IMPORTANT - Reply by Oct. 7: Opportunity to attend the 2nd International Course on Political Training for Political Educators

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Stephanie Wang

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Oct 2, 2015, 3:02:30 PM10/2/15

to Rachellet Ternier, Alexander Fletcher, Andrea Griffith, Annette Desmarais, Ayla Fenton, Charlie Nixon, Colleen Ross, Coral Sproule, Dan, dixie morrison, Elizabeth Stocking, Eva Rehak, Graham Goff, Jennie Greven, Joan Brady, Kalissa Regier, Karen Pedersen, Nettie Wiebe, Reg Phelan, Rozanne Nevakshonoff, Terran Giacomini, Virginie Lavallee-Picard, nfu-inte...@googlegroups.com

Hi all,

Please share quickly within the NFU this opportunity to attend a training course for political educators, organized by the Brazil Landless workers movement (MST) from Oct. 26 to Dec. 12, 2015.

Any interested member should email me by Oct. 7 at : wa...@nfu.ca with short answers to the following questions:

1/ Are you member of the NFU? Associate, farm or youth member?
2/ What is your Level of involvement with the NFU and La Via Campesina?
3/ Are you connected to political training or popular education tasks within the NFU or other groups you are involved with? Please provide some information about any prior experience with and knowledge of these themes.
4/ Do you have an appetite for study and the pursuit of knowledge?
5/ Are you open to live and learn from other cultures, other experiences and other people?
6/ Do you agree to report back on your experience by writing articles for the Union Farmer Quarterly or other publications, and/or presenting your learnings to the NFU membership?
7/ Are you available from March 23 to May 3, 2015?
8/ In addition to personal expenses, are you willing to cover related costs such as transportation to and from the airport, food at the airport, etc?

Sorry for the short deadline but visa application takes time to process!

Thanks!
Stephanie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Maria Aguiar <magui...@gmail.com>
Date: 2015-10-01 15:30 GMT-04:00
Subject: Fwd: IMPORTANT - New date II International Course on Political Training for Political Educators
To: Nettie Wiebe <nettie...@usask.ca>, Stephanie Wang <wang.ste...@gmail.com>, Eva Rehak <e...@fermealvafarm.com>, Coral Sproule <queenb...@gmail.com>, Joan Brady <jbr...@hay.net>, Grenville Farms <dankre...@hotmail.com>, Ayla Fenton <aylafe...@gmail.com>, Alexander Fletcher <alexchisho...@gmail.com>
Cc: Cassia <cas...@mst.org.br>

Dears all - a couple of weeks ago I sent you this email about the second MST international training for political educators in ENGLISH. Cassia is still waiting to hear from any of you from the BFU if there might be anyone interested in attending this 6 week training in Brazil there is absolutely NO financial cost to the NFU to send someone as the MST has secured funding to support all trainee costs - including airfares, local travel, the training, and food and lodging. The only issue is the time commitment form October 26th to December 12th and the willingness to attend and work hard. It is a great opportunity and so I hope that you cna find a candidate to attend . Please send a reponse to cassia of the MST and cc me one way or the other.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Maria Aguiar <magui...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 20, 2015 at 8:18 PM
Subject: Fwd: IMPORTANT - New date II International Course on Political Training for Political Educators
To: Nettie Wiebe <nettie...@usask.ca>, Eva Rehak <e...@fermealvafarm.com>, Coral Sproule <queenb...@gmail.com>, Grenville Farms <dankre...@hotmail.com>, Ayla Fenton <aylafe...@gmail.com>, Joan Brady <jbr...@hay.net>

Dears all NFU folk... I am writing at the request of Cassia from the MST's International Relations Secretariat to ask you if you may possibly have a candidate who would be interested in participating in the great opportunity offered by the MST to be part of the 2nd International TRaining for political educators in ENGLISH. See attached invitation letter and application from the MST.

The MST is eager to have a young person from Canada and from the NFU participate if at all possible. It is a big commitment of time ( 6 weeks) and energy but can also be a life changing experience.

For the first English course ( in March 2015) a young women from a farm worker family in Florida Selena Zelaya, was able to take advantage of this training and it has had a huge impact on her and her commitment to the work of the organization Farmworkers Association of Florida (FWAF) and La Via Campesina as well. The FWAF , Selena and her family will be hosting an MST leader in Florida with who will work with the FWAF for 3 months in an ongoing exchange process.

Please try and seriously consider this opportunity - there is absolutely NO financial cost to the NFU to send someone as all the MST has secured Bertha Foundation funding to support all trainee costs - including airfares, local travel, the training, and food and lodging.

I urge you all to seriously consider this and let Cassia and me know if you have any possible candidates from the NFU.

I am open to trying to answer any questions that you may have.

Thanks for your consideration of this invitation,

-------- Forwarded message ----------

From: sri...@mst.org.br <sri...@mst.org.br>
Date: Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 1:31 PM
Subject: IMPORTANT - New date II International Course on Political Training for Political Educators
To:

Dear comrades

Receive our greetings from the Brazilian Struggles!

As you all must know, the political situation in Brazil has escalated in the last months. The right sector of Brazilian society has taken the streets demanding a more conservative government - some even asking for the return of the military dictatorship.

In response, we, the People's Movements and Organizations have been organizing massive struggles and mobilizations all over the country.

The class struggle is on its full.

Therefore, due to the intensive agenda of popular mobilizations in September and October, we saw ourselves obliged to postpone the beginning of our II International Course on Political Training for Political Educators for October 26th.

The new dates are: October 26th to December 12th

And de new deadline to submit application forms are October 1st, 2015.

We know that some of you have already nominated your participants, and we are very sorry for any inconvenience this change may have caused. But we hope it has not diminished their commitment to participate.

If you have any doubts, please let me know.

We look forward at receiving the applications of your participants as soon as possible.

For the ones interested in understanding more about the current political situation in Brazil, see below our English newsletter.

In solidarity,

Cassia Bechara.
MST - International Relations Colective

Friends of the MST Newsletter

August 30, 2015

Greetings!

This edition of the FMST Newsletter discusses the political protests across Brazil in response to the economic and political crisis, resulting, in part, from the gross corruption in the political sector.

We bring you three articles translated from Portuguese: First, a report on the August 20th demonstrations throughout Brazil where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against austerity measures and in defense of democracy.

The second article, an interview with Gislene dos Santos, of the national directorate of the MST, discusses the nature of the August 16th right wing demonstrations and analyzes those demands in contrast to the demands of the Left.

Finally, we present an article about João Pedro Stedile's speech before the Unified Workers Central (CUT) where he analyzes the current crises in Brazil.

We are pleased to bring you news about the MST, Brazilian politics and society and the connection we all have around food and agriculture, available in English only in this newsletter and on our website. We ask for your support by making a donation to the Friends of the MST.

In Solidarity,

Jeffrey Frank

National Coordinator
Friends of the MST

Thousands of people take to the streets throughout Brazil for an 'Exit to the Left'

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country on Thursday (8/20/15).

The demonstrations, endorsed by several popular movements, have focused on denouncing current austerity policies of the federal government and the "conservative turn" led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ) by stating that "the exit out of the crisis is to the left. "
Read more here.

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Organizations Take to the Streets for a "People's Exit" to the Political and Economic Crisis

This week, two major sets of demonstrations took their agenda to the streets of several cities.

On the one hand, the request for impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, in most cases guided by little analytical discourse and with hate, confusing democracy with fascist aspirations, as the demonstrations this Sunday (8/16/15).

On the other hand, popular movements that harshly criticized the economic policy adopted by the federal government, such as fiscal adjustment and Agenda Brazil, but emphasized the defense of democracy and respect for popular will that elected Dilma Rousseff to the presidency for the second time. The latter prepare a mobilization across the country for the next Thursday (8/20/15).