Member Stories & News

A Legacy of Impact: 60 Years of Partnerships with Partners of the Americas

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:15:00 GMT

🎉Chapter Anniversaries🎉

60

Years

🎈La Paz y el Altiplano, Bolivia Chapter

🎈Peru Chapter

🎈Utah Chapter

🎈Texas Chapter

🎈PartnersCampus Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Bolivia

🎈PartnersCampus University of Vermont

5

Years

Celebrating sixty years of dedicated service, we proudly recognize our Chapters in La Paz y el Altiplano, Bolivia, Peru, Utah, and Texas. Their longstanding commitment to our shared mission has inspired generations of impactful projects, community initiatives, and cultural exchanges.

We are also happy to celebrate the fifth anniversary of PartnersCampus Chapters at Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Bolivia, and University of Vermont. Though young, these student chapters possess infinite potential to shape the future!

🎉It’s our anniversary too!🎉

2024 marks six decades since our organization's beginnings with the original Texas-Peru partnership. Join us in celebrating this significant milestone of fostering people-to-people connections inspired by President Kennedy's vision. From humble origins to a hemisphere-wide presence, Partners of the Americas continues collaborating with local communities to tackle the issues, together.

Here's to 60 years of positive impact across the Americas, and many more to come!

📣What’s your history with Partners of the Americas? We would love to hear from you! Send us your story, here.

Empowering Haiti's Youth: Closing Ceremony of 'MAP PRAN AVNI M AN MEN' Project

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 18:05:00 GMT

Saturday, October 7, 2023 marked a triumphant close to the transformative "MAP PRAN AVNI M AN MEN" (“I’m Taking My Future Into My Own Hands”) project. Amidst an atmosphere filled with celebration and hope, the Partners of the Americas Haiti-New Jersey Chapters, alongside the 107 young girls and boys who were the main beneficiaries, gathered at the Collège Petit Poucet in Delmas 5. Songs, dances, slams, and theater, among other activities, greatly enhanced the sparkle of the event.

This project was implemented in the commune of Delmas, specifically in the communities of Bas- Delmas: Delmas 2, 3, 4, 6 and 18, and Village Solidarité, from March 1 to August 31, 2023.

The purposes of this project were:
• To strengthen the life skills of 100 young people (boys and girls) age 15 to 24; and
• To foster their socio-educational and economic integration to promote peace and social cohesion in the Bas-Delmas neighborhood; reputed to be one of the most violent areas in Port-au-Prince.

This project has enabled 107 young girls and boys to benefit from sustained training in life skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, psychosocial support, non-formal basic education, industrial chemistry, cooking, and pastry-making. Designed for those in vulnerable situations, such as street children, young people on the verge of joining armed groups, young people with disabilities of any kind, and those without manual trades, this project empowered those who would otherwise not have the opportunity.

The "Map Pran Avni m an Men'' project, part of the Youth Engagement and Empowerment Activity Follow On (YEEFA) program funded by Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Organization of American States (OAS), has been a major step for the Haiti-New Jersey Chapters toward achieving one of its objectives; which is to transform young girls and boys in neighborhoods at high risk of violence into ambassadors of peace. Over the past six (6) months of training, the leaders of the Haiti-New Jersey Chapters have observed significant changes in the beneficiaries. First, their understanding of others has changed. Second, they have become more aware of the extent of the violence they face daily, which they are now determined to eradicate; and they are motivated by the challenge of transforming their respective communities.

In a Haiti where social cohesion is strained and the government grapples with addressing the populace's challenges, the importance of sustaining initiatives like this cannot be overstated. Continuation of such projects becomes vital in steering the youth away from the perilous path of violence. Establishing enduring training programs is essential, not solely for the benefit of disadvantaged youth, but for the holistic betterment of all Haitians. The Haiti-New Jersey Chapters extend heartfelt gratitude to PADF, USAID, and OAS for their invaluable financial support, pivotal in the successful execution of this project.

Tennessee Joins with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in Music Benefit for Homeless

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 18:36:00 GMT

By J. Gary Linn, Ph.D. (President, Tennessee Chapter)

During the John F. Kennedy Administration, Partners of the Americas was originated as a people-to-people component of the Alliance for Progress. Similar in concept to the Peace Corps, Partners of the Americas volunteers volunteered for shorter periods of time. In Nashville, over the past decade, the Tennessee Chapter has worked with the Returned Peace Corps non-profit supporting each other's programs and events. Brant Miller (RPCV, Honduras) organized a night of music at the 5 Spot Café in East Nashville on June 5th. The event was attended and supported financially by members of the Tennessee Chapter. Brant, who was mentored by Pete Seeger and is an internationally renowned folk artist, performed several of his recent folk songs: Let's Get Out the Vote; Something We Can Agree On; We Are Vintage; The Road-Kill Bill, and No Interest in That. The evening also included the Duo, Shana in a Dress. They played the following songs from their personal song list of contemporary music: Robot; Playing With Fire; Daddy's Little Girl; Boomerang and MMM That's Hot. Shana (a friend of the Tennessee Chapter) and her accompanying cellist are on a cross-country bicycle tour where they are playing 60 venues coast to coast. The evening was a great success. The admission fees were contributed to local programs supporting the homeless and other underprivileged Nashvillians.