On Saturday morning, April 20, I made volunteer work for the Greater Manchester Habitat for Humanity (GMHFH). This is a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, serving the various communities in Manchester, Hooksett, Candia, Auburn, Derry, Londonderry, Litchfield, Bedford and Goffstown. GMHFH works in partnership with people in
“My host organization Granite State Organizing Project celebrated the Earth Day 2013 on Monday, April 22 through a community clean up in the
Elmwood Gardens area in Manchester. Together with residents and kids from the neighborhood, we collected the garbage in the large area.
need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. I have been at the Habitat for Humanity site for several hours with Zayne Knoy and my US Mentor Sarah Jane’s father. I helped on the isolation of the building, I drilled holes in the pieces of wood we were using to isolate the building, and I took measurements for the pieces we needed to fix on the walls.”
Manchester Police Chief Mr. David Mara joined this community clean-up event along with many kids from the neighborhood.”
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Presentation in Saint Louis, Missouri Silvia Elena Ursu: “On Wednesday, April 24, I made a presentation at the Board Meeting of Paraquad, which organization is the leader in disability services and advocacy in St. Louis. In my presentation I introduces my organization and the problems that most of disabled people are facing in Romania.”
Paraquad, Inc in St. Luis, Missouri is a private not-for-profit organization founded in 1970. The Company mission is to empower people with disabilities to increase their independence through choice and opportunity. Paraquad is one of the oldest non-residential Centers for Independent Living in the country. The Company’s guiding principle is to ad-
Monika Vaskovicova: “I held two presentations for the organizing staff and other people from some NGOs. The first presentation was on Monday, April 22, at the Southwest Community Gardening Neighborhood. There were around 50 people, mostly from neighborhoods, and also community aldermen - Joe Vollmer Conway, and Lewis E. Reed, the president of the Board. At presentation I introduced myself, my country Slovakia and talked about our democracy: how young it is - only 23 years old, and how it was during socialism.
vance the independent living philosophy. Paraquad’s administration is looking toward an integrated community in which people with disabilities are valued and participate in all aspects of society. Paraquad provides over 40 services, addressing the needs of individuals with all types of disabilities. Programs include Assistive Technology, College for Liv-
ing, Consumer Directed Services, Deaf Way Interpreting, Employment, Independent Living, Public Policy, and Youth and Family. Last year, Paraquad served over 4,000 people with disabilities. As the largest organization serving people with all disabilities, with an emphasis on increased independence, Paraquad is truly distinctive within the St. Louis region.
initiative. At the end a lot of people came to ask more questions democracy and thanked me for my presentation afterwards. The second presentation was held at the World Community Center on Thursday, April 25. The topic was “Capitalism vs. Socialism”. I was talking about my organization and our working on the basis of social enterprise rules, our innovative projects: the non-formal learning multicultural tool implementing in my county, and about the Museum of socialist curiosities. Then I introduced Fellowship Program and my host organization MORE (Missourian Organizing for Reform and Empowerment), and encourage the participants to support their bullet action for which they were collecting the signatures. My mentor was present at this presentation and he collected 40 signatures thanks to this
I was talking about the democracy as compared to the U.S.A., velvet revolution and the impact of socialism on environment, architecture and peoples behavior in Slovakia.”
Follow the link to read about our fellowship program that was mentioned in the community newsletter on page 8: http://www.southwestgarden.org/wp-content/uploads/April_2013_Newsletter.pdf
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Earth Day 2013 in Saint Louis, Missouri Delyana Mihneva: “On April 21, Monika Vaskovicova and I participated as volunteers on Sunday activities at the Forest Park in Saint Louis and celebrate the International Earth Day with Saint Louis communities and guests. We made voluntary work in helping with organizing some events. We met the organizers of the Medicaid expansion Rally in Jefferson City. There we are on the photo below, wearing the green t-shirts and become green eco volunteers.
My host family Tom and Carol Braford presented their eco village project.
