FROG 2013 (FY2012) Newsletter
Read our latest newsletter below, or click the following link to download a PDF: FROG FY2012 Newsletter
FROG Funded Project – YEGG Through the Arts
Project Description
Host an all day workshop which will accommodate 100 youths between the ages of 7 to 16,both males and females. Sessions in the three disciplines of Karate, Dance and Capoeira will be offered , each running for 3 hours. The youths will be introduced to the basic principles of these art forms and also the benefits pf having the training.
By giving them a first hand experience of these art forms, we hope will spark their interest in becoming a full time trainee and also to become a member of Youth Empowerment Group Guyana (YEGG). YEGG is always on the quest to integrate young people of these communities into positive activities ,as we believe there is a major shortage of youth focus within and in surrounding areas. Once they become a member of our group they would have the choice of being a part of many other programs that may suit their interest.
Project Summary
During the Friday and Saturday preceding the event, our volunteers were scouting going door to door to get children registered for the workshop staged for the 9th March 2013.By foot wearing their t shirts and identity cards, they visited houses along Laine Avenue, West and East front Road and the surrounding areas. Much progress was made as many children were at home during the hours we visited. We distributed the consent forms that
were to be signed by the parents and briefed each parent and child on the expected activities.
On the day of the event, we were scheduled to begin at 10:00am but had a late start at 11:30 awaiting arrival of more children. Our first session was dance which ran for one hour. After which the media arrived to carryout interviews with facilitators and participants. Youth Expressions and NCN news were present to do so. The second session was karate, which ran for one hour and thirty minutes. We then break for one hour so that the children could enjoy the refreshments. Sessions in capoeira began shortly after the hour and a repeat of the sessions
of half an hour were carried out to accommodate those who came late. All sessions were commenced at 4:00pm and remaining snacks were distributed.
A record of the participants were made and further registration for permanent classes were made just before they left. We also requested a feedback from the children about their experiences and their eagerness to inform their peers were evident.
Challenges and Successes
Our biggest challenge which resulted in the postponement of the program altogether, was a change of location and time. The event was scheduled for the 2nd of March, but was put off to the 9th of March because we were informed that we had to change venue due to some unforeseen circumstances. However, regardless of the short coming, the rescheduling served as a booster when it came to gathering youths. There was more time available so we were able to meet our target of 100+ children.
It was also a bit challenging accommodating more children than expected in terms of snacks. We were equipped to cater for 100, but were faced with the task of providing for a little over including the trainers and volunteers, but that was easily overcome by the eagerness of the parents present .They provided the extra snacks in a jiffy.
Last, is the issue of not acquiring the photographs expected from a volunteer? It appeared that they were misplaced and could not be retrieved, so we resorted to using images taken by mobile phones as reference .Which is a bit disappointing.
Personal Experiences and Stories
Due to the high level of professionalism displayed, the success of the project was nothing but a tiny task. The instructors were pleased with the performances of the participants as they felt empowered by their achievements. The children all gave a general response of fulfillment, gratitude and much anticipation of the next event.
Personally I’m happy with the works done that day and one thing I learnt whilst carrying out one aspect of the workshop, dance, is that it doesn’t matter what age or caliber of people you associate yourself with and offer your knowledge to, once the outcome is the same every time that’s all that matters , success.
Job Openings in Guyana via John Snow, Inc
John Snow, Incorporated is recruiting for two positions based in Guyana. The openings are for:
CARE AND SUPPORT OFFICER (GUYANA)
Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention (GHARP III) Project
PREVENTION OFFICER (GUYANA)
Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention (GHARP III) Project
For a full description, requirements, and contact information, please download the attached documents.
Prevention Officer JD
Care and Support Officer JD
More information and other job listings for JSI can be found at: http://www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/Work/jobpostings.cfm
“The Seawall” – A Film Benefit and Cocktail Event
New York, NY – April 6th 2013
Join us for an elegant evening of Fine Art, Music, Film & Cocktails from NYC to Guyana…Saturday, April 6th 2013 – 6pm – 9pm — Friends & Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Guyana (FROG) a non-profit organization of former Peace Corps volunteers will host a special screening of the award-winning 64th Festival de Cannes Official Selection, Guyanese short film The Seawall and launch The Mason Richards Film Fellowship for students at The University of Guyana.
