MINNESOTA-URUGUAY Partners of the Americas December 2012
Momentum Builds for Criminal Justice Reform Projects Uruguayans and Minnesotans working together to share best practices in criminal justice and prison reform continue to build momentum for new innovations in the field. For two weeks in October, Bruce McManus, Connie Roehrich and Diane Levendusky were hosted in Uruguay by officials across a range of disciplines in the criminal justice system. The three volunteers with Minnesota-Uruguay Partners of the Americas met with Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi, as well as a host of professionals in the corrections, law enforcement and judiciary systems.
as a prison warden, said that after six years of working with his colleagues in Uruguay, the nation is developing "an impressive management organization for its criminal justice system." "It is moving carefully to fill positions with individuals who have experience in police, prison and human services management," he added. "They appear to welcome change and are impressive as individuals." Leading Uruguayan Equine Therapy Specialist Shares Best Practices with Minnesotans A world-class horse trainer and equine therapy specialist found himself more than 6,000 miles from home in November, standing alongside Susie Bjorklund, the founder of Freedom Farm in Waverly, Minnesota, as clients mounted up for a riding session.
Connie Roehrich, a former warden of Minnesota's largest prison, helped train police and prison officials on incident command systems and hostage crisis negotiations, as well as general prison management issues.
Capt. Gustavo Dos Santos visiting the Lee-Mar Ranch and Minnesota Valley Equine Center near Granite Falls
Minnesota-Uruguay Partners volunteers Gabriela Fulco and Bruce McManus with Interior Minister Bonomi (center).
In his trip report to Washington, McManus, who was Minnesota's deputy corrections commissioner as well
News of Freedom Farm's innovative approaches to equine therapy—treatment focuses on returning female war veterans—and other horse facilities throughout Minnesota brought Gustavo Dos Santos, a captain in Uruguay's army, to the state during the first two weeks of November. Dos Santos was a trainer of Uruguay's Paralympic team in China in 2008, and is currently a leader in his country's military-run horse therapy programs that treat more than 1,000 people across the South American nation with physical disabilities, drug addictions and mental illness.
Dos Santos was invited to Minnesota under a nearly 50-year partnership between the state and the nation of Uruguay. Near Waverly, Dos Santos had training sessions with Janet Weisberg of Hold Your Horses in Independence, Minn., another highly regarded practitioner in the field. Elsewhere in the state, Dos Santos visited horse facilities in Granite Falls, Stillwater, Minnetonka, and not least the University of Minnesota's prestigious Equine Center, where staffer Sergio Gonzalez took him on tours at the Center as well as neighboring facilities. He also met with specialists working with Hazelden and Park Avenue Center to learn about their approaches to equine therapy for drug addiction.
The Passing of Ed Slettom and Norman Brown We received many notes expressing sadness over the June 4 passing of Ed Slettom from past presidents Stan and Darlene Diesch, David Pace and Roger Moon, who provided the photo below of the founders and early supporters of the chapter, taken March 9, 1966, in Washington, DC. The photo includes the future Vice President of the United States, Walter Mondale; future Minnesota Governor Al Quie; future Minneapolis Mayor and Congressman Don Fraser; future presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy and other notable figures in our state's history.
Lynn Baskfield, the founder of Wisdom Horse Coaching in Minneapolis and the host for Dos Santos during the visit, said she'd like to see Minnesotans going to Uruguay to learn more about the equine therapy programs there. Stay tuned for news of more travels in equine therapy. Mariel Doyenart, Teacher in Residence, Takes Minnesota by Storm Reports flooded in from around the state about Mariel Doyenart's visit to Minnesota in October. She had traveled from Minneapolis to Montevideo and from Hackensack to Stillwater, making 35 presentations at around the state in all. Cultural highlights included attending an Irish wedding party, pumpkin carving, homecoming at Montevideo High and visiting the Hmong Village. Mariel enjoyed an asado at Board director Audrey Arner’s Moonstone Farm after the annual Meander Art Crawl (photo below).
