Pro Fellows Congress

Volume 1, Issue 1

Professional Fellowship

EVELYN MENESES CASTRO

November, 20, 2013

The Pro Fellows Congress A total of 239 emerging leaders involved in the legislative and/or policymaking process in our local government, civic education organizations, or citizen advocacy groups, all of us from 50 different countries around the world arrived in Washington DC for the second Pro Fellows Congress held during the first week of November 2013.

The purpose: to debrief and engage in workshops of common interests, share our experiences and our work back home, share lessons learned as well as expectations, and to develop strong networks.

During our 6 week fellowship we were able to analyze the relationship between civil

society and government in the U.S., and how agencies / institutions / organizations work to strengthen citizen participation, transparency, and accountability. We had the opportunity to deepen our relationship with our host organizations as well as with the community in which we worked with.

We were placed in legislative offices, state legislatures, state or local government offices, advocacy groups, or other relevant organizations all across the United States: NYC, Wisconsin, DC, Colorado, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Boston, Florida, Hawaii and many others.

The fellows from Nicaragua of Matagalpa, Estelí and Jinotega, known for its cigars, coffee, lake, wildlife, tropical forest and longevity. We came from different backgrounds but have the common goal of becoming agents of change within our own communities in areas such as economic empowerment, citizen advocacy, human rights, enforcing occupational safety and health regulations, gender equality and emergency preparedness.

Each fellow had the opportunity of 1 in 10 to participate in this program. Having said that, it is with great honor that I can tell you that I am one of those fellows. My fellowship started actually early in November 2013 while the other two representatives from Nicaragua started theirs in late September 2013. The 3 of us represent the northern mountain regions

Visit to the State Capitol First order of business: tour of the United whelm impressive, the Library of ConStates Capitol: the core and essence of gress, the museum of American art and democracy. I history, all is just a monument to the was impacted “One of the most recognizable people and the government of the by what it United States. There is a story behind symbols of representative meant: I asevery detail in every piece found in the sumed that the building, the columns, the chairs, the democracy in the world” most imrooms, the art, the paintings, the statportant building in the US would be the ues, the beautiful dome, and more imWhite House, but I was wrong. It’s the portantly the history behind over years of Capitol, where for more than 200 years the House of Representatives and the Congress have met to debate and create laws. Architecturally speaking, it is over-

pain, bloodshed, civil wars, discrimination and lack of human rights that gave way to the Constitution and the bill of rights. “We the people, all in one.”

Visit to the White House If you think of Washington DC, you think of the White House of course. So off we went and took a quick tour and glimpse of the White House. And of course, a group picture in front of it was a Pro Fellows Fall 2013. Legislative Fellowship

Page 2

must.

Pro-fellows from Nicaragua & El Salvador

PROFESSIONAL

Visit to the OAS (Organization of American States ) "Mi casa es tu casa". The peace tree that president William Howard Taft planted at the inauguration of this building in 1910 is still growing in the beautiful patio that resembled our Latin American patios, I just felt right at home. Each corner in the patio has a native plant/tree from the Caribbean islands, South America, Central America and North America. The fountain in the middle has Mayan scriptures. Our American roots are all over, it is truly "La Casa de las Americas".

Special thanks to Betty S. Arevalo who is the briefing program coordinator at the international affairs department of the Secretariat of External Relations, and gave us a special guided tour of the great decision-making salon Bolivar where the OAS ambassadors session, the flag hall, the flag room and the original conference where you find the table and chairs made out of one same tree that came from Dominican Republic.

Visit to the Hart Senate Office Building & the US. State Department An afternoon at the US State Department where Assistant Secretary Ryan recognized the work accomplished by two outstanding women and Pro Fellows alumni. An event we all look

forward to in a near future. We also had a small debriefing on the US diplomacy

held by all the sub-secretaries of the different bureaus for International Affairs.

MI Senator, Al Franken. Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law and is also member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Committee on Indian affairs, Energy and Natural Resources.

Our welcome at Partners of the Americas office from: Stephen G. Vetter, president and CEO Mathew Clause, Vice-president Melissa Golladay Director for Professional

Leadership Exchanges. Martin Rozenberg and Penelope Kim Program Officers for the Legislative Fellows Program.

2 days of intensive workshops, reflections, of sharing experiences, common problems, ideas, best practices and possible solutions to our own realities and to the issues that matter to us as individuals and as a whole Latin American community.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Guest speaker: Professor Eusebio Mujal-Leon, Georgetown University Page 3

EVELYN MENESES CASTR O

Jinotega Nicaragua Phone: +510.940.9634 Phone: +505.8949.7745 E-mail: menesesevelyn@hotmail.com

We came into this world to make it better, let's make it happen!

The Nicaragua paradox: A rich country with poor people our very own paradox: a rich country

all into over our recent political

with poor people. There are 6 million of

history. We still have a long

us, 48% of which live in poverty, 19%

journey to take on in our efforts

of that 48% live in extreme poverty,

to overcome hurdles of corrup-

which means that more than a half a

tion, political rivalry, authori-

million people have to go thru a dump-

tarian governments, and the

ster to find anything or something to eat

egocentricity of the opposition

or to feed their children with, if lucky

leaders. It is with our constant reminder to our leaders we care

One of the most important components in the Pro

so much for our country and that

Fellows Congress was the poster show, which was an

we are prepared to help work

opportunity for us, the Fellows, to showcase our

it’s way out of poverty that we

work back at our home countries and share our ex-

can accomplish it. It may be as

pertise with other Fellows from around the world. It

simple as a dialogue and understanding, respect for our Con-

included examples of best practices in our respective fields, in other cases it highlighted action plans we

enough.

How is that for a reality

stitution and laws, and most

have been working on, or simply presented insight

check? Nicaragua is so rich and has so

importantly we need a balance

into a specific project. In my case, I represent the

much to offer, but still it has not found

between all of our government

second poorest country in the western hemisphere, so

the right leaders to guide her out of the

branches.

the subject matter was as simple and as sad as that:

poverty that other leaders have sunk us