2023 K-12 Newsletter

Center for Latin American Studies Engagement Program

Welcome

It is a pleasure for the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) to welcome you to our newsletter for K-12 educators.

We are excited to update you on our new initiatives and programs for the near future. We are proud to announce that CLAS has been designated a National Resource for the Western Hemisphere by the U.S. Department of Education (under the Title VI of the Higher Education Act) for 2022-2026 this opens many doors for our K-16 programming and community work.

In the following pages, you will find information about our programming, how to schedule school visits, and much more. If you would like to join our newsletter and our database, click “HERE”.

Luz Amanda Hank, Assistant Director for Partnerships and Programming, CLAS

HIGHLIGHTS:

The Western Hemisphere EDUCATOR Reading GROUP: The objective is to create a network of educators where the realities of education in the United States and in the Americas can be identified, compared and analyzed. For our first discussion, we will look at the case of educators from Medellín and the US. This project will consider the diversity of students and the range of issues and problems faced by educators in each region. This project will be led by educators for educators with special guests or experts in the topic of discussion at hand, the range of topics can be from linguistics, resilience (what it means and how it affects those involved), teaching styles, to triumphs/ defeats in their day to day, pedagogy, etc.

Future K-16 Opportunity:

CLAS will be applying for a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program to Medellin, Colombia for the 2024 competition period. If we are awarded the grant, we will be able to take 10-12 educators to Colombia.

University Consortium for Afro-Latin American Studies announced Pitt and Harvard University are partnering with institutions in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to examine the contributions of African descendants to Latin American history and culture. Those involved say they want to shift the American cultural understanding of the Atlantic slave trade, and of the large percentage of enslaved people taken to Latin America.

For further information on the projects listed above, please email: lavst12@pitt.edu

SAVE THE DATE:

09/23 Latin American & Caribbean Festival from 2-8pm

10/19 Slavery & Memorialization in the Atlantic World

10/25 I stand with Immigrants Day of Action

All Year Schedule your school visit, click

Meat our Team:

Luz Amanda Hank , Assistant Director for Partnerships and Programming

B.A., in Hispanic Languages and Literature and a Certificate in Latin American Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. She has conducted research in Panama, Colombia, and the U.S. Mrs. Hank has organized and directed in-country delegations from Colombia, Brazil, and Chile in the U.S. Mrs. Hank is fluent in Spanish and English. As the Assistant Director for Partnerships and Programming, she has over 20 years of experience designing and conducting programming for the K-16, faculty, students, staff, and the community in general.

Additionally, she manages the Center’s undergraduate internship program initiative, grants competitions, and coordinates the Latin American Social and Public Policy Conference every year. She also devotes part of her time to volunteerism for the Latinx and Multiple Sclerosis organizations in the region. Fun fact: In 2022, Luz Amanda crossed Spain with her husband and their 11 year old son. They completed 220 miles of the French Way, on the Camino de Santiago, with the plan to finish the whole Camino in 2025!

Howard S. Alvarez, Engagement Graduate Student Assistant

Outreach/Engagement Graduate Student Assistant at the Center for Latin American Studies. He is also the Programs Administrator of the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation regarding Housing, Employment, and Community. He collects data to report the impact of these programs on the Latino community in the greater Pittsburgh region. He also manages educational activities at PHDC to inform and create advancement in the Hispanic community.

Howard has a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Affairs from the Central University of Venezuela, and he is a Graduate Student of the Master of Public and International Affairs from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University of Pittsburgh. Howard enjoys involving himself in community issues to help and empower others. During his studies, he was captain of the AUDAS - International Team of Spanish Debate - and faculty advisor of delegations for models of the United Nations in Venezuela, and other countries. Howard Alvarez is fluent in English and Spanish.

He has been working with public and private foreign affairs in Venezuela with intergovernmental organizations such as United Nations, international development banks, and funds such CAF - Latin American Development Bank, IDB - International Development Bank, OFID - OPEC Fund for International Development, The World Bank, integration mechanism as MERCOSUR, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and Venezuelan and Colombian companies. Diplomacy, industry, commerce, finance, and public international law are his sectors of interest.

He is originally from Venezuela and likes to play tennis, and his passions are traveling, debates, communications, and human rights.

Santiago, Spain

CLAS K-12 Visit Information

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) is pleased to announce that we will once again offer opportunities for your students to learn about Latin America, the Caribbean, and its Diasporas right from the classroom.

As American society becomes more diverse, the importance of developing students who are culturally sensitive and understand of the “other” is increasing. The Latin American Studies School Visit Program is a wonderful opportunity for your students to explore this region. Our team is available to visit K-16 classrooms to share their knowledge on Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx topics. The presentations are interactive and available in English/Portuguese/Spanish.