Photo: L–R: Congressman Don Fraser; Senator Eugene McCarthy; Clifford Whitehill, General Mills; Stan Wenberg, Vice President, U of MN; Otto Christenson, MN Employers Association; Congressman Clark MacGregor; Congressman Al Quie; Uruguayan Ambassador to USA,Juan Feljpe Yriart; Speed Stone, Bravo Foods; Senator Walter F. Mondale; Denis Daly, Peat, Marvick Mitchell; Gerald Forbes, MN Dept of Agriculture; Ed Slettom, MN Association of Cooperatives; Congressman Odin Langen; Howard Nelson, U of MN Industrial Education.
An obituary for both Ed and his wife Iris, who died soon after Ed passed, mentioning their work with Minnesota-Uruguay Partners ran in several Minnesota newspapers. Longtime chapter member KiKi Gore wrote in upon hearing the news: “He was an early and strong member of Partners, a fine, fine, man and, along with Iris, good friends of ours since we moved into the house next door to them 40 years ago. We could not have had better friends, parent substitutes in a way, and gems, both of them...Partners owes a great deal of its early success to the Slettoms.” Mariel Doyenart with Minnesota-Uruguay Partners board director Marcos Villanueva
Another Minnesotan with an historic connection to the chapter, Norman Brown, passed away this year.
Rob Scarlett, vice president of Minnesota-Uruguay Partners, wrote a note to Steve Vetter, the president of Partners of the Americas in Washington, who had praised Brown in a widely circulated note. “I attribute to Norm my current involvement in Partners,” Scarlett wrote. “In 1983, while he was Dean of the Extension Service at the University of Minnesota, Norm hired me to design and manage the tri-lingual Fellowship in International Development that was funded by the Kellogg Foundation. It was an exciting two-year undertaking and a rich learning experience, as well. Norm's leadership and compassion will be missed in many corners of the world, I am sure,” Scarlett said.
Asados, An Uruguay Tradition, Continue to Bring Members Together Hundreds of members and guests gathered for asados organized by the chapter this year. The August 25 asado/Uruguay Independence Day celebration was a big success, with familiar faces and new ones too.
Members and Friends Raise More than $600 for Art Supplies for Uruguay Schools Minnesota-based emerging artist Sarah Trembley, a board director of our chapter, departed June 9 on a two-week project in the interior of Uruguay. She taught art to rural school students in a range of media in the small town of Migues, where beloved educator and Uruguay Partners member Gladys Ferrero lives.
Three of the Minnesota's Youth Ambassadors shared anecdotes and observations from their trip this summer to Belize. Members and guests contributed generously toward the costs of some excellent food and wine, which is important to sustaining the quality and vitality of these events. Many, many thanks to Marcos Villanueva, Gerard Lagos, Dave Kremer, Sue von Bank, Patrick Moore and all the others who did so much to make things come off so very well despite the threat of rain (which never materialized in the end, thankfully). In June, the Third Annual Montevideo Fiesta Days Asado was also a success, Patrick Moore said, thanks in large measure to asador Marcos Villanueva, who did a masterful job over the parrilla.
Sarah raised more than $600 to bring art supplies so that this important work could be carried on well after she left the country. Congratulations! Shortly after Sarah returned to Minnesota, Nicolas Carter, a first-time traveler with the chapter, departed for Uruguay to spend a month implementing the Neighborhood Bridges program, an acclaimed project that teaches literacy through drama that was developed by The Children's Theater in Minneapolis.
The royalty from towns throughout the region attended for Moonstone Farms’ grass-fed beef, as well as fresh catfish caught on the nearby river as part of the event’s fishing contest. Members Audrey Arner, Duane Ninneman and Dixie Tilden were there as were Youth Ambassadors Martin Moore, Amber Sorensen and Brendan Stermer. Amber was introduced to the crowd and had the honor of drawing the winning ticket for the kayak raffle.
Partners of the Americas, an outgrowth of Alliance for Progress, is a private, voluntary non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economic and social development throughout the Western Hemisphere. Since it was founded internationally in 1964, it has emerged as one of the hemisphere’s most influential forces, building goodwill and private sector cooperation among people of the Americas. Today, more than 15,000 people in 46 U. S. states and 28 Latin American and Caribbean nations are active in 60 Partnerships. Minnesota and Uruguay marked 45 years of Partnership in 2010. MINNESOTA-URUGUAY PARTNERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS Directors for 2011-2012
Directors for 2012-2013
Officers for 2012
Honorary Members
Audrey Arner Erik Brand Brian Crooker Diane Katsiaficas Arne Kildegaard Gerard Lagos Bruce McManus Patrick Moore Duane Ninneman Rob Scarlett
Kati Mae Duesler Hector Garcia David Kremer Mark Knierim Brendan Stermer Sarah Trembley Marcos Villanueva
Erik Brand, President Rob Scarlett, Vice President Gerard Lagos, Treasurer Brian Crooker, Secretary
Clifford Whitehill
Advisory Committee Stan Diesch Darlene Diesch David Pace
Members of Minnesota Uruguay Partners elect the chapter’s Board of Directors and may serve on chapter committees. The Board of Directors elects its own officers, and meets a minimum of six times per year. All members and prospective members are welcome to attend meetings of the board.
The Historian’s Corner—Gary Kuhn The “Instructions of the Year XIII” were composed by Jose Artigas for delegates from the Banda Oriental (not yet Uruguay) attending a key meeting in Buenos Aires. Artigas himself could not safely attend. Complicated questions existed—particularly the region's relationship to Spain (ruptured but not clearly ended) and to Buenos Aires (not yet Argentina). A factor in the political question was commercial rivalry. Montevideo has a natural harbor; Buenos Aires had more shallows and mud, being nearer to the outflow into the Rio de la Plata of the major rivers.
The Significance of the Year 2013 (1813) The year XIII is recalled in Uruguay for its importance in the long struggle to define political status. Uruguay’s bicentennial observance began in 2011 (Battle of Las Piedras; La Redota) and will continue to 2030. There is hope that the culmination will be crowned by a hosting of the World Cup (soccer, of course). Our newsletter will keep you informed of those developments.
Uruguayans refer to—and quote—Artigas on basic matters. The Instructions of the Year XIII is a fundamental source. This topic is "to be continued" in newsletters circulated in 2013, an important year in Uruguay’s bicentennial commemorations. – Gary Kuhn, chapter historian, is Emeritus Professor of History from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he taught Latin American History.
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MinnesotaÑUruguay ÊÊÊPartners of the Americas P.O. Box 24042 Minneapolis, MN 55424-0042 MINNESOTA-URUGUAY PARTNERS
Officers President Erik Brand C (612) 242-1863 erikbrand10@gmail.com Vice President Robert Scarlett Treasurer Gerard Lagos Secretary Brian Crooker Chair for Membership Development Patrick Moore
Newsletter Editor and Chapter Historian Gary Kuhn H (651) 450-2062 garykuhn12@comcast.net
Program committees organize and lead projects sponsored by Minnesota-Uruguay Partners. Committees and subject areas include event and international visits and coordination; agriculture and veterinary medicine; architecture, arts and culture; business and economic development; education, recreation, environment and natural resources; and health, judicial systems, and populations at risk. Depending on subject area, financial support for travelers from Minnesota to Uruguay and vice versa is available from several sources, including the Education and Culture Program, funded by the United States Department of State, and administered by Partners of the Americas in Washington D.C. Minnesota Partners also supports travelers through its Opportunity Fund. Travelers volunteer their time, and recipient chapters provide home stays and local arrangements to carry out the traveler’s work plan. For more information, contact Minnesota’s President, Minnesota-Uruguay Partners web site, and Partners of the Americas web site. Minnesota-Uruguay Partners web site http://www.minnesotauruguaypartners.org/ Partners of the Americas web site http://www.partners.net