We spent nice time with my lovely American friends Inga and Phyllis.�
Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE) fights corporate power. MORE are an uncompromising voice for social and economic justice, gender and LGBT equality, environmental sustainability and peace. Organizers, members, and leaders are saving homes from foreclosure, fighting to protect our planet, demanding equal pay for equal work, working to end violence in our communities, and figuring out creative solutions to the problems
afflicting our schools. Most importantly, MORE engage in direct action and build power in low- and moderate-income communities based on our ability to move people to action. MORE believes that Missouri is positioned at a unique intersection of social, economic and environmental injustice and that as corporate power continues unabated expansion and the gap between the rich and the poor widens, and there has never been a better time for our low-income communi-
ties to come together and fight back. MORE seeks to be a powerful organization of low- and moderate-income people, building strength in our communities. The Company works in relationship with other organizations pushing its allies to engage in creative direct action with us to foster good policy changes. MORE seeks to be part of a movement that cuts across, class, age and race lines that is envisioning and building the world in which we would like to live.
The Alliance For a Just Society (Alliance) formerly the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations is a national coalition of ten state-based grassroots community organizations. Alliance mission is to execute regional and national campaigns and build strong state affiliate organizations and partnerships that address economic, racial, and social inequities. Alliance goal is to make the movement stronger by stimulating growth in others and promoting the collective work of its partners.
The Alliance works to develop strong grassroots organizations that transform their communities, making them more equitable and just. With its strong organizing, policy, and communications teams, the Alliance centralizes the tools that transform grassroots leaders' passion into the power to effect policy change. The Alliance values include (1) Justice to ensure equal access to power and opportunity, supporting and defending the rights of all people, and eliminating discrimination and oppression, (2) Courage
to stand up to power, speaking truth, challenging injustice, and acting with conviction, respect and integrity, (3) Leadership based on active participation and commitment, (4) Unity to win justice, provide opportunities and take collective action, (5) Service Work to build credibility, demonstrate commitment to communities, create opportunities for political education, and organize on a concrete, personal level, and (6) Training to share information, transfer skills and build a strong movement.
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Volunteering in Seattle, Washington undocumented in America. The participants were encouraged to donate money for this cause.
Simona Barbu: “On Friday, April 19, Timea Kovacs and I delivered a presentation about the exchange program we are here with, and our own background and experiences, and the organizations we are working for. Because both of us work with the Roma minority, we made a short presentation on the Roma issues in Europe at the meeting.”
“On Sunday, April 21, we helped at the fundraising event organized by the director of the Alliance for a Just Society (AJS). The goal was to raise money for supporting the reform on immigration that organization are working during this period and that it will mean a big change for millions of people that are
Timea Kovacs: On Tuesday, April 16, 2013 in the Industrial district named an Aka China Town, Simona Barbu and I had the opportunity to participate at the meeting of the coalition for preparing May 1st Day in Seattle, a totally different
concept that what we usually celebrate in Romania or in Hungary. In Europe May 1st Day is the International Worker’s Day and is a celebration of international labor movement. In the U.S. the May 1st Day is the Immigrant’s Day and will be celebrated by
“On Saturday, April 27, the Peace Keeper’s training began. The organizer explained the issues, we and all other volunteers might face during the march. Such training is provided in Seattle from 2006. During the years
volunteers gained a lot experience on how to lead a good march. They are expecting 400 people. We are trained on the does and not-to-does during the march and on how to act in different scenarios.” For more information visit: http://allianceforajustsociety.org/
Fundraising event included a small lunch with people that were interested in social justice, and which have been invited in by the activists from the AJS and WA CAN or their friends.”
marching on the main important boulevards of the city and organizing the members of the immigrant communities to participate. We’ll be volunteer Peace Keepers during the march on the 1st of May, 2013.
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Volunteering in Olympia, Washington Simona Barbu and Timea Kovacs: “On Tax Day, Monday, April 15, we went to Olympia City with many members from 44th LD, families with teens and children, and elsewhere, and volunteer our time in pre-organizing meet-
ing conducted in the Davis Williams Building office. We help with organiz-
ing and distributing information, preparing the posters, etc.”
