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Workshop at Quetzaltenango, Xela - June 2008

CIMIThe American Jewish Committee Bandera de Guatemala Honors College Hispanics in Philanthropy Casa Noj

 

Building Partnerships for Development
Between Guatemala and the Diaspora

June 6 – 7, 2008

Venue: Casa Noj, 7A Calle 12-12, Zona 1.  Xela, Guatemala

Workshop Goals

• Schedule
• Participants
• Gallery

This is intended to be an intensive workshop whose specific goals are to: 

  • Bring together Guatemalan migrant groups, their project partners, local and international NGOs and local authorities who are interested in working on joint aid and development projects between Guatemala and Guatemalan migrants abroad, also known as the diaspora. 

 

  • Explore and develop a vision for the potential possibilities of Guatemala-diaspora joint projects and partnership. 

 

  • Advance current and potential joint Guatemala-diaspora projects through providing a forum and means to develop detailed and practical plans of action which groups can immediately begin to implement. 

 

  • Address the impediments and obstacles to implementing joint projects, such as building organizational capacity, identifying and meeting needs for technical expertise, and leveraging financial resources.


SCHEDULE

 

Day I: Friday, June 6

Hours: 8:30 – 19:00

 

8:30 – 9:00

Registration

Breakfast

 

9:00 – 10:30

Overview

  • Guatemala-Diaspora Partnerships and Possibilities
  • Learning from Other Models: the Jewish Diaspora-Israel model and other international Diaspora-Homeland models

 

Schedule and Goals of Workshop

 

Participant Introductions and Expectations  

 

 

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee break

 

10:45 – 12:00

Costs and Benefits of Migration

What are the costs and benefits of migration?  What are the perceptions, misperceptions, stereotypes and expectations of the key stakeholders in migration and diaspora-homeland partnerships?

 

 

12:00 – 12:30 

Visions for a Guatemala-Diaspora Partnership

What is our overall vision for Guatemala-Diaspora partnership? 

 

 

12:30 – 13:30

LUNCH

 

13:30 – 14:30

Working Groups: Project Planning

Time in working groups formed by Guatemala-Diaspora projects and local organizations by sector to work on projects. 

 

 

14:30 – 15:45

Working Group Presentations

Presentations of work in the area of diaspora-homeland partnership and projects by working group, and feedback.  

 

 

15:45 – 16:30

Developing Government Migration Policies  

The current efforts of the Government of Guatemala to develop policies addressing the challenges and maximizing the benefits of migration. 

  • Monica Fuentes, Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Pablo Garcia, Director of Consular Affairs
  • Senator Julio Cesar Lopez Villatoro, Deputy, Congress of Guatemala and Representative of the National Counsel to the Attention of the Migrant (CONAMIGUA)

                                 

 

16:30 – 16:45

Coffee break

 

16:45 – 18:00

Overcoming Obstacles: Financial Resources

 

Part I: working with international donors  

  • Donor resources: Hispanics in Philanthropy, Inter-American Foundation, International Fund for Agricultural Development
  • Banrural
  • Donor expectations
  • Formal status – being a non-profit, finding a partner

 

Part II: developing our own resources and Self-Sufficiency  

  • Diaspora resources: Developing diaspora resources
  • Guatemala resources: Developing local resources
  • Leveraging resources and partnerships    

 

 

18:00 – 19:00

refreshments

 

 

 

 

Day II:  Saturday, June 7

Hours: 8:15 – 20:00

 

8:15 – 8:30  

Coffee and refreshments 

 

8:30 – 10:30 

Overcoming Obstacles: Sharing Technical Expertise

  • Identifying technical expertise needs;
  • Drawing on available technical expertise and local organizations in areas such as starting and operating cooperatives, microfinance initiatives, social programs, and other project areas. 

 

 

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee break

 

10:45 – 11:00

Development and Human Rights

The role of human rights in governance, migration and development.

  • Luis Felipe, Human Rights Consultant

 

 

 

10:45 – 12:30

Overcoming Obstacles: Infrastructure, Trust and Transparency

Identifying solutions to building trust, mutual confidence, and an infrastructure and mechanisms that ensure responsible and accountable financial management and monitoring of results. 

 

 

12:30 – 13:30

LUNCH

 

13:30 – 14:30

Implementing Diaspora-Guatemala Cooperation

Developing Concrete Plans of Action: One Year Plans and 100 Day Plans

 

 

14:30 – 16:30

Developing Solutions Together

Presenting Action Plans and obtaining feedback from experts, organizations and partners. 

 

 

16:30 – 16:45

Coffee break

 

16:45 – 18:00

Evaluation and Conclusions

  • Re-evaluating our vision of Guatemala-Diaspora partnership;
  • Next steps;
  • Evaluation;
  • Conclusions.  

 

18:00 

Evening reception