This Benefit event will also feature select works of fine art by prominent artists of Guyanese descent including renowned Yale University MFA Marlon Forrester and others.
Guests will enjoy delicious Guyanese fare, wine, and scrumptious specialty cocktails courtesy of Guyana’s El Dorado Rum…and will be serenaded by live ‘creole jazz in Shanto Tradition’ with Special Guest Guyanese Master Drummer Baba Mpho in downtown Manhattan’s 154 Stanton Galley private lounge and Roof top deck.
ALL donations and a portion of the proceeds of art sold will be donated to the production of the feature-length version of “The Seawall” film and to the ‘Mason Richards Film Fellowship’ for students at University of Guyana to study and participate in the production of the feature film made in the South American country.
Guyana has millions of acres of rainforest, thousands of kilometers of rivers and a diverse ethnic make-up of African, Indian, Amerindian and Portuguese cultures. The country itself has a modest population of 750,000 but additional hundreds of thousands live outside of Guyana – in the United States, Canada, Europe and Caribbean.
About the Film
The Award-Winning Seawall, short film, shot entirely on location in Guyana, had its world premier at the 64th Festival de Cannes in France, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious, showcases celebrating the best and brightest new works in film. The short has also played at The Caribbean Film Corner in London, the Bahamas, and festivals in the US including the Kansas City Urban Film Festival and the Goethe-Institut, Washington DC.
“The feedback has been tremendous and the feature aims to be even better” says former President of FROG and the film’s Producer, Scott Stadum. FROG, the film’s official fiscal sponsor, has helped to raise over $20,000 for the production and “our goal is to the increase amount of support for the film and to reach a wider audience. We also want to support Mason in telling this beautiful, heartfelt story set in Guyana.”
“The topic of the feature is emigration and to highlight issues changing and challenging Guyanese culture within its borders and across the globe” says Mason, the film’s Guyanese-born filmmaker, Winner of the 2012 Sony Pictures Diversity Fellowship, ”this night of celebrating cinema, art, and Guyana is all for a great cause.”
RSVP at GuyanaFilmBenefit.eventbrite.com.
Ticket types available for purchase are as follows:
| Ticket Type | Ticket Price |
| Kaieteur Falls-Producer | $5,000 |
| Guyana-Film Hero | $1,000 |
| Essequibo-Film Lover | $500 |
| Demerara-Rockstar | $250 |
| Georgetown-Gem | $100 |
| Seawall-Film Fan | $50 |
Ticket descriptions and purchase information are available at GuyanaFilmBenefit.eventbrite.com.
Donations also accepted at Friends & Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (FROG)’s website: www.guyfrog.org . Questions, Press Passes, Guest List: Contact Maurva Productions at 646.535.9513 or requests@maurvaproductions.com.
FROG Funded PCV Project: St. Barnabas Reading Program
The assignment was to upgrade the reading instruction at St. Barnabas Special School. No child enrolled in the school could read beyond a 7 years 4 months reading age (and most fell below a 6 year reading age level) and when my term of service began and no teacher in st. Barnabas was actually engaged in teaching reading and literacy. In order to institute reading instruction at the school, the first step involved assessing the present reading levels of the students to provide a baseline of achievement. Teachers were also observed to determine their preferred teaching style. Inservices/staff development activities were planned and implemented throughout the Easter and August School terms. Since teachers had neither formal training in special needs methodologies or teaching reading, they requested a background of information. Topics of staff development sessions included learning styles (modalities), creating interactive multi-sensory subject area lessons, a background in reading and reading instruction, phonics (most teachers have very little knowledge of phonetics beyond the short vowel closed syllable words), organization of an effective reading lesson for Reading Disability/dyslexic students, and how and why students can create a Sounds Book as an ongoing reference.
In July the teachers met with me to set goals for the following year for the school in general and specifically for the reading program. We discussed ways to involve reading into the teaching scheme. Suggestions were made to have literacy teacher (but the Ministry needed to appoint one), have a single teacher volunteer to teach literacy, or to have the teachers who managed each class do the reading. The present Head Teacher was being reassigned to another school and one of the teachers was named acting Head Teacher. She would work on the teaching scheme in September. I suggested that reading instruction should be scheduled at least twice weekly—more often if possible.
In addition to meeting with teachers and assessing students, direct instruction with students to trial the intended reading program on a group level was instituted as well as informal instruction to students during random parts of the day. The group lessons also served as a modeling of teaching practices for teachers. Students showed an average two month gain in reading levels after 5 weeks of instruction—and they were beginning to spell.
During August term and August break the manual for reading instruction was completed, edited and revised. It was modeled after the Wilson Reading program for dyslexic older children, adolescents, and adults I had wanted to train a volunteer at NCERD to use the program, but she elected to take another direction.
The FROG grant was approved and the monies received by the beginning of September. It took several weeks before the school wrote a new teaching scheme. The acting HM elected to teach the reading but reading was only scheduled once a week for a 60 minute block of time for each class. Yonette, the acting HM and now reading teacher, proved to be a good choice. She had formerly been a preschool teacher and understood beginning reading instruction. She was enthusiastic and designated an unused part of the school to be a reading class. “I can make posters for every sound and hang them around the room.” She told me. “I want to take that cupboard to store books and supplies and they will be right there.” I gave her a draft copy of the St. Barnabas Reading Program. She successfully used her past experiences and with my support added the techniques from the reading program. I was able to observe her teaching and make observations and suggestions to augment instruction. Sometimes I filled in for her when her HM duties interfered. She was sometimes able to observe. Little by little she incorporated the techniques I wanted her to use. Sometimes the students helped. One day she stood holding the Sound Cards. “No Miss.” Said Farrah, one of the students. “You need the pocket chart.” She ran off and brought back the pocket chart that I had made and used regularly. Now the teacher uses it in her lessons Children were beginning to read and are excited.
A major reason for obtaining the grant was to have individual chalkboards created for students. Since the plan was to teach reading and spelling in the same lesson, it seemed like a good and inexpensive teaching aid. Chalk is cheap! I was able to have students from Sophia Special Needs School construct the chalk boards. Because I saved on labor costs, I was able to leave a set with teachers in that school, too. By the time of my Close of Service, the Head Teacher was effectively using the chalk boards and aids. She was incorporating the use of phonics DVDs and was beginning to use some books with the older groups.
Why FROG Switched to a Credit Union
Written by Shane Loorz
FROG recently switched from a large national bank to a local credit union. A number of financial and social considerations were discussed before a final decision was made.
As a socially responsible organization, FROG felt banking with a socially conscious credit union was more in line with our mission. By banking with a credit union FROG has cut overhead costs (as slim as they already are) and increased interest rates earned by funds which has allowed FROG to distribute more funds to its small grants program.
Additionally, credit union members have a say in the types of investments the union seeks. As a member, FROG can influence socially responsible lending and local development in the USA, just like it does in Guyana through its granting process.
We wanted to share this with you in an effort to keep you informed and our actions transparent.
Check out the FROG 2011 newsletter!
FROG Quarterly Update: July – September 2011
Greetings from Friends & RPCVs of Guyana! To help better inform you about what FROG and our community is up to, we will now post quarterly updates on our website. If you have questions about what FROG is up to, contact us at board@guyfrog.org.
Since July 2011, we have:
- Held Board meetings on July 12th, August 16th and September 13th.
- Continued planning for a Washington D.C. fundraiser event in October. Join us on October 27th at the Goethe Institute!
- Organized a mini-Peace Corps 50th Anniversary project on Facebook. Thank you to all those who shared their Peace Corps memories!
- Celebrated Peace Corps 50th Anniversary at a gala event in Washington, D.C.
- Launched a strategic planning activity to help FROG develop and implement a five year plan.
- Organized the 2011 FROG Board elections. Stay tuned for an updated list of board members!
- Continued efforts to potentially build a bottle school in Guyana. Be sure to visit our website frequently for updates!
- Received some very generous donations which will go towards FROG grants and program operations. Thank you to all our donors for your kind donations!
The October 1st Grant Application Deadline is Quickly Approaching
It’s that time of year – another FROG Grant deadline is almost here!
FROG provides assistance in the form of small grants and resources to support community driven projects. The FROG Grant Program funds projects that support education, the arts, health, the environment, and social and economic development. Grants are awarded for projects up to $500. To learn more about our grants program, visit our grants page here.
Have a great project idea? Submit an application today! Applications for the next round of grants are due October 1st, 2011.
Please contact the us with any questions at board@guyfrog.org.
From the National Peace Corps Association:
After two years of planning, the National Peace Corps Association is finally LESS THAN ONE MONTH away from its Landmark 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps Events! To date, we have over 3700 registered participants you can check to see if you and your friends are on the Historical Record of Attendees.
All National Peace Corps Association events are free of charge (with the exception of the Gala on Saturday). Your $50 gift in honor of the 50th Anniversary to the National Peace Corps Association 50th Anniversary Fund will go a long way to helping us provide these wonderful free events. Thank you for supporting the Peace Corps community celebrations.
Just what are we doing for the 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps? Here’s a breakdown of the National Peace Corps Association events from September 22-25, 2011 read the full details and register here to attend:
Thursday – National Peace Corps Association Advocacy Day
Participants will talk with their Congressman/Senator at meetings about the value of Peace Corps and other issues important to the community and at the end of the day be treated to a thank you reception in the Kennedy Caucus Room.
Friday – National Peace Corps Association Service Day
Answering the Call to Service: participants will be assigned to community service projects throughout Washington, DC.
Saturday – National Peace Corps Association Open Annual Meetings
Find out what the National Peace Corps Association and its Member Groups are all about: Attend the NPCA Annual General Meeting, Group Leaders Forum and Board of Directors Meeting at Shriver Hall, Peace Corps Headquarters during the morning.
Saturday – Global Community Project Competition and Conversations: The Future of the Peace Corps
Attendees will select the first recipient of the $25,000 NPCA Global Community Project Grant, and listen to a conversation with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Former President Alejandro Toledo of Peru, Former Vice President and Business leader Atiku Abubakar of Nigeria, and Ashraf Ghani Former Finance Minister of Afghanistan, moderated by Bill Moyers. Note: The National Theater has reached its full capacity and if you register now you will be added to the waiting list.
Saturday – National Peace Corps Association The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala
Chris Matthews (Swaziland ’68-’70) will emcee an elegant tribute to the Peace Corps. The evening will include a performance by American singer/songwriter Crystal Bowersox, award presentations, and dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Only 200 tickets remain for this event!
Sunday – RPCV/W Arlington Cemetery Special 50th Program
Emceed by Maureen Orth, this ceremony will include a memorial to fallen Peace Corps Volunteers, speakers representing RPCVs and host country nationals and a special keynote address. The ceremony will be followed by the 50th Anniversary Walk of Flags from Arlington National Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial.
Sunday – National Peace Corps Association’s Peace Festival
Kick off the next 50 years at this outdoor festival in Washington, DC designed to highlight Third Goal projects with displays, cultural entertainment, food and more.
It’s a lot, we know! We anticipate it will be quite the celebration and reunion of many Peace Corps volunteers and supporters!
PLUS, other groups and individuals also have events happening throughout the weekend.
Full Calendar of Events is here: www.peacecorps50.org.
If you’ve been on the fence about whether to register, now is the time.
Thank you to all of you who have volunteered for or participated in a 50th activity across the country. We can’t wait to see you in September!