Outreach Annual Report 2022-2023

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.

Outreach Program Priorities

FOCUS AREAS

• Latin American Studies in the K-12 and higher education classroom and community

• Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL)

• Global Children’s Literature and Literacy

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Languages

PRIORITY AUDIENCES

• K-12

• State Colleges, MinorityServing Institutions (MSI)

CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES OUTREACH

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.

We completed 111 suitcase borrows from the following states:

GUEST SPEAKER PROGRAM

The Speaker Program brought an expert on Latin American topics into classrooms in Florida, Washington DC, Georgia, Illinois, and Tennessee. The topics:

• Latin American Art

• Latin American Music

• Chicle Production by Forest Communities in the Yucatan Peninsula

• Latin American Indigenous Groups

TEACHING THE WORLD

This year saw the collaborative launch of the Teaching the World website. This resource is a collection of Title VI National Resource Centers (NRCs), which

• Mexican/Cuban Migration

• Urbanization and Planning in Latin America

• Visual Storytelling

• Food Systems in Latin America

Top borrowers: FLORIDA OHIO NEW YORK NEW JERSEY

are higher education area or international studies centers partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

teachingtheworld.net

OUTREACH IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES

AUTHOR VISIT AT FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY

On April 8, 2023, award winning author Alexandra Diaz virtually visited a Florida Gulf Coast University College of Education classroom to educate 24 pre-service students about writing and using global children’s books in the classroom.

VIRTUAL EXCHANGE PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED

All 11 educators who participated in the 2022 virtual exchange (VE) summer training successfully implemented VE into their classrooms. These projects spanned across several different disciplines such as the culinary arts and intercultural communication. In total, nearly 300 students benefitted from these VE projects.

K12 & HIGHER EDUCATION

CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT

VIRTUAL EXCHANGE PARTNER VISITS

In a joint collaboration with UFIC, Denise de Cássia Moreira Zornoff (UNESP, Brazil) & Ricardo Andres Lopez Celi (USFQ, Ecuador) were invited to UF in April in order to engage with the UF community at large and to finally meet in person their virtual exchange partners, Megan Mocko and Jeffrey Pufhal.

During their visit, they participated in the first ever Research in Teaching & Learning (RiTL) Symposium, the Interface Teaching Conference, and the Global Learning Community of Practice talks in order to share their virtual exchange experiences.

71 ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Our 71st Annual Conference titled Anti-racist Education in Latin America: Perspectives on State and Grassroots Projects was held on March 23-25, 2023, and featured talks from Solsiree del Moral, our Bacardi Family Eminent Scholar 2023, and professors from across the US and Latin America with backgrounds in diverse disciplines. Throughout this threeday conference, attendees participated in and observed discussions surrounding anti-racist strategies and practices within education in Latin American history.

CAMPECHE VIRTUAL EXCHANGE

Caroline Martins (UFIC Virtual Exchange Coordinator and MALAS student) traveled to Campeche, Mexico along with Santa Fe professors Marcela Murillo Van Den Bossche and Mario Mutis Rodriguez to discuss Virtual Exchange with Universidad Autónoma de Campeche (UACAM) and Instituto Campechano faculty members. Through a presentation, 27 Campeche faculty members learned about virtual exchange and how it could be used in K-16 classrooms and discussed future VE partner opportunities. Together, they also sought to improve institutional linkages between UF, Santa Fe College, UACAM, and Instituto Campechano.

ON-CAMPUS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS

RETOS Y PERSPECTIVAS DEL PUEBLO MAYA

UF students enjoyed a lecture on Mayan culture with Irene Yolanda Aké Ché, teacher of Mayan language and culture at the Spanish and Mayan Center of the Autonomous University of Campeche, Mexico.

GABRIELA ALEMÁN BOOK LAUNCH

Gabriela Alemán, Fall 2022 Kislak Family Foundation writerin-residence, presented her new book, Family Album. Alemán

latest work is a collection of short stories which recast the discussion of national identity through satire and adventure narratives. She was interviewed by Nicolás Campisi, a literary scholar of Georgetown University.

GLOBAL BUSINESS SUMMIT

K-12 BUSINESS PORTUGUESE WORKSHOP

In partnership with FIU CIBER, we held a K-12 Business Portuguese Workshop in which 20 teachers attended. Teachers were updated on the current state of business Portuguese and developed lessons.

ONLINE GLOBAL CAREER FAIR COLLABORATION

On November 15, 2022, we collaborated with the Career Connections Center (CCC) to host an online event for students to meet employers about global career and internship opportunities. In total, 33 students met with five potential employers for 1:1 chats.

