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608 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511203.562.1607

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Environmental Youth Brigade ...p 1

Forum Theater Comes to Goyena ...p 3

NAFTA Is Starving Mexico ...p 4

WalkBikeTransit Campaign ...p 6

Environmental Youth Brigade:A View from Goyena, Nicaragua.

By members of the Environmental Youth Brigade.

In October 1998 Nicaragua faced a natural disaster -Hurricane Mitch - that like earthquake in Managua in1972 - marked a milestone in our history. HurricaneMitch was a natural phenomenon that displaced andburied rural communities, killing entire families andcausing millions in infrastructure losses. Goyena’sindigenous elders even commented on the hurricane,"We’ve never seen this before.” “This neverhappened in my memory.” “ It is true what the radioalso said that there had been hurricanes before butthey were not as strong.” Speaking of changes peopleare now seeing in the weather, "Today we can notfully predict the weather, we are concerned all thetime if we have will a good rainy season, if we canharvest and if we will have enough grain to eat.""Today we know from you (the Brigade) aboutclimate change, that we have done wrong, and howthey could reverse this. We're glad you have startedsuch a beautiful project here in the community."

Donaire Lysanias, 20 years old and a member ofGoyena Environmental Youth Brigade, writes, "TheEcological Brigade Goyena is comprised of nineteenagers and young people in communities of NuevaVida, Cooperativa, and Aristides Sanchez. We havethe task of informing and raising awareness aboutenvironmental issues and climate change withchildren attending the after school program, and withother residents of these communities through lecturesand workshops."

N e w H a v e n / L e ó nS i s t e r C i t y P r o j e c t

Continued on p 2

FIESTA!

Shop for A Cause

Saturday, December 3rd

"We were able to reproduce thisknowledge in our communities," saysRaquel Delgado, 17, also a member ofthe Brigade, "to raise awarenessamong children and adults about thecare of the environment.” YaranesiAgueda Perez and Agueda Matute, 20and 19 years respectively, write, "Wehave had workshops and lectureswhere we have learned scientificallythe reasons for climate change and theconsequences not only in Nicaraguabut also in the world. We believe wecan reduce these effects in ourcommunity and we as teenagers andyoung people need to drive thatchange. All activities have beenfocused on children because they arethe future of our community and webelieve we can change the many yearsof poor environmental practices.”

Said Norlan Osejo and Gleydis Osejo,"The Brigade hassown plants in thepreschool. Thiswas done with thedesire to share withchildren andmotivate them tolearn to care forour environment,and also benefitingthe children ofpreschool. We alsodeveloped aplastics cleanupday throughout thecommunity ofNueva Vida, so villagers can becomeaware of the amount of waste beinggenerated and how we can reduce it,recycle it, or reuse these materials inour community. We also do craftswith children of the after schoolproject with the materials collected onthis day."

"Another activity we do," says HaydeAlonso, 17 years old, "is the touroffered to delegates and volunteers

from the U.S. The tour uses bikes totake visitors to nearby communitieswhere we explain the realities of othernearby communities, the history of ourschool and preschool, and some dataabout each. We also make stops at theriver and explain how important it isfor us and the different species ofanimals living nearby. We then offervarious sweets typical of our country,but not before we show the vast fieldsof sugar cane crops. Men and womenwork there for themselves and theirfamilies but are also affected by poorhygiene and safety of this multibillion-dollar company. "

Concluded Maribel Hernandez andDonaire Lideta 16 and 22, "We alsoreceived a workshop in theater. Thiswas given by members of a U.S.delegation who showed us ways to dotheater in an easy yet comprehensiveway… where we talk about our life

experiences, sharing with the group,and interacting through the theaterwith the audience. This helps us tobetter express our ideas and applythese techniques in our discussions ofthe environment. We will also use theforum theater as a tool fordisseminating and reporting onenvironmental issues and foodsecurity next year.” •

Members of the Daniel Hand High School delegation, local youth andartists in front of mural they completed in June on the side of the newcomputer lab in Goyena.