Below you will find a list of topics that we are working with, but if you have a specific topic that you would like for your students to learn about, please let us know. We look forward to meeting with you and your students. If you are interested in scheduling a traditional school visit, please click “HERE”.

Programs running currently:

Amazonia Workshop

We engage and promotes critical thinking about Amazonia’s current and future sustainability. We work through approaches to the region’s role in water and food security, clean energy supplies, climate change, art, music, and cultural expressions.

We will also explore the ways the rest of the world frames Amazonia; how does a region that seems so remote affect living beings all over the world? And, how policies created elsewhere aim to solve the sustainability and conservation challenges that Amazonia faces.

Alebrijes Workshop

Alebrijes are whimsical carvings depicting animals, people, objects, and imaginary creatures painted with intense colors and intricate patterns. Through our workshops, your students will learn about this Mexican Art form.

According to Lisa DiGioia-Nutini, “Support of Mexican art and artists is not only a way of enhancing our personal environments with beautiful, unique art forms but also assists in preserving important cultural traditions and livelihoods.”

CLAS purchased 500 Alebrijes from artist Armando Jiménez Aragón, from Oaxaca, Mexico. Armando has visited with us and led events and workshops with CLAS since 2010. The Pandemic presented us with mutual support opportunities with Armando and other artists, including online programming.

Workshops and programming cont’d

Day of Dead and the Saints Day Celebrations

Around the world, people do things to remember their loved ones in different ways. It can be through celebrations and festivities or quiet prayer and mourning. By learning about these traditions, we aim to foster self-reflection, dialogue and empathy.

Dia de los Muertos celebrates the lives and legacies of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life.”

All Saints Days Guatemala

In Guatemala, the most important hollday to pay respect to the deceased is on November 1, All Saints Day, or Día de Todos Santos. On this day, the country transforms into a lively exhibition of remembrance filled with flowers, artistic decorations, and food. Locals also make and fly kites to connect with the deceased, and huge kites take over the skies of Santiago and Sumpango, (in Sacatepequez) yearly. For more information on this festivity, click “HERE”.

PanteraCartonera@Pitt

The Cartonera movement began in Buenos Aires in 2003 and was organized by writers and artists producing handmade books at low-cost using recycled cardboard, (thus the name "cartonera"). The books are produced in a collective-circular way, in which authors become – designers become – publishers become – authors. The Cartonera phenomenon has expanded across the Americas, Africa and Europe.

Our K-12 and community workshops aim to promote literacy and encourage creativity while using recycled materials to enhance language acquisition, social studies, creative writing, art, and sustainability.

CLAS runs this program at Pitt in collaboration with the University Library System (ULS) and the Pitt’s Creativity Center.

What's in a Name?: A series on name identity, diversity, and inclusion

This series aims to open a doorway to explore issues that affect us every day, and that, ultimately, reverberate through the most intimate aspects of who we are. Can names create subconscious bias? What is the history of our given name? Does the region where our name is most popular impact how we are perceived? How do social status and laws affect our name? Why is it so challenging to ask someone how their name is pronounced?

Who are we? What does it mean to be Latino, Latinx, Latine, Hispanic?

A workshop exploring identity and who we are through the vision of history, migration, and dance.

Dear Educator, if you are teaching specific topic or you have an idea of a lesson for your class, please let us know, and we will tailor a lesson upon your request, please email: lavst12@pitt.edu .

CLAS Engagement & Outreach 2022-2023 Report

*TEACHER WORKSHOPS & SCHOOL VISITS (Indirect Contact: We had 207 Teachers registered for our events (Direct contact) 207 teachers x 60 average number of student = 12,420 indirect contact with students by the teachers participation in our programming).

The Latin American & Caribbean Festival has been a Western Pennsylvania community fixture since 1979. The Festival was canceled in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions. However, we held and hosted various virtual events to keep the tradition alive, bringing the community together virtually. In 2021, the Festival was limited to the Pitt community in accordance with University policies and good practices. The full, in-person, Festival was held again in 2022, making it possible to see old friends and welcome new ones in person. This year the Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 2-8pm, Wesley W. Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh. For more information visit: www.ucis.pitt.edu/clas/festival or email: clasfestival@pitt.edu

Photos by Michael Peeler and Erin Ninehouser

For photos from 2021, click “HERE”

For Photos from 2022, click “HERE”

2023 FALL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Testimonials

“The support offered by Pitt's Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) allowed our students to not only learn about Day of the Dead, but also to experience it by helping them learn how to build an ofrenda in their school. After the ofrenda was built, the CLAS team helped provide students and teachers with the necessary background information to fully appreciate the commemoration and celebration of Day of the Dead. Additionally, the Pantera Cartonera workshop helped our students to connect their school's sustainability efforts to the beautiful culture and philosophy of the global Cartonera movement, inspiring students to become DIY authors and publishers using recycled materials. Every teacher in Southwestern Pennsylvania who wants their students to learn more about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx topics should reach out to CLAS right away!”

