Something remarkable is happening in Venezuela. The world's fifth-largest oil producer, Venezuela has long been a country of contrasts: despite its great wealth, 80% of Venezuelans live in poverty. Now, for the first time, millions of Venezuelans have access to education, job training, housing, land, clean water, health care, and something maybe even more precious: dignity. Hugo Chávez's presidential victory in 2006 reaffirmed the support of the Venezuelan people for the government's social justice agenda. With a strong social base and a commitment to participatory democracy, the government, working together with social movements, is launching a wide range of innovative programs to fulfill the strong human rights agenda of the new popularly-approved Constitution.
Community-based preventative health care missions are making health care a tangible human right, causing infant mortality to plummet. Educational missions are putting millions more children into thousands of new schools, while high school and college scholarship programs keep kids reaching for new horizons. At the same time, Venezuelan elders are imbuing their citizenship with new meaning as over one million of them learn to read and write for the first time in the Literacy campaign. Women, Indigenous peoples, and Afro-Venezuelans are gaining power and rights, while a high-profile land reform campaign is sweeping the nation, giving poor farmers access to land and opportunities. Venezuela is fast becoming a leader in regional integration in the hemisphere, particularly in the promotion of viable alternatives to corporate globalization and the "free trade" model. The proposed Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) would prioritize endogenous development, bilateral trade, and regional cooperation as a way to strengthen national economies. Venezuela is also working to create the first Latin American news channel, TeleSur, to offer an alternative to foreign corporate media, and the establish of PetroAmérica— the first fully integrated, Latin American oil company.
These ambitious programs have distinguished Venezuela as one of the most progressive democracies in the world. Nonetheless, the Bush Administration -- which endorsed the coup d'etat against Venezuelan democracy in 2002 - continues in its efforts to discredit the government's legitimacy both at home and abroad. Likewise, political polarization has racked the country for years. What are the opposition's complaints, and what is their agenda in the post-Referendum period?
Global Exchange invites you to travel to Venezuela to meet with journalists, community activists, independent media cooperatives, human rights organizations, and government as well as opposition figures to see for yourself the unprecedented social changes underway and the role that media is playing in this process. Learn about the growing independent and community-based media movement that is transforming the way average citizens engage with media. Hear from multiple perspectives about the relationship between private media and the Chavez government. At the crossroads of the Andean mountains, the Caribbean coast, the Amazon rainforest, and the Amacuro River Delta, Venezuela's wondrous natural diversity and beauty combined with its visionary social justice agenda guarantee an exciting -- and unforgettable -- experience.
Read articles and blogs by past participants.
Program Highlights:
- Meet with representatives from the indpendent and community-based media movement, such as Catia TVe and Radio La Emisora Libre al Son del 23 de Enero.
- Meet with representatives of major private media to hear about their relationships and experiences with the Chavez administration.
- Meet with the National Journalists Union, SNTP.
- Travel to Venezuela's educational and health care "missions" social programs (social programs the "missions") in urban areas and dialogue with participants and community leaders.
- Learn about the oil industry- Venezuela's key source of national income- and Venezuela's role in economic regionalization, meeting with high-level representatives.
- Dialogue with religious leaders, labor leaders, women's organizations, human rights groups and community activists.
- Find out about new programs for women under the new constitution, and perspectives of indigenous peoples and people of African descent in Venezuela.
- Visit sites of the Literacy Campaign and learn about its successes and challenges.
- Enjoy Afro-Venezuelan music and dance by young people who are reclaiming and celebrating their heritage.
- Extend your stay in Venezuela and visit Mérida, the Jewel of the Andes; the beautiful archipelago of Los Roques north of Caracas; or the world's highest waterfall, Salto Angel (Angel Falls), each situated in a spectacular natural setting.
- View Sample Itinerary for this Tour
Cost: $1550 (from Caracas)
Price Includes:
- Double-room hotel accommodations
- Two meals per day
- Transportation to and from all programmed activities
- Language translation
- A qualified trip leader
- All program activities and honoraria to all host speakers, organizations and communities.
- Reading materials
- NOT INCLUDED: International airfare, lunches, airport departure taxes, tips, and personal expenses are not included.
- Single rooms are available for an additional $200.
- Learn more about fundraising or scholarship opportunities.
How to Register:
To secure your space on this trip please submit your registration form and a deposit of $200 two months before departure. A late fee of $50 will be applied for late registration. Deposits are non-refundable but transferable for up to one year toward the cost of another tour. Payments by check, Mastercard or Visa are welcome.This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.
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