Mano a Mano Activities & Volunteer Opportunities: January-February 2020

Join us at Mano a Mano (925 Pierce Butler Route, St. Paul, MN 55104) for any of our upcoming events! Please contact us ([email protected], 651-457-3141) with any questions. We hope to see you soon.

• January 21 (5:30-8pm) – Soup & Sort Volunteering with Ray
• February 4 (5:30-8pm) – Soup & Sort Volunteering with Ray
• February 11 (6:30-8pm) – Mano a Mano Speaker Series with Mike Dockry: Impact: Forestry Edition
• March 10 (6:30-8pm) – Mano a Mano Speaker Series Documentary Viewing: A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps
• March 13-22 – Mano a Mano Trip to Bolivia with Co-Founder Segundo Velasquez
• April 14 (6:30-8pm) – Mano a Mano Speaker Series with Segundo Velasquez: What Does It Take To Complete Mano a Mano Projects?

Soup & Sort Volunteering

Come join us for a bowl of soup and then help us with much-needed sorting of donated medical supplies here at the Mano a Mano warehouse. Ray has kindly set up dates for 2 evenings of soup, chit chat, and volunteering. Thanks Ray! Soup is served at 5:30, and sorting will begin at 6:00pm.

RSVPing is helpful but not necessary. To RSVP, please email Carmen ([email protected]) or call us at the office 651-457-3141  

If you have a group larger than 6 people please consider scheduling a time for your group separate from the soup and sort time.

February 11 – Mano a Mano Speaker Series with Mike Dockry

Join us for a fun evening (Tuesday, February 11, from 6:30-8pm at Mano a Mano – 925 Pierce Butler Route, St. Paul, MN 55104) to play an interactive board game designed to expand the ways we think about the future of natural resources and society. Mike Dockry, University of Minnesota Assistant Professor, will lead participants in playing Impact: Forestry Edition.

Impact: Forestry Edition was developed by Mike Dockry and the Strategic Foresight research group at the U.S. Forest Service and University of Minnesota. The team developed the game to expand the ways in which we think about the future. Mike will briefly explain the reasons for developing the game, he will explain the rules, and then we will break into small groups (4-5 players to a table) to play.

The evening will end with a short discussion about what we learned, how we can begin to think about the future, and what how this thinking could support the mission of Mano a Mano International Partners.

The event is free; please RSVP with Carmen: 651-457-3141 or [email protected]. We hope to see you there!

Mano a Mano Trip to Bolivia with Segundo Velasquez: March 13-22, 2020

you are welcome to join us on our upcoming trip to Bolivia with Mano a Mano Co-Founder Segundo Velasquez. Here is a trip packet with more information (at the bottom of the page), and we ask for people that want to travel to let us know by February 15. The dates are moving around slightly, as the Bolivian airlines has changed their flight schedules, and we are currently looking at March 13-22.

Also, a note on the current political situation: the unrest that followed Bolivia’s October presidential election has quieted. The government is functioning, travel within the country is no longer disrupted, the price of food and other frequently purchased items has returned to pre-election levels,and life in general has returned to normal. The current Bolivian government is seeking improved relations with the U.S. It has appointed an ambassador to the U.S. – the first in 11 years – and U.S. citizens no longer need a visa to enter Bolivia. A presidential election is scheduled for May 3, several weeks after our March trip ends. While the political future remains unpredictable, we do not anticipate unrest at the time of the trip. We continue to monitor the situation but are comfortable with our decision to travel as planned.

Please contact Segundo directly ([email protected]) if you are interested in traveling.