public affairs ACTIVITIES 2010
MARCH 2010
Ambassador Solomont promotes community service to Barcelona
school children
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Ambassador Solomont
at ASB, March 4, 2010.
Photo credit: .Canónigo Films |
Ambassador Solomont made his first official visit to
Barcelona this week, during which he made a stop at the American School of
Barcelona (ASB) to talk about the importance of community service. The
Ambassador addressed the students as the Millennium Generation and encouraged
them to push forward “a new definition of civil values in the world.” He praised
the students for being prime examples of their school’s commitment to not only
make them good professionals but also responsible citizens for the common good
by volunteering in their community in places such as the Parque de Colserolla.
He urged them to “teach others through example,” encouraging, “The world has a
great future with people like you.”
FEBRUARY 2010
Speakers Commemorate Black History Month at Spanish
High School
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Skyller Wantes with students at IES Parque de Lisboa |
African-Americans Tony Green and Skyller Walkes lectured on distinguished
African- Americans and civil rights at IES Parque de Lisboa, a bilingual public
high school, on February 26, 2010. During this interactive session, they engaged
students in group discussions and showed video clips to illustrate their points.
The presentation was timed to coincide with Black History Month, celebrated
every February in the United States to educate the public about African-Americans
from a cultural and historical perspective. Mr. Green and Ms. Walkes emphasized
the importance of celebrating Black History Month since it is an opportunity to
remember and honor the many contributions made by African Americans.
Mark Allen and Wendy Yao lectured at Universidad
Autónoma de Madrid and Escuela de Arte Diez on their work as independent artists
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Allen and Yao after their presentation at
Universidad Autónoma |
As part of the US Embassy’s support for ARCO 2010, we invited Mark Allen and
Wendy Yao, two independent artists and cultural entrepreneurs from Los Angeles,
California, to speak to Spanish students about their work. Mr. Allen manages
Machine Project, a non-profit community space in Los Angeles whose mission is to
investigate a variety of non-traditional scholarly and artistic pursuits. Ms.
Yao is the impresario behind Ooga Booga, an eclectic concept boutique located in
the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. On February 18, over 30 music and art
students and members of the community attended the presentation at Universidad
Autónoma’s School of Education Sciences, which was followed by a lively question-and-answer
session. The dual presentation provided a look into the independent art movement
in Los Angeles and exemplified the possibilities available for budding artists
with an entrepreneurial spirit. The following day, over 80 art students listened
to Wendy Yao at vocational school Escuela de Arte Diez and shared their works
and ideas with her in a fruitful exchange.
More
information about Wendy Yao’s visit to Escuela de Arte Diez.
“Fallen Fruit: A Mapping of Food Resources in Los
Angeles” toured Madrid to showcase their artwork and raise awareness about the
importance of publicly accessible fruit trees in urban areas
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Fallen Fruit member Matias Viegener at “Laguna de
Joatzel” school |
As part of the Embassy’s support for the International Fair of Contemporary Art
ARCO 2010, PA invited Fallen Fruit members Matias Viegener, David Burns, and
Austin Young to Madrid. They spent their week in the city and spoke at schools
about their work and exhibiting photographs. The three members have worked
together over the past six years planting fruit trees in cities around the
world, educating the public about communal fruit trees, and mapping public areas
“to identify untapped public resources and catalogue their location.” The
members hope to continue their work in other cities around the world in the near
future to raise awareness about the importance of publicly accessible fruit
trees in urban areas.
USAID Administrator calls for coordinated
international response in Haiti during visit to Spain
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USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah |
USAID Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah, came to Spain for an informal EU
Development Ministers meets in La Granja on February 17-18. In between his
bilateral meetings, Dr. Shah sat down with a reporter from Cadena SER for a
brief interview on U.S. relief efforts in Haiti. Shah emphasized the importance
of continued partnership and offered several examples of successes on the ground
thanks to the coordinated international response, such as the distribution of a
two weeks’ supply of food to over 3 million Haitians. Dr. Shah also participated
in a press conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and
representatives from the EU and the UN. In his opening remarks, Dr. Shah thanked
the Spanish EU presidency for including him in the event and again highlighted
the importance of continued partnership and coordinated international relief
efforts in Haiti. He also emphasized that U.S. relief efforts in the country are
following the UN lead.
Cadena Ser interview
USAID
Chief on Haiti's Humanitarian Crisis, One Month Later
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