Virginia - Santa Catarina Partnership Programs

Arts and Culture:  A highly successful visual arts project, including four exchanges and a juried exhibit that made a two-year tour of VA and SC, promises an active and bright future.  A collaborative cookbook in both Portuguese and English is in progress.

Citizenship Participation: Partnerships engage in training and fundraising to support volunteerism and non-profit organizations.

Economic Development: Focal points of this committee currently are viniculture and rural tourism.  The exchanges will continue as VA Partners and our SC Partners get to know the vineyards of VA and SC.

Education:  This committee's emphasis is multifaceted with CHARACTER COUNTS! (a character education program), 34 Brazilian judges coming to Virginia to study our legal system, and Teachers' Exchanges to study academics and “CC.”

Emergency Preparedness:  Virginia Partners are currently seeking interested volunteers who can re energize this committee.

Health: VA-SC Partners are in the process of publishing a children's dental hygiene book in Portuguese and English to be distributed to dental offices in both Va and SC.  This committee is exploring opportunities in green dentistry and other health issues.

Music: A bell choir from the Richmond area has traveled to Santa Catarina on two occasions to perform and do workshops and training sessions with SC musicians.  In the near future Virginia will host a choral group from Santa Catarina.

Natural Resource Development:  This committee supports environmental education as well as agriculture.  Areas of current interest are the AQ2 (water quality and quantity) project, dealing with water supply planning, and the Partnership's ongoing work with fisheries.

Rehabilitation: This committee supports training programs for professionals and volunteers who work with persons with disabilities.

Social Development: This committee focuses on issues related to violence prevention in the contests of families and communities. This includes education about the causes of societal violence; skill development regarding prevention of family and community violence; and activities geared towards violence abatement.

Tourism and Sports: Eco-tourism travel opportunities for VA Partners to visit our partner state and other parts of Brazil features many cultural and personal enrichment experiences.

University Linkages:  Some programs emerge in this committee and then develop in others, including a recent exchange in violence prevention.  Our newest collaboration is in the area of distance-learning and social networking.

For further information about any of the above-listed programs and projects, consult the various links of the Virginia Partners of the Americas page.

Technology: Technology supports the activities in all other programs and VA Partners may develop exchanges specifically in this area.

Hospitality:  The VA- SC Partnership has an active exchange of visitors carrying out the projects described above.  Some members may join primarily for the opportunity to invite our Brazilian guests into their homes for dinner and/or overnight.