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Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Educational and Cultural Affairs Farrell meets with Indigenous Student Leaders from Bolivia Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Thomas A. Farrell hosted two meetings with Bolivian undergraduates visiting the U.S. on a 4 week- leadership studies program hosted by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This is the second consecutive year for the program.
The Study of the United States Institute for Bolivian Indigenous Student Leaders is an intensive four-week program focused on the history and evolution of U.S. society, culture, values and institutions with an emphasis on how different social and ethnic groups interact in American society and politics, and how disadvantaged populations in the United States have sought to overcome discrimination or exclusion and enter the mainstream of American economic, political and social life. In addition to promoting a better understanding of the United States, an important objective is to help the participants develop their leadership skills. The program, conducted in Spanish, also includes community service opportunities, designed to give the Bolivian student leaders exposure to grassroots organizations. The participants are undergraduate students, drawn principally from the Quechua and Aymara indigenous groups in Bolivia. 15 Bolivian indigenous student leaders visited the U.S. from January 13 through February 9. The Institute for Training and Development (ITD), based in Amherst, Massachusetts, hosted the program. After the first three weeks of intensive studies, organizational site visits, and leadership sessions in Amherst, the group traveled to Tucson, Arizona, to become familiar with the Tohono O'odham culture through academic sessions and field trips. The final few days of the program were spent in Washington, DC, where participants visited government agencies and museums. The program incorporated a variety of academic disciplines, with presenters from the five colleges in the Amherst area and the University of Arizona. The students also met with representatives from NGOs and community groups, local, state, and national governments, newspapers and other media, student associations, host families, and religious institutions. Lectures, group discussions, readings, debates, classroom exercises, and site visits were all integrated into the program.
DAS Farrell's meetings with the group discussed how ECA could continue to assist the leaders. The young leaders had already drafted a plan creating a leadership group to cultivate and instruct new leaders, and to help their country. They were also looking for ways to create scholarships for Bolivian students. Mr. Farrell commended the hard work and the enthusiasm of the students by saying, "you have the balance of a rational presentation and the passion needed" to make a convincing case for our support and our Embassy's support. He pledged to work with the U.S. Embassy in La Paz to assist the students and to work with them to develop the skills and relationships they will need to pursue further study in the U.S. He recommended the students work with last year's program participants. One student asked to what extent they could count on support from the Department. Mr. Farrell answered that we can make the "commitment to develop resources for you through our office and, hopefully through our Alumni Office so you can continue to communicate with one another and develop your association" which could include, in Bolivia, travel, telephone costs, and lodging costs for planning meetings. He also pledged assistance on small projects related to training. As the meeting wound down, Mr. Farrell then presented each student with a certificate for completion of the course.
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