Arrival into Caracas, Maiquetia International Airport.

Transfer to lodging and dinner near hotel.

Day 2:

Breakfast and Orientation Meeting: participant introductions, presentations by trip leaders and a review of GX codes of conduct and expectations.

Visit with Eva Golinger author of "The Chavez Code" and researcher of United States intervention in Venezuela.

Tiuna el Fuerte: Tiuna el Fuerte is a nucleo endogeno, or center of endogenous development. What this means is that this is a center that promotes development from within. In this case, the focus is on culture. Tiuna el Fuerte is an urban cultural center promoting music, dance, graffiti art, hip hop and other expression on an urban level, in the area of El Valle, Caracas. They put on many events and musical productions as well.

Day 3:

City Tour: Leave for Downtown, visit Simon Bolivar's birth place, the national tomb of famous leaders, Llaguno bridge, Miraflores Presidential Palace, and Altamira Square.

Visit to Barrio 23 de Enero, a popular poor neighborhood organized into autonomous collectives. Speak with Juan Gonzalez or Guadalupe Rodriguez, of 23 de Enero. Visit to health and educational missions in the neighborhood. Meet with members of Colectivo Alexis Vive to speak about neighborhood organizing and political participation.

Visit with major media outlet to discuss their perspectives on the changes in media under the Chavez administration.

Day 4:

Visit to Radio Primero Negro, an independent radio station located in the barrio Pinto Salinas to discuss the role of community-based radio and the grassroots media movement in Venezuela.

Meeting with PDVSA (Venezuela's National Petroleum company) to receive an overview of the role of petroleum in Venezuela's economy and in funding social programs. Speak with Carol Delgado or General Dester Rodriguez, chief of the Social Division of PDVSA.

Meet with a contact at ANMCLA, a National Association of Alternative and Community Media, created by grassroots media activists to increase community participation in media.

Day 5:

Fabricio Ojeda: The Nucleus of Endogenous Development "Fabricio Ojeda" (NDEFO) is located in the old Filling Plant "the New Caracas", in the Gramoven sector of Catia, Sucre parish, in the west of Caracas. At the end of 2003, President Chavez proposed to turn these spaces into a Nucleus of Endogenous Development, with the intention to improve the quality of life of approximately forty thousand families who inhabit the neighboring communities. The community has created a clinic, pharmacy, textile production, foodware production and an agricultural sector.

Catia Tve: is a community based television station. While supportive of the political process, they are also very critical. They are very grassroots and amongst other things have a program to give ordinary people from the community the skills to produce audiovisual materials. They have been functioning as a community television station for the last 5 years.

Sumate: A civil society organization representing the opposition, which has received major funding from the National Endowment for Democracy, a private United States based non-profit which receives nearly all its own funding from Congress. They have been very involved in campaigns against the Chavez government, especially the recall referendum in 2004. They also supported the boycott of the national assembly elections in December of 2005 and have been trying to organize primaries for an opposition presidential candidate for this year's presidential elections.

Day 6:

Meet with representative of CONATEL the government regulatory agency for the telephone and broadcast services , similar to the FCC in the United States to discuss the recent nationalization of CANTV and other telecommunications issues and projects. CONATEL also runs a community telecenter project in order to bring computing and telephone resources directly to communities across the nation.

Depart for Barlovento

Day 7:

Visit Cooperativa MUDEBAR: Cooperativa MUDEBAR is a women's sewing worker run cooperative consisting of 193 women and one man, in Barlovento. They make garments of many kinds, including uniforms, pants, intimate appearal, baby clothing and sheets. They have been together for a little over a year. We usually visit them when in Barlovento as it is always a pleasure to hear about their successes, including how many of them were previously housewives and now have their own careers and how relationships have changed between husband and wife as the women assume a more important role in the workforce.

Visit the Bolivarian School in San Jose, a primary school created with funding from the government.

Official welcome at Casa de Cultura in San Jose and discussion of Afro-Venezuelan traditions and culture.

Day 8:

Visit Mango de Ocoyta: Mango is a small village in the heart of Barlovento, famous for being a cumbe, an area where slaves would go to be safe. It is a place that survives primarily on cacao farming and many of the families there have organized themselves into a cooperative. The government is now building a cacao processing plant there, so that they can sell not only the raw cacao but also such processed products as chocolate. We will get a tour of the town, hear about the history, meet with cooperative members and visit a woman who makes delicious products from cacao, including sweets and liquor. Visit a Barrio Adentro free medical clinic, a social program in collaboration with Cuba in which Cuban doctors staff most of the clinics. In exchange, Cuba receives cheaply priced oil.

Lunch at river

Return to San Jose

Day 9: Beach Day in Barlovento

Beach Day

Visit with students for a Barlovento cultural event

Day 10:

Morning: Free time

Meeting with Greg Wilpert of Venezuela Analysis V.A. is an editorially independent website produced and disseminated by individuals dedicated to reporting news and analysis about the current political situation in Venezuela. Their goal is to become the primary English resource for information and analysis on Venezuela.

Wrap-up meeting and planning for steps to take back home

Day 11: Farewell!

Return to Maiquetía International Airport in Caracas for departures.