Community Programs

Kentucky-Ecuador Partners

Partners of the Americas was founded in 1964 as the "people-to-people" component of the Alliance for Progress. Today it is a private, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization working to promote broader citizen participation, train community leaders, mobilize hemispheric collaboration, and strengthen grassroots organizations.

Partners pairs U.S. states with Latin American and Caribbean countries into more than 60 "partnerships". Kentucky and Ecuador have been working together since 1965.

The mission of Kentucky-Ecuador Partners is to foster people-to-people exchanges of ideas and knowledge, develop opportunities, promote capabilities, and share cultural experiences. The mission is supported through projects in agriculture, cultural exchange, sports, rehabilitation, education and health.

The goals of Partners of the Americas and of each partnership are:

To promote volunteerism and self-help attitudes in economic and social development projects;
To strengthen non-governmental service organizations in the United States and in Latin America and the Caribbean ;
To establish professional linkages among people and institutions of the United States , Latin America, and the Caribbean

Please visit our website for membership information as well as information on current events and projects and the latest issue of our newsletter La Palabra. www.kentuckyecuadorpartners.org

Contact: Kay Roberts, Executive Director, Roberts@uky.edu 859.257.4067 ext. 226

Peace Corps

Information on the Peace Corps, including the application process, is available in the Education Abroad Library, 112-113 Bradley Hall. A recruiter from Peace Corps’ Chicago office typically visits UK once or twice a year. Additionally, members of the Kentucky Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Association are happy to talk with anyone interested in joining. KY RPCVs in the Lexington area have an informal gathering on the 1st day of each month. Call 859.257.4067 ext. 226 for details.

Kay Roberts, Community Liaison for the Office of International Affairs, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador and can discuss her experiences with prospective applicants. Roberts@uky.edu 859.257.4067 ext. 226

www.peacecorps.gov

International Classroom

International Classroom pairs UK international students with local teachers for one semester. The program begins with an orientation session at which international students and teachers meet, receive tips for successful classroom visits, and plan the content of each visit. During the course of the semester, the international students make 3 visits to the same classroom. International students often talk about their own families and lives during the first class and then teach language, songs, games, dances or prepare food during the next two visits.

An abbreviated one-day International Classroom takes place during UK spring break. For this program, international students travel to a school in eastern Kentucky and typically give a presentation several times.

In spring 2005, this one-day program was combined with the Cross-cultural workshop offered by OIA. Participants visited a rural school and made classroom presentations, then spent the night at Pine Mountain State Park where they had an opportunity to learn about Appalachian culture. The next day, the group toured Cumberland Gap.

For additional information, contact Kay Roberts, Community Liaison at Roberts@uky.edu or 859.257.4067 ext. 226