Nick Haberman, Light Initiative Education, Founder & Director

"The "Pantera Cartonera" was such a cool experience for my students! Not only was it fun, hands-on learning that allowed them to express their creativity, but it was also a perfect tie-in to our unit themes of art and activism in Latin America The Center for Latin American studies made everything so easy and provided all of the materials we needed for the project. I highly recommend this workshop to other educators!"

Alyson Nolte, Environmental Charter School,

2023

"It was such a wonderful experience for my students to be able to go to the Center for Latin American Studies and participate in a session that focused on so many interesting cultural and language-related topics. Students enjoyed listening to the presentations about the language study opportunities at Pitt, the meaning of names, and having the opportunity to create alebrijes and learn about the meaning behind them. It was a very interactive experience and we look forward to more opportunities to attend workshops and other sessions presented by the Center for Latin American Studies. We have had Pitt university students from CLAS come to our school and do presentations in the past and several times we have gone to Pitt to participate and every time has been an absolutely wonderful experience. I highly recommend that language teachers seek these tremendous opportunities available through the Center for Latin American Studies."

Rachelle Dené Poth, Riverview High School, 2022 and 2023

“As a teacher in a large public school, it is often complicated to take field trips. It was wonderful to have CLAS come into our space and bring a unique experience to our school. It made the students feel as though they were on a field trip, without the expenses and logistics. CLAS tailored the lessons to the speaking level of my students so that they were able to participate in fully immersive activities in Spanish. I highly recommend inviting CLAS into your classroom!"

Ms. Ellie Haizlett, Allderdice High School, 2022

"We are grateful to have had a visit from the Center for Latin American Studies at Pitt. The nicest part about having CLAS visit your school is that it gives you the ability to take your students on a field trip without the logistics and lost time of an actual field trip. What's more, many of my students don't know anyone personally who speaks Spanish natively, and still, others may not know a person of Latine descent. Having two Spanish-speaking representatives of the University of Pittsburgh visit my class gave my students an opportunity to meet people they otherwise would not have met. Lastly, learning about the specifics of demographic and cultural identities can be a bit dry, but the CLAS staff did a great job of engaging the students with an interesting, interactive, and informative presentation.

The CLAS staff was very accommodating and flexible with regard to the restraints of our school's schedule. I enthusiastically recommend any teacher requesting a visit from CLAS."

Jason Hank, Beaver Area High School, 2022

"For Hispanic Heritage Month, CLAS sent two representatives to do a presentation and discussion about Latinx/Hispanic heritage and different dances from the many cultures that make up the Hispanic/Latinx culture. The speakers were very informative and were able to give students another perspective on things that they have been learning in class.

I think the fact that there is such a beautifully diverse group of people with diverse customs and ways of life under this "umbrella term" was really emphasized and allowed students to reflect on how they think of others, especially when using the words "Spanish", "Hispanic" and "Latinx", as well as understanding the different terminology used. It also allowed us to celebrate that diversity and meet the ACTFL standards of world language learning. I would really look forward to creating an ongoing partnership and collaboration with CLAS so that we can offer workshops and more discussions that the students can greatly benefit from."

Janeen Landy, Beaver Area High School, 2022

"I had the pleasure of having CLAS visit Art 1 at Beaver Area High School. The students enjoyed the history of alebrijes, especially since they recognized them from Coco. They really loved painting and all of my other classes were jealous! If you visit the High School parking lot you will see a collection of mapache, coyote, conejo, and buho alebrijes adorning the dashboard of many cars and trucks!"

Rachael Zahn, Beaver Area High School, 2022

AlebrijesWorkshop in La Universidad Nacional, Medellin–Colombia

Papel Picado Workshop

Beaver Area H.S School Visit Hispanic Month

Cartonera Workshop for

Allderdice High School

Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School Hispanic Month

Riverview High School visit to Pitt

Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) Engagement Newsletter

University Center for International Studies (UCIS)

University of Pittsburgh

CLAS Engagement Team:

Luz Amanda Hank, Assistant Director for Partnerships and Programming

Howard S. Alvarez, Engagement Graduate Student Assistant

CLAS Staff

Keila Grinberg, Director

Manuel Roman-Lacayo, Associate Director

Luis G. Van Fossen Bravo, Assistant Director for Academic Affairs

Luz Amanda Hank, Assistant Director for Partnerships and Programming

Caelan Hidalgo-Schick, Administrative and Program Assistant

Courtney Newhouse, Financial Administrator

Hillman Library

Martha Mantilla, Librarian

WWW.UCIS.PITT.EDU/CLAS

Designer and Creator: Luz Amanda Hank

Editors: Manuel Roman-Lacayo, Caelan Hidalgo-Schick and Luz Amanda Hank

Summer 2023