OUTREACH ANNUAL REPORT
2020 // 2022
The Outreach Program at the University of Florida’s Center for Latin American Studies (LAS) promotes the integration of the study of Latin America, its cultures, and its languages across the K-16 curriculum . The Center also promotes LAS through the business community and community at large.
Covid-19 : While outreach work was limited during the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, the Center was able to innovate and find ways to continue offering LAS programming and professional development opportunities.
Outreach Program Priorities
FOCUS AREAS
• Education, reading and literacy, environment and sustainable development
• Connecting classrooms across borders through virtual exchange
• Global workforce preparation
PRIORITY AUDIENCES
• K-12
• State Colleges, MinorityServing Institutions (MSI)
• Community
• Business
CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES OUTREACH
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4-5 2 6-8 9 10 11 12 13 K-12 & HIGHER ED CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT OUTREACH IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES K-12 & POST SECONDARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONNECTING LANGUAGES & CAREERS CURRICULAR RESOURCES & REPORTS ARTS & CULTURE IN FLORIDA COLLABORATORS & AFFILIATIONS 2020-2022 OUTREACH PROGRAM TEAM UF LAS is a Title VI National Resource Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. 3
As teachers were overburdened with new teaching modes and demands during the pandemic , the suitcase and guest speaker programs were drastically affected by COVID, but began to return to normal status by October 2021.
TRAVELING SUITCASES
The Traveling Suitcase program offers teachers the opportunity to introduce students to artifacts from around Latin America, including books, toys, music, clothing, product packaging, currency, bus schedules, and many more items.
Between 2020 and 2022, our traveling suitcases journeyed to classrooms across 26 U.S. states:
GUEST SPEAKER PROGRAM
The Speaker Program enables teachers to bring an expert into their classroom to provide context on topics related to Latin America.
Sample topics:
LATINX STUDIES
BIRD CONSERVATION LATIN AMERICAN ARTS
K12 & HIGHER EDUCATION
CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT
RACE IN LATIN AMERICA SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION INDIGENOUS STUDIES IMMIGRATION & BORDER ISSUES
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& HIGHER ED CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT
UF-LAS in K-12 schools
MEXICAN TEACHER SCHOOL VISIT
In collaboration with Volusia County Sister Cities, LAS Outreach coordinated visits to schools across three counties for Nadia May Acosta, a teacher from the Autonomous University of Campeche (UAC) affiliated Godoy High School. Not only did she share information about Campeche and Mexican culture with students, but she also participated in curriculum meetings. Acosta visited K-16 campuses reaching 379 students from classes such as Spanish, international relations, and language arts.
PERUVIAN CHEF VISIT
Learning never tasted so good! Around 95 Career and Technical Education Culinary students of Ms. Luff’s classes at New Smyrna Beach High School were able to enjoy hands-on learning of both Peruvian cuisine and culture through the expert tutelage of Marcel Vizcarra.
He is an entrepreneur, chef, and owner of the Llama Restaurant in St. Augustine.
K-
12
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LAS Campus Events
The UF Center for Latin American Studies hosts an annual conference and organizes a diverse array of scholarly talks and seminars on campus.
69 TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Indigenous Rights, Environmental Change and Development in South America’s Chaco (Virtual)
Panel discussions included conservation, human rights, and new challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic as well as a preview of the new book “Reimagining the Gran Chaco: Identities, Politics, and the Environment” by the authors.
70 TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Ethnographic Evidence in the Americas: On the aesthetics of methods and crafting of claims
A four-day event featuring two hands-on workshops, panel presentations, and a film screening in which 140 attended.
OTHER VIRTUAL TALKS
477 views on YouTube
Cuba: conflicto político, cambio social, derechos y ciudadanía
05 Nov 2021, livestream
160 views on YouTube
Presentación del libro: ¿Casa
Propia? La autonomía económica de las mujeres en Ecuador
12 Nov 2021, livestream
58 views on YouTube
Gobernanzas criminales en tiempos de revolución post-Chávez
10 Sep 2021, in person and livestream
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
K12 & POST-SECONDARY
ECUADOR CUBA VENEZUELA 6
Cultural exchange through travel
2022 GLOBAL TEACHER LEADER INSTITUTE (GTLI)
Culturally competent teachers lead to culturally competent students! The Global Teacher Leader Institute introduces global competencies and helps educators integrate global themes within their daily curriculum. While enjoying an immersive experience in Campeche, Mexico, participants learn different ways to better prepare students to navigate an increasingly complex world through critical thinking skills and varying perspectives.
