Workshop for Guatemalan Community in Florida

9:00-9:30

Coffee and Pastries

9:30-10:00

Welcome and Introductions
Introducctions by:

• Aileen Josephs, Honorary Consul of Guatemala in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Jocelyn Skolnik, Center Director, El Sol, Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center
• Kate Berson, Center for International Migration and Integration

10:00-11:30

Session One: Community Needs and Priorities
Interactive workshop and facilitated dialogue
Led by:

• Ruby Ortiz, Director of Florida Institute of Management, Management Professor at Florida International University, and trainer and consultant in Florida and Latin America

Ruby Ortiz will lead an interactive workshop on community needs and priorities assessment, incorporating issues of individual and collective identity. She will then facilitate an open forum for participating Guatemalan community leaders, members, and partners to discuss the community’s (in Florida and Guatemala) current needs, priorities, project progress, and next steps. The group will have the opportunity to consider and assess both the challenges they are facing as well as any accessible resources and assets they might use to meet those challenges. The conversation will give particular attention to issues around youth, education, and identity in the US.

11:30-1:00

Session Two: Challenges of Integration in the Guatemalan Community
Panel and brainstorming including:

• Don Antonio Silvestre, Education Specialist, Hope Rural School, Indiantown, Florida
• Connie Berry, President of the Caridad Center and Director of the Multicultural Department of Palm Beach School District

Don Antonio Silvestre and Connie Berry will speak on a panel about integration challenges in Palm Beach and Martin County, especially in the context of relationships between parents, children, and schools. These relationships have been recognized as one of the Diaspora community’s top priorities. The panel and discussion will be goals and action-oriented, incorporating best practices for integration of Guatemalan – particularly Mayan – youth and their parents; maintaining Mayan languages and identity among Guatemalan youth, and effective communication between youth and their parents regarding the children’s education.

1:00-2:00

LUNCH

2:00-3:30

Session Three: Engaging the Community – Social Media and Youth Involvement
Workshop and presentations by:

• Ruby Ortiz, Director of Florida Institute of Management, Management Professor at Florida International University, and trainer and consultant in Florida and Latin America
• Amilcar Rivera Vielmann Comité del Barrio Lake Worth, Florida
• Roberto Monjaras, Comité del Barrio, Lake Worth , Florida.
• Brett Sandala, Social Media Editor, Newsmax Media, West Palm Beach, Florida
• Inbal Mazar, Florida Atlantic University
• Kate Berson, Center for International Migration and Integration

Amilcar Rivera Vielmann and Roberto Monjaras will present their texting campaigns with Comité del Barrio, as well as an online tool for sending mass text messages to large groups of people. Brett Sandala will share with participants how he uses social networking technology in his work. Ruby Ortiz, Inbal Mazar, and Kate Berson will lead activities on youth involvement, team building, and recruiting community members.

3:30-4:00

Workshop Conclusion
Wrap up and concluding remarks by:

• Ruby Ortiz, Director of Florida Institute of Management, Management Professor at Florida International University, and trainer and consultant in Florida and Latin America
• Aileen Josephs, Honorary Consul of Guatemala in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Kate Berson, Former fellow at the Center for International Migration and Integration