BCA July 2022 Newsletter

Vol 49 NEWSLETTER

July 2022

The Border Community Alliance is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange.

Dear BCA friends and supporters,

Are you traveling to Mexico or another Spanish-speaking country soon? Do you work or volunteer with Spanish speakers and would like to communicate more effectively? Or have you simply always wanted to learn “a little Spanish” since, after all, you live in the borderlands?

If you answered “Yes!” to any of the above, then consider joining our Let’s Speak Spanish! language program this fall. We revamped this program during the pandemic to an all online program that is highly popular and growing. We currently are offering Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes and we hope you’ll consider joining us for one of our conversational classes.

What makes BCA’s Spanish language program unique? Very small class sizes (4-6); native Spanish speaker facilitators; convenient class times and format (4pm on Zoom); and camaraderie with other supporters of BCA’s mission to bridge borders and build community.

We hope you’ll consider joining me and others this fall in trying a class. I’m trying the Intermediate level class and am thrilled to be able to practice by 8th grade Spanish once again!

Any questions about our program? Contact BCA’s Spanish Program Director, Jim Hoff, at jhoff@tegnos.org and/ or read the Spanish program article in this newsletter.

See you in class.

Celia Bavier

Executive Director

BCA 2022 Summer Interns

Borderlands Ambassadors Update

by Amy Tice

BCA Borderlands Ambassador

Program Supervisor/Coordinator

After months of anticipation, the BCA Borderlands Ambassador Interns have arrived in Nogales! We gathered together on Sunday evening (June 19) to start orientation week to enjoy fresh tamales and some time getting to know one another and play some games. Lots of fun was had playing telestrations, a networking match-up competition, and eating Oreo ice cream dessert. The objectives for this first week included building connections, clearly presenting an overview of the program and expectations, establishing a foundation of safety and self-care, identifying personal and group intentions, meeting the BCA board and other members, and providing a broad strokes introduction to the Borderlands and its issues.

Over the course of the first two days, the group visited the service learning placements where they will be spending Mondays and Tuesdays for the remaining 5 weeks of the program. This allowed each person to meet their site supervisor and learn about the work they would be doing, as well as seeing and hearing about where each of their peers will be serving. Below is some information about each of the service learning placements: (CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING)

JOIN US FOR THREE NEW CLASSES THIS FALL . . .

Let's Speak Spanish will start three online classes this September, including new sessions of our Beginner and Advanced classes plus a brand-new class for Intermediate students.

Our program will continue to feature a large contingent of native Spanish speakers and experienced teachers to work with you. This means there always will be enough facilitators to allow you to study in small groups of 4 to 6 students! Each class also will continue to include curated videos, songs, and games to enrich your understanding of the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

All classes will meet once weekly at 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM AZ Time (UST-7) via Zoom. This new afternoon time slot is in response to many requests from potential students who frequently work during the day. The later time also will help us recruit additional facilitators from Mexico who also need to balance full-time jobs with the demands of our program.

Here is a brief description of each class: (CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING)

VISIT SPANISH CLASSES WEBSITE

Fundación Del Empresariado Sonorense A.C.

Update

Alma Cota de Yanez,

FESAC Director

Vocational training for adult asylum seekers took place at Casa de la Misericordia in Nogales, Sonora over the last few months and will start again in September.

Classes taught include: Electricity, Basic Nursing & First Aid, Educational Assistant, and Makeup/ Haircutting. These job skills will be invaluable to these asylum seekers whether they gain asylum in the U.S. successfully or live in another country.

To support this program, go to: BorderCommunityAlliance.org/Donate. Under “Donor Note” write “ Casa de la Misericordia Vocational Program”. Thank you for your ongoing support of this cross-border social investment project.

From the beginning BCA has had a close relationship with FESAC, a Nogales, Sonora-based community foundation. This unique arrangement allows us to provide pass through donations to FESAC and to specific NGO community organizations that BCA/FESAC supports. We strongly stand with FESAC in lifting up local community by changing the narrative from charity to social investment.

Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC)

The Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC) meeting in July will be on July 13, 10-11:30 am on Zoom. To register and receive the Zoom link go to BorderCommunityAlliance.org or call Suzy at 520.398.3229

The BLFC group meets monthly, generally on the second Wednesday of the month. All are welcome!

Summer 2022

Upcoming Events

Mark your Calendar for these Events:

July 11, 2pm: Rattlesnakes of the Borderlands. The borderlands of southern Arizona are home to several species of rattlesnakes. This presentation showcases these remarkable reptiles including their identification and biology. We will also explore ways to prevent getting bitten by a rattlesnake and what to do in the unfortunate circumstance if you are bitten. With naturalist Jeff Babson of Sky Island Tours. By Zoom. Fee: $10

July 13, 10-11:30: Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC) - Southwest Desert-Adapted Architecture, historic and current examples. We’ll focus on a number of true-to-the-land desert building approaches, from small-scale traditional adobe and cob to larger modern designs. Book selections and author/historian interviews can be found at https://bordercommunityalliance.org/blfc. By Zoom. All are welcome!

July 28, 11:30-2pm: Luncheon & Presentations with our Summer 2002 Borderlands Ambassador Interns: Hear from and meet with our Summer 2022 Borderlands Ambassador Interns as they reflect on their six weeks in the borderlands. Location: United Methodist Church of Green Valley. Lunch fee: $10

July 29, Reception - 4:00 pm; Presentations - 4:30 pm: Summer 2022 Borderlands Ambassador Intern Reception & Presentations: Hear from and meet with our Summer 2022 Borderlands Ambassador Interns as they reflect on their six weeks in the borderlands. Location: Tubac Center of the Arts

September 14: Nogales Cross-Border tour: Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, Sonora, lunch & afternoon coffee. Fee: $75 members; $95 non-members. (All day tour)

A donation of $10 is requested for events, unless a fee is required as shown on the event registration page. To register for events go to www.bordercommunityalliance.org or call Suzy at (520) 398-3229.

Borderlands Ambassadors PRESENTATIONS

Join us on

July 28 at 11:30am

at United Methodist Church, Green Valley

July 29 at 4pm

at the Tubac Center of the Arts

for a reception with and presentations from our 2022 BCA Borderlands Ambassador Interns. These six students will share their reflections from their six-week experience in our immersive borderlands internship program. Please register for these events at BorderCommunityAlliance.org

Volunteer Opportunities with the Border Community Alliance (BCA)

We hope you will consider volunteering with BCA to pursue our mission of bridging the border and creating community through education, cultural exchange, and social investment. Volunteering with BCA is a wonderful way to get to know other BCA supporters and others who live in the borderlands and to find out more about what we do.

CLICK HERE FOR WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

To volunteer at BCA, please contact Suzy at info@bordercommunityalliance.org or fill out our Volunteer Application at BorderCommunityAlliance.org. We look forward to seeing you at BCA!