In June of 2022, eight teachers embarked on this educational journey and developed their cultural competency through seminars on topics such as Mayan Language and Culture, archaeological site visits, and artisan weaving demonstrations.
K-12 & POST SECONDARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Virtual exchange projects
UNICOLLABORATION VIRTUAL EXCHANGE (VE) TRAINING FOR STATE COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS
January-February 2021 | A collaboration with Europe-based VE Association Unicollaboration to deliver a five-week training which reached 23 participants from ten state colleges. Participants learned about best practices for implementing and facilitating VE, drafted an action plan for VE efforts at their own institution.
UF VIRTUAL EXCHANGE (VE) FOR K- 12 AND STATE COLLEGE FACULTY
Summer 2021 & 2022 | As part of the Florida Virtual Exchange Network, (FLVN), instructors from Florida partnered with Mexico and Colombia to participate in 5-week trainings. Partners developed and delivered VE modules in courses varying from social studies, ASL, health, aerospace, Spanish, and more.
Summer 2021 Summer 2022 22 participants 20 participants
K-12 & POST SECONDARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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In order to promote the importance of linking language and culture skills...
Global career events
82 virtual attendees
5003 views on YouTube
Segundo Encuentro Latinoamericano de Español para fines específicos (Second Latin American Meeting of Spanish for Specific Purposes) Outreach director, Mary Risner, co-organized a virtual conference for Spanish language educators in collaboration with the Catholic University of Chile, Valparaiso and the University of Arizona.
The Center continues to integrate LAS and global content into Career & Technical Education (CTE) by working with teachers from different career pathways. The Center organized its second exhibit table with partner teachers at FACTE and presented a session on our LAS/global initiatives.
Alumni-in-Residence Program in collaboration with the Career Connections Center, fall 2021
Alum Francisco Santeiro spent five days on campus meeting with students through talks, classroom visits, and informal meetings to provide industry and career advice on international trade and logistics. He spoke with students from LAS, Spanish, business, and engineering.
CONNECTING
LANGUAGES & CAREERS
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EXHIBIT: PLURAL DOMAINS
9 Sep 2021 - 24 Apr 2022 Harn Museum of Art
Plural Domains featured more than 30 artists from 10 different LA countries with art forms ranging from large multimedia installations, video, photography, sculpture, and drawing from the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation Collection.
MUSEUM NIGHTS: NOCHE DE MUSEO
9 Sep 2021 Harn Museum of Art
Noche de Museo featured the opening exhibition of Plural Domains, a performance of “The Gulf” by Y-Not-Theatre, and music by DJ Elio Piedra.
1401 views on YouTube 635 in-person attendees
2386 attended
2495 virtual attendees
Ella Jazz Across Cultures
22-23 Oct 2021
16th Gainesville Latino Film Festival
10-29 Sep 2021
Latin American Artists in Florida Program
15 Nov 2020 - 30 Mar 2021
ARTS & CULTURE IN FLORIDA
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AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
COLLABORATORS & AFFILIATIONS
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Mary Risner, Ed.D. is the Associate Director of Outreach and Business at the Center for Latin American Studies. Dr. Risner develops and manages initiatives that integrate the study of foreign language and area studies across the curriculum. She has over 20 years of experience teaching foreign language at a variety of K-16 levels. Her background is in Marketing, Latin American Studies, and Educational Technology.
Thacher Loutin is a graduate assistant at the Center for Latin American Studies. She will graduate with her M.A. in Latin American Studies with a focus on Education in the Americas. During one year, she assisted with the Traveling Suitcase program and Guest Speaker Program for the Center’s Outreach program.
GROWING THE OUTREACH TEAM
Anna Rodell graduated with her M.A. in Latin American Studies as an outreach graduate assistant. She then continued working in outreach while pursuing her Ph.D. in the UF College of Education.
Alicia Reynolds is the Center’s Outreach Coordinator beginning in August 2022. Alicia provides administrative and project management support to the Center’s outreach programming and events, as well as projects related to grant programs and competitions.
2020-2022
OUTREACH PROGRAM TEAM
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Center for Latin American Studies Outreach Program University of Florida 319 Grinter Hall PO Box 115530 Gainesville, FL 32611-5530 (352) 273-4717 outreach@latam.ufl.edu latam.ufl.edu/outreach @UFLatinAmericanStudies @UFLatinAmerica @LatamUF @UF_Latam