Volunteer Shelly Altman helps ateacher in León prepare a bike aspart of the Bicicletas Para Maestras(Bikes for Teachers) program in 1996.Over 1000 bikes were sent to León.

Brigade continued from p 1

M a ke t h eWo r l d G oRo u n d !Get Involved...a l i tt le.. .or a lot.

Volunteer in NewHaven...helping withoutreach...in theoffice...craft sales...

Organize/Join aFamily delegation...parents, grandparents,kids welcome!

Intern in sunnyNicaragua...Learn..Teach...Build...Create...Explore!

Intern in NewHaven - work on foodsecurity, ruraleducation, climatechange, theater.

Page 2

Funding for the Brigade comes from a grant from theNew England Biolabs Foundation

Forum TheaterComes to Goyena

On August 13th, 2011, members of atheater delegation traveled toNicaragua. The delegates came fromvarying backgrounds, includingteachers, college students, politicalactivists and writers. This delegationwas particularly fascinating becauseit explored both the local labor andpolitical climate, and ways tomotivate change within thecommunity through a theaterworkshop. Both the participants ofthe workshop and the audience theypresented to in rural Goyena weregiven the opportunity to exploreways to transform issues seen withinthe community.

Labor RealitiesTo gain a better sense for the realitiesof working in Nicaragua, thedelegation started by meeting with avariety of labor groups, a labor unionrepresentative, and an agriculturalcooperative. The agriculturalcooperative we visited wascomprised of ten women and sixteenmen. These farmers banded togetherto form the cooperative to maintain aliving without selling their land to thesugar cane plantation. Two members,Pedro and Santiago, told us that theyare humble yet proud of the workthey have accomplished through thecooperative.

We also met with Maria JoseHerbina, the secretary of women forthe Association of Rural Workers.

Maria works with four private sectorunions, two of which have negotiatedcollective bargaining agreementswith their employers. Under theseagreements, worker bonuses aredependent on the profitability of thecompany. The unions also negotiatedfor a higher food allowance,protection from chemicals, andhealth insurance for workers andtheir families (which is very rare inLeόn). If worker rights are violated,the union can submit a complaint tothe Nicaraguan Minister of Labor.

Theater of the OppressedThe delegation also brought AugostoBoal’s “Forum Theater” to ruralGoyena. To begin the process ofForum Theater, trainer Katy Rubinled thirty delegation and communityparticipants in “de-mechanizing”games which aim to breakparticipants free from habituallimiting behaviors. They also helpedparticipants relax and feel morecomfortable around each other. Forexample, we played a game in whichparticipants had to walk when Katysaid, “Stop!” and stop when Katysaid, ”Walk!” Within minutes, I washysterically laughing withcommunity members that I had justmet.

After the games, theworkshop proceeded with a story-telling process in which participantsshared instances in their lives inwhich they felt oppression. Thegroup chose the three stories thatresonated with the most people. Wethen developed three differentplays/skits based on these stories

trying to clearly depict theinstances of oppression, includingpresentations of the oppressor andthe victim. When the play isperformed, actors invite audiencemembers to take the place of thevictim in the play and try to changethe situation.

One of the plays developedtold the story of the contaminationof the river in the community.

Chemicals from the waste ofagricultural companies, such asNicaragua Sugar Estates, Ltd(NSEL), have made the waterunusable and people of thecommunity developed skin rashesand chronic stomach illnesses. Theplay also looked at the lack ofavailable health care in thecommunity. In the final scene of theplay, the effected community angrilyriots at the door of Carlos Pellas, theowner of NSEL, and he ignores thepleas of the community. Howeverwhen Doña Eugenia, a communityleader, volunteered to enter the playin the role of the protagonist, shesuggested that the communityapproach Carlos Pellas in a morediplomatic manner. The communitymembers staged a sit-in and CarlosPellas eventually wielded to theirdemands. Although idealistic, thesecond portrayal of the sceneempowered the community andinspired them to take action onissues.

