1. Our Next General Body Meeting
DATE: February 22, 2010
TIME: 8-9PM
LOCATION: Hamilton Hall, Morningside Campus, Room 304
Spotlight Student Group: There is Hope, Mission Haiti
2. CUPID’s Community Initiatives Summer Abroad Fellows Program Information Sessions
Come to an Information Session for Summer Opportunities in the Dominican Republic and Colombia. All Columbia students invited to apply
Interested applicants are encouraged to attend at least one of the following information sessions:
Wednesday, February 24th, 7-8 p.m. at Teachers College, Russell Hall 306 (3rdFloor of Teachers College Library)
Thursday, February 25th, 8-9 p.m. at Teachers College, Russell Hall 305 (3rdFloor of Teachers College Library)
Teachers College is located at 525 W. 120th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam)
Please read below for a short description of our partnering organizations and the CUPID Summer Fellow positions available.
For more information and to download an application form, go to http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cupid/Initiatives.html or email us at cupidinitiatives@gmail.com
Volunteers Colombia
Volunteers Colombia (VC) is a young organization that works with the island community of Baru within the Department of Bolivar in the Caribbean region of Colombia. The Department of Bolivar is not only one of the poorest departments in the country, but also one of the departments with the most inequalities. The community of Baru suffers from extreme poverty and faces different social challenges such as early onset of sexual relations that lead to high numbers of teen pregnancy and low educational achievement. The CUPID positions offered will address these issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, making for an extraordinary professional summer experience.
Description of the Positions:
The CUPID Summer Fellows in Baru will work in the areas of educational and social welfare. In education, the fellows will develop internal assessments designed to measure the effects of a newly-implemented ESL program and examine the potential for vocational education related to the growing tourism industry on the island. In social welfare, the CUPID Fellows will examine the socio-cultural background of the community. One of the main challenges of VC’s work on the island is understanding issues that are not related to formal education but that may constitute obstacles for students to enter the workforce or higher education upon graduation. The intern will conduct research that provides better understanding of these issues.
Global Potential
Global Potential (GP) is a non-profit organization that empowers low-income, urban youth in the U.S. to create positive change in their lives and communities. For 12 weeks, youth participants from New York area high schools engage in an intensive social entrepreneurship and leadership training program where they gain skills and knowledge that will prepare them to live and volunteer for six weeks in a rural village in the Dominican Republic where they engage in community service and internships, gaining practical experience with local professionals.
Description of the Positions:
The CUPID Summer Fellows will work with community members from poor, rural communities in the Dominican Republic and with at-risk youth from Brooklyn high schools as they engage in a collaborative service project. Within the Dominican Republic, the interns will work with a range of individuals ranging from Directors of NGOs, government and other public officials, local pastors, community leaders, youth, children, parents, and individual community members. This interdisciplinary project has already had CUPID Fellows and their positive experiences are the evidence of the great opportunity GP represents for all who want a professional internship for this coming summer.
3. CUPID Review: Call for submissions
CUPID Review is an annual online publication showcasing Columbia students’ experiences with international development through different media and disciplines of study.
2010 Inaugural Theme: Party like it’s 2015: Progressing Toward the Millennium Development Goals
Invited submissions include both academic and creative forms of writing, artwork and visual media. This may include, but is not limited to: scholarly research, project proposals and evaluations, policy analysis, personal reflection essays, poetry and short stories, short video clips, visual art, and photography. For visual pieces, please provide a written description of how your work contributes to the Review Theme.
Submissions are due March 15, 2010. Papers/links to visual media files should be emailed to cupidjournal@gmail.com.
4. Blinded by Open Arms Film Screening
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Time: 8 – 10 PM
Location: Roone Arledge Cinema, Alfred Lerner Hall, Columbia University
Come join CU Global Brigades and CUPID for a FREE film screening of the 2008 documentary Blinded by Open Arms! Blinded by Open Arms shows the tragic situation currently present among Honduran youth and their struggle for survival. Family disintegration, poverty, poor education and lack of employment lead the youth to drug use, gang involvement, and homelessness. The film captures the deteriorating situation in Honduras by showing the deplorable conditions through the stories that are told on screen. Then, learn how you can help create sustainable projects to address these critical issues. RSVP here!