Volunteering in Little Rock, Arkansas Martin Klus: “On Monday, April 29, I made volunteer work as operating personnel on community meeting in the Hickory Hills in Little Rock, in the private garden of Bill and Debbie Goolsby, my host family, who are very active volunteers in several community organizations. I helped serving community people small refreshment with cookies during their monthly neighborhood meeting. It was approximately 25 people here, most of them from this neighborhood and family friends.”
Arkansas Public Policy Panel (Panel) is a statewide organization dedicated to achieving social and economic justice by organizing citizen groups around the state, educating and supporting them to be more effective and powerful, and linking them with one another in coalitions and networks. Panel is a non-profit organization founded in 1963 working for social justice by helping community people to organize, to grow as leaders, and to influence public policy at the local level and the state level. Panel mission is to bring balance to the public policy process
in Arkansas. The Panel provides organizing, training, leader development and strategic planning services. In addition, the Panel also supports a diverse coalition of community groups and organizations that develop campaigns and lobby at the legislature as the Arkansas Citizens First Congress. The Citizens First Congress works to get laws passed that improve Arkansas schools, protect Arkansas’ environment, change regressive tax structures, add citizen representation to state boards and commissions, strengthen civil rights, protect victims of violence, reform elec-
tions, hold government and corporations accountable and more. The Panel values include social and economic justice advanced through respect for human dignity, embracing diversity and inclusiveness, empowerment and a political process. The Panel vision view Arkansas as a place where an enlightened and empowered population ensures that the economic, social and political resources are managed to serve the public good and the state’s natural environment is respected and nurtured. For more information follow the link: http://arpanel.org/
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Volunteering in Charlotte, North Carolina Milenko Milenkov: “On Sunday, April 14 Maros Chmelik and I took part in the event called “Picnic with our immigration reform members group in Charlotte”. We were helping our U.S. host organization Action NC in the preparation for this event. We were helping with arranging tables, cleaning, buying food and preparation of sandwiches in Sanchez house. My idea was the arrangement of the tables, and also I was taking pic-
Action North Carolina (Action NC) is a grassroots community organization that empowers low to moderate-income communities to take action and win victories on issues of concern to our communities. Action NC priorities include: better housing conditions for tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, affordable health care, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, comprehensive immigration reform, and better public schools.
tures during whole meeting for the organization. Our mentors took us shopping on Saturday, April 13 for the picnic. As a part of the team of Action NC we prepare the food, the room for meeting, and we help with cleaning after the action. Maros was helping
Spanish speaking participants who were not able to debate fluent English. In the meeting there were more than 70 immigrants’ participants, and one lawyer, who answered their questions regarding immigration policy in the United States.”
Action NC achieve these goals by building community organizations that have the power to win changes - through community direct action, negotiation, legislation, and voter participation. Action NC recognize three fields of direct action including (1) fair & affordable housing, (2) education, (3) neighborhoods safety, and (4) immigrant rights. Action NC believes that social change comes from the bottom up. Members are black, white, and Latino families who take ownership
of their issues, by organizing their own communities to take action and are active in running the organization, not just contributors or newsletter readers. Action NC’s mission is to confront and reduce the root causes of poverty, underdevelopment, and social and economic inequality through grassroots education, training, organization and mobilization. For more information follow the link: http://www.actionnc.org/
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Volunteering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ioana Petrache: “On Tuesday, April 23, Laszlo Jakab and I spend the afternoon distributing flyers in the GermanTown - one of the two neighborhoods that Action United is organizing around this tax issue. Our host organization has just started to work on a campaign related to the increase in property taxes. The Action United wants to fight to diminish the rate of property taxes in order to make it easier for people with low and fixed income. At the end of May, Action United had organized big meeting with two of their neighborhood chapters that
ACTION United (AU) was formed in 2010 to advance the interests of low and moderate income families around Pennsylvania (PA) on the issues of critical importance: (1) Economic justice for low income and working families, (2) Fair lending practices and a real solution to the foreclosure crisis; good schools, (3) Clean air and a safe environment, and (4) Quality affordable health care. Action United's 35,000 members are organized into 17 neighborhood chapters throughout
are affected by the property taxes increase. They are also searching for allies, such as blue-collar unions – the
firefighters and paramedics union, that are also going to be affected by this tax increase.”
the state and have a long history of victories in PA, including: (1) Voter Registration and Mobilization, (2) School Funding - delivering millions of dollars of additional funding to low income schools districts around the state, (3) Tax Preparation and EITC - helped prepare free taxes and delivered tax refunds back into PA low income communities., (4) Fighting Foreclosures - to sit down with families in foreclosure and work out a solution to keep the family in their home, (5) Better
Wages - to win an increase in the state minimum wage, (6) Quality Affordable Health Care - to win full enactment and implementation. Action United mission is to build power through organizing communities to win changes on the issues that are important to a low and moderate income Pennsylvanians working Pennsylvanians. For more information follow the link: http://actionunited.org/
Volunteering in Detroit, Michigan and visits in New York City Csaba Szikra: “I volunteered in the Downtown Synagogue on Friday, April 5. This was the Shabbat night, so before Shabbat’ services I and others cooked for the local neighbors: Jews, Christians and Muslims, Black and White people from all nations and religions. Then we had dinner together. While cooking, I met Sam Molnar, a Jewish organizer and a Black activist from the Harriet Tubman Center. I also established other Jewish connections.”
“On Thursday, April 25, in New York City, I visited Borough Park in Brooklyn and met with Rabbi Isaac Schonfeld and local Jewish activist working with young people with various challenges like drug addictions and other family problems.”
Cooking with Sam Molnar on the right and another member of community
“On Sunday, April 28, I participate in a Jewish event, where we celebrated Lag BaOmer, a big Jewish holiday with my colleagues in New York City.”
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Volunteering in Boston, Massachusetts Dzhevid Mahmud: “On Saturday, April 21, I volunteered in cooking for lunch in the Irish community in Dorchester, a historic neighborhood of over 6 square miles in Boston, Massachusetts. The brunch and the dinner took place in the house of one of the community organizers. Irish community is multicultural and international brunch.
An attendants are Spanish, French and U.S. citizens in origin.
Ms. Ann Grady helped also cooking with us.”
“On Wednesday, April 24, I presented in the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard University discussing on Roma issues in Bulgaria and Hungary. I met with Margareta Matache and spent time in her office reviewing my presentation.
They were stricken by the level of oppression and discrimination which the Romani people live through every day. Participants have expressed desire to
visit the countries and research n depth the situation of Roma in order to bring more awareness of the issue in the U.S. through the Harvard University.”
A group from the research center is to come and meet in the summer. During presentation many participants were interested to hear for the issues of Roma people in Bulgaria and Hungary.
Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN) is a federation of community improvement organizations working for social and economic justice by putting religious faith values and democratic values into action. MCAN is affiliated with the PICO National Network of community organizations, a national federation of over fifty congregation based community organizations located in twenty states. MCAN works to strengthen the community and the con-
gregation or organization. MCAN are characterized by being: interfaith, multiissue, multi-racial, multi-economic class, dues based, making decisions by a large group of leaders not a small hierarchy, employing professional organizers as staff persons, taking action to address deeply felt community and work problems. MCAN’s focus based on 4 main areas: (1) Action on local concerns of a city, neighborhood or town, (2) Action on problems at a regional or statewide
level and the problem is widely shared by congregations across a metropolitan area, (3) Leadership development at the congregational level to develop new leaders and strengthen the skills of existing leaders as the key to building large scale involvement. (4) Reflection on religious faith and democratic values. For more information visit website: http://www.mcan-oltc.org/
Our special thank you to the all U.S. Partners and following Internship Hosting Organizations from nine states for their generous support to our guests from four European countries - Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia - for welcoming and help the delegates participation in various volunteering events: Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Massachusetts Communities Action Network & Organizing and Leadership Training Center, Missourian Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, Paraquad, Granite State Organizing Project, Action North Carolina, Action United, Virginia Organizing, and Alliance for a Just Society