Another play depicted asituation that occurred several yearsago in Goyena. There used to be ahigh school for students in which theteachers commuted from the city ofLeón. Each day the teachers wouldmake derogatory comments towardthe students and eventually decidedthat the studentswere not worth the

Delegate Bethany DeGant getting warmedup with Nubia Quiroz Osejo, a member ofthe community board in Goyena.

Learning through theater games in Goyena. Continued on p 6

By Bethany DeGant and Liz McLean

Page 3

NAFTA Is StarvingMexicoby Laura Carlsen(Reprinted: Published on Thursday, October 20, 2011by Foreign Policy in Focus)

Since the North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA) became thelaw of the land, millions of Mexicanshave joined the ranks of the hungry.Malnutrition is highest among thecountry’s farm families, who used toproduce enough food to feed thenation. The latest reports show thatthe number of people living in “foodpoverty” (the inability to purchasethe basic food basket) rose from 18million in 2008 to 20 million by late2010.

About one-fifth of Mexican childrencurrently suffer from malnutritionand government statistics report that25 percent of the population does nothave access to basic food. Thenumber of children with malnutritionis 400,000 kids above the goal forthis year. Newborns show the highestindices of malnutrition, indicatingthat the tragedy begins with maternalhealth.

The dramatic change in Mexicaneating habits since NAFTA is notonly reflected in the millions who goto bed hungry. On the other side ofthe scale, Mexico has in just a decadeand a half become second only to theUnited States worldwide in morbidobesity. Child obesity and diabetesnow constitute major health

problems, alongside the moretraditional problem of hunger.

It’s not that the rich are getting toofat and the poor too thin, althoughinequality plays a role in the erosionof healthy diets for all. Fatness nolonger represents abundance. It is thepoor who drink cheap Coca Colawhen they do not have access topotable water or who give their kids abag of potato chips when local freshfood is no longer available. TheInternational Journal of Obesity findsthat worldwide the spread of whatthey call “the Western diet” (“high insaturated fats, sugar, and refinedfoods but low in fiber) has meant that“the burden of obesity is shiftingtowards the poor.” The NAFTA

generation reflects theparadigm so eloquentlydescribed by foodresearcher and activist RajPatel of “stuffed andstarved”.

NAFTA’s Food(In)security Model

Something has gone terriblywrong. Mexicanmalnutrition has its roots inNAFTA and otherneoliberal programs. The

idea of food security based on marketaccess comes directly from the mainargument behind NAFTA of“comparative advantage.” Simplystated, economic efficiency dictatesthat each country should devote itsproductive capacity to what it doesbest and trade liberalization willguarantee access across borders.

Under the theory of comparativeadvantage, most of Mexico wasdeemed unfit to produce its staplefood crop, corn, since its yields wereway below the average for itsnorthern neighbor and trade partner.Therefore, Mexico should turn tocorn imports and devote its land tocrops where it supposedly had acomparative

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10am – 3pm

608 Whitney Avenue

New HavenContinued on p 5

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advantage, such as counter-seasonaland tropical fruits and vegetables.

Sounds simple. Just pick up threemillion inefficient corn producers(and their families) and move theminto manufacturing or assemblywhere their cheap labor constitutes acomparative advantage. The culturaland human consequences ofdeclaring entire peasant andindigenous communities obsoletewere not a concern in thisequation.

Seventeen years afterNAFTA, some two millionfarmers have been forcedoff their land by low pricesand the dismantling ofgovernment supports. Theydid not find jobs in industrybut became part of a massexodus as the number ofMexican migrants to theUnited States rose to half amillion a year. In the first few yearsof NAFTA, corn imports tripled andthe producer price fell by half.

Conversion to other crops turned outto take years in most cases. Priceswere volatile and harvests unreliable.It was not feasible on many small,often rocky plots where cornguarantees a subsistence diet for farmfamilies. For the hungry, this meansthat prices set on the internationalmarket determine who eats and whostarves. Mexican consumers now paymore for tortillas and food in general.

Food Dependency

Before NAFTA, the country spent$1.8 billion dollars on food imports.It now spends a whopping $24billion. In an interview, ruralresearcher Ernesto Ladrón deGuevara noted that in some basicfoods, the dependency on imports isdramatic: 80 percent in rice, 95percent in soybeans, 33 percent inbeans, and 56 percent in wheat. The

country is the world's number-oneimporter in the world of powderedmilk. NAFTA decimated Mexico'sonce-thriving dairy sector, and themarket takeover by transnationalpowdered milk is linked to the crisisin infant malnutrition.

The U.S. department of agricultureestimates that if current trendscontinue Mexico will acquire 80percent of its food from othercountries (mostly the United States).

Transnational food corporations notonly import freely into Mexican foodmarkets, they are now the producers,exporters, and importers all in one,operating inside the country. SinceNAFTA, corporations have gobbledup human and natural resources onan almost unbelievable scale.

Feed the Hungry, Fix the System

Mexican organizations recentlysucceeded in reforming the Mexicanconstitution to include the right tofood. Now the battle is on to makethat right a reality. Small farmerorganizations have joined withfamily farm organizations in theUnited States and Canada to call forthe renegotiation of NAFTA toremove basic foods and agriculturalproduction from the agreement,....andU.S. organizations are seeing anopportunity to join their demands tothe Occupy Wall Street movementacross the country. One of thegrievances listed in the OWS

Declaration of the New York CityGeneral Assembly reads: “They(large corporations) have poisonedthe food supply through negligence,and undermined the farming systemthrough monopolization.”

Corporate control of the food systemlocked in by NAFTA not only starvespeople in Mexico. It locks in aprofoundly unhealthy food systemfor the entire region. As the crisisdeepens, citizen movements are againheating up and seeking each other outacross borders to protect their health,their livelihoods and their rights. Inthe future, what we eat, how we eat,and if we eat will depend on theirefforts.Laura Carlsen (lcarlsen@ciponline.org) isdirector of the Americas Policy Program inMexico City. She is also a Foreign PolicyIn Focus columnist.

Farmers in Nicaragua give tour to delegates.

NAFTA continued from p 4

Page 5

Hopkins /Mann Delegat ionBelow (top to bottom) delegates playwith preschool kids; on communitytour led by Environmental YouthBrigade; group photo on roof of Leóncathedral.

Food Security and Climate Change There areclear links between human behavior and changes in the climate, and theseclimate changes are hurting small communities and farmers in Nicaraguaand around the world. The soon to be launched WalkBikeTransitCampaign (see brochure excerpts below) will help people see theconnection between their transportation choices and food security, affectlocal change, and build local support for sustainable transportation.

Theater continued from p 3

commute. The high school was moveda mile away, and the students needed tofind a way to commute to school. Formany of the students, this commute(and the schedule change fromafternoon hours to morning hours) wasnot feasible, and thus their access toeducation was denied. After watchingthe play, audience members were onceagain asked to enter into the scene. Thistime, a community member suggestedthat the residents of Goyena initiate apetition to be sent to the citygovernment of León.

The interactions between theactors and the audience achieved theintention of Augusto Boal:empowerment of the individual and thecommunity. Workshop participants andaudience members had littlebackground in theater, yet they wereable to create influential andmeaningful pieces. After the playsended, the community and workshopparticipants shared a sentiment ofcomradery and hope.

This delegation captured thepolitical and labor strife in Nicaragua,while showing that through persistenceand organization, individuals have theability to gain power. The theaterworkshop and plays demonstrated theeffects of strong individual andcommunity voice. Although theworkshop was comprised of peoplefrom many different backgrounds, allhad the opportunity to learn and growas individuals. •

Bethany De Gant is a junior atCornell University and Liz McLeanis a junior at Vassar College.

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