The Center held its second Global Business Summit for community college faculty and K-12 Career & Technical Education teachers. This was in collaboration with the FIU CIBER and the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). This year we added an industry site visit to Canaveral Port Authority in order to highlight public sector employment. There were 15 faculty members in attendance, this is a cohort that we continue to work with throughout the year. It is also a collaboration with the Florida Consortium of International Education (state college group).

CONNECTING LANGUAGES & CAREERS

LAS CAREER DAYS

LAS alumni Dr. Judith Anderson, Meghan Reynolds, and Jacob Schultz returned to the Center to participate in a three-day event centered around global career opportunities. With their experiences in the academic, corporate marketing, and government sectors they provided a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to gain professional advice from those already in the field. Towards that end, alumni hosted focus sessions, resume reviews and a global career panel.

FLORIDA CAREER PATHWAY NETWORKS

At the 2023 FCPN conference, teachers Sherry Gaynor and Maureen Mack, along with Outreach Director Dr. Mary Risner presented “Acquiring 21st Century Global Workplace Skills through Virtual Projects” (A Longview Foundation/USDOE TVI funded collaboration).

MUSEUM NIGHTS: NOCHE DE MUSEO

11 October, 2022 Harn Museum of Art

Nearly 300 guests of the Harn enjoyed activities including new art-inspired choreography by the Harn Choreographers-in-Residence, Stories of Florida-Con Sabor! in English and Spanish by storyteller Carrie Sue, and dance practice with the Salsa Mundial and the Gator Salsa Club.

WORLD MUSIC FEST

5 November, 2022

Flooded with 500 guests, Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville was lit up by performances at the 2022 World Music Fest. With performances by the Sunshine Steelers, Jacare Brazil, Pazeni Sauti Africa Choir, mUndo Flamenco Ensemble, UF Chinese Ensemble, Agbedidi Africa Percussion Warmup, and the African Pop Ensemble, guests enjoyed a musical journey from around the globe.

395 Musical performances

2,500

Museum Nights & film events

ARTS & CULTURE IN FLORIDA

AFRO ROOTS FEST

7-8 April, 2023

The audience of 650 guests enjoyed a multi-day celebration of African Diaspora to Latin America music and dance. Festivities included song, dance, and drum workshops as well as a lecture and artist panel.

BRAZILIAN MUSIC INSTITUTE: FROM CHORO TO CHAMBER MUSIC

19 May 2023 New World School of the Arts

The 2023 BMI was held at the New World School of the Arts in Miami and was a collaborative effort by both the BMI Ensemble and the NWSA Wind Ensemble. With 400 people in attendance, Dr. Welson Tremura led the audience through a celebration of Audience Brazilian culture and music performance by several Brazilian artists.

KICHWA

Fall 2022 saw UF’s first ever Kichwa (Quichwa) course offering led by Carmen Martinez Novo with grad student Kleber Naula assisting.

HAITIAN CREOLE

Dr. Benjamin Hebblethwaite, Associate Professor in Haitian and Francophone Studies, completed work on a 29-chapter textbook entitled Kreyòl pale: A Haitian Creole Textbook for Beginners and also coauthored a newly published book, Indigenous and African Diaspora Religions in the Americas.

Through Title VI funding, we support two Teaching Assistant salaries for the benefit of students enrolling in Beginning Haitian Creole courses. A total of 24 students began their language journey this year through these courses.

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE JOURNAL

The PLJ is the official journal of the American Organization of Teachers of Portuguese (AOTP). Thanks to Title VI funding, the Center for Latin American Studies provides support each year to the PLJ in order to facilitate the promotion of Portuguese language. To date, there have been 885 gallery views of this journal.

LESS COMMONLY TAUGHT LANGUAGES

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

COLLABORATORS & AFFILIATIONS

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.

Alicia Reynolds is the Center’s Outreach Coordinator. 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.

Jane Perez is a graduate assistant at the Center for Latin American Studies. She will graduate with her M.A. in Latin American Studies in 2024. During one year, she assisted with the Traveling Suitcase program and Guest Speaker Program for the Center’s Outreach program.

Tania Trejo-Mendez is a graduate assistant at the Center for Latin American Studies. She will graduate with her M.A. in Latin American Studies in 2024. During one year, she assisted with the Traveling Suitcase program and Guest Speaker Program for the Center’s Outreach program.

2022-2023 OUTREACH PROGRAM TEAM

outreach@latam.ufl.edu