Delegation Presentation

July 2010

Outline

1. Personal Experience

2. Preconceptions

3. Transformational Thoughts

4. Post Delegation Feelings

5. Value of the Delegation

Personal Experience• Honored and humbled• Grateful and fortunate • Educational (seedling to cup)• Ever evolving perspective• Provide insight for producers• Develop relationships• Share knowledge & educate• Appreciation for tradition, culture, and beauty

Preconceptions• Familiar with poverty (DR)

• Read books, watched movies, talked with others “CALA”, etc.

Voice of a Mountain - Movie

Black Coffee - Movie

Transformational Thoughts• Better understood how coffee is used as a vehicle to overcome the Machismo culture• Learned about the benefits as well as challenges that still exist within the fair trade system, women’s empowerment, organic agriculture, food security, globalization, cultural diversity, politics, history, current events, environmental issues, social movements, specific to La FEM• La FEM – Building self esteem, ideological empowerment, economical empowerment, organizing

• A well organized all-women’s NGO in northern Nicaragua that promotes ideological, economic, and political empowerment of rural women through projects

• Project Examples: formal and informal educational programs, reproductive rights, women’s health clinics, domestic violence support, access to land, gender workshops and product diversification through organic agriculture trainings.

• All projects are carried out under a focus of sustainable economic development for the adults and youth that these programs reach.

• Through such programs, women from the rural communities are able to participate and be real actors in transforming their own realities, organizing their lives, and help make decisions in the development politics carried out by la FEM

• From a very young age, the girls of La FEM have had nearly the same fate. They worked as cutters, maids and cooks in the coffee plantations in Esteli, receiving for their efforts a starvation wage. That changed the day they finally decided to organize.

Transformational Thoughts – La FEM

Post Delegations Feelings• Challenge to reintegrate into our world of consumption

• Conscious consumers

• Sharing and eagerness to learn

• Curiosity about economic models

Value of the JC Delegation• Truly opens your eyes and allows you to view the world and your everyday life through a new lens.• Education, knowledge, wisdom• Create conscious consumers• Raise awareness• Authentic experience• Coffee is a beautiful medium to facilitate our interconnectedness

Thank You

Just Coffee

CALA

Eight Seasons Grille

La FEM

…and everyone for being here tonight

Delegation Presentation

July 2010