Announcement of Projects for Summer 2008
To respond with questions or indication of interest, email Mike Gray at afsc-imym-jsp@att.net. (May 1, 2008)
Western Quaker Workcamps
Sponsored by AFSC and the Intermountain Yearly Meeting Joint Service Project
Ironwood trees are blooming their faint purple and the Palo Verdes are yellow. Saguaro and Cardons are blooming and setting fruