NEWS BRIEFS

INTERNATIONAL

ICA COLLABORATION
Social Economy project: ICA Associates, Canada, ICA Spain and ICA Nepal are associate partners in this EU- funded project led by Britain’s York St John University. Its researchers believe “there is a need for Higher Education to respond to the economic crisis by teaching people-centred ways of managing economic life, such as social entrepreneurship and co-operativism”. One main task is to conduct a survey involving associate universities across the world. The findings will inform a reference handbook for designing the European HE curriculum. ICA Spain helped York St John develop the concept and brought on board Peru’s University San Antonio Abad del Cusco, which is co-funding the project. ICA Spain hopes to share the ToP methodology as one of the research approaches. More details are available at the project’s website www.yorksj.ac.uk/socialeconomy

LATIN AMERICA

ICA GUATEMALA
Re-establishing ICA Guatemala: One of the two government entities in charge of NGOs has given its approval and the process is continuing.
Learning Basket Program: This has now been authorized by the education authorities. We are doing a demonstration project and have held seven training sessions with 15 mothers of children under five years (Llanos de Morales village, Sanarate County).
Another component is research on institutions doing similar programs in Guatemala City (Save The Children, Fundación Cultural Paíz, Fundación Carlos F. Novella, ONUmujer, Fundasistemas and government agency SOSEP). Two families from the US have helped fund these two components as well as materials and transportation expenses.

Memorial for the Alerdings: It was held at the Conacaste Human Development Project on July 27. The county authorities issued a document recognizing the services of Bill and Barbara Alerding. The mayor who worked with the first ICA volunteer team attended the event. Others included former promoters from ICA Guatemala’s nine preschool programs. Many of them had finished universities studies and are working as teachers while others are running small enterprises.
By Joaquina Rodríguez Ruz

ICA CHILE
Programs for the disabled: Funding has been affected by rule changes at the Ministry of Work and the Training and Employment Service (SENCE) and we are looking for alternate sources. The National Disability Service (SENADIS) has agreed to help us with five Schools of Leaders at Rancagua, Concepción, Curanilahue, Freire and Easter Island. Some of these are indigenous territories so we will consider an intercultural approach. The curriculum will include participative leadership, rehabilitation, project presentations, networks, and relevant laws, especially those relating to the disabled. We have also approached the Institute of Child Rehabilitation in Santiago (Telethon).

Other programs:  We want to develop a Restorative Practice program to provide schools strategies for building social and learning relationships and for solving conflicts and have contacted
Robyn Hutchinson, Australia, on this. This project could also be done in Peru and Guatemala. We have also contacted environmental services company Anthrotect of Colombia on how ICA could help facilitate their project.

Publications: We are finally getting on with publishing The Art of Focused Conversation by Brian Stanfield.

In memoriam: Our dear companion and board member Nigel Blackburn passed away in June 2013.
By Isabel de la Maza

ICA PERU
Pueblo XXI program: We postponed five programs due to community conflicts amid a wave of public discontent over the economic situation. We realize we need to play a larger role in creating social peace in the areas where we are working and have designed a 12-month program, Pueblo XXI, to call forth viable villages for the 21st Century. We are waiting to hear from two public agencies on this project. One company has made a preliminary request for four programs next year.

New staff: Alina Hoyos has joined our team.

NORTH AMERICA

ICA ASSOCIATES INC
Programs for agencies: During May to July this year, our 10 staff  worked in various parts of Canada with three social services organizations in housing, HIV Aids and children’s services; two government agencies in property and environmental assessment; the First Nation in the far north; and an engineering firm.

Public ToP courses: We taught 25 courses, among them several advanced level courses and an annual 6-day Art and Science of Participation course.

IAF Facilitation Impact Awards: ICA Associates Inc. principal Jo Nelson won gold for a project with the University of Toronto.

In-house training: Our newest and youngest employees Emma Sobel, Klajda Gega and Kaitlin Almack trained older staff in the use of social media, especially Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

SUB-CONTINENT

ICA BANGLADESH
Oversight committee: An 11-member Ghoramora Human Development Committee was formed at a meeting of village leaders in March to oversee ICA projects and activities.

Primary School Taskforce: Four women volunteered for the role at a meeting of Ghoramora pupils’ guardians in February. They will monitor teacher’s attendance; lesson plans; and class duration, attendance and routine activities.

Methods training: Five ICA staff conducted a one-day training event for 18 Ghoramora leaders in June. The topic was the ORID (objective, reflective, interpretative, decisional) conversation process.

By Azizur Rahman

EUROPE

ICA:UK
Kumi network: We hosted a meeting of the network in April for conflict practitioners from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Held in partnership with the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, it included visits to areas of Bradford affected in the 2001 riots. We also held an open event for practitioners, academics and students on “Challenges of the 21st century: Resistance, resilience or both?” They also looked at how the Peace Studies curriculum could be improved to help students apply their learning. For more details on Kumi, go to www.ica-uk.org.uk/research

ASIA-PACIFIC

ICA: AUSTALIA
Please like us: We launched a Facebook page in August. Please “friend” it! Look out for the ICAA logo and photos. Keep in touch with us from around the world and share ideas and photos. So far, we have 47 friends (as of 22 July)
http://facebook.com/ica.australia.14

African Festival: Kiran Hutchinson and Lucy Hobgood-Brown organized Africa Comes to the Manning Valley in New South Wales in May. Migrant chefs introduced an eclectic range of dishes for fascinated residents of Taree at a cooking class. Teenage refugees from central Africa danced and drummed. A highlight was a cultural exchange between Biripi and African Elders. Community and civil society groups helped with the non-profit event. Another one is planned for next May.

Who we are: ICAA is a network member organization. New and old colleagues work individually or collaborate on the following: refugees and asylum seekers, and connecting them with Aboriginal and other Australians; the Reconciliation movement, particularly the First Australians campaign (constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders); strategic planning and training in facilitation methods and education in Timor Leste; local environmental initiatives; community engagement activities; and helping support networks involved in development.

We are involved in a renewed focus on a foundational ICA method, Imaginal Education, and help produce Wind and Waves. Our current ToP GIFL Vocational Graduate Diploma is due for renewal and we are applying for a Diploma of Facilitative Management, based on Modules 1 to 5, providing a stepping stone in the qualifications.

Communication is through peer-to-peer conversations, as well as online regional meetings and General Assembly over Skype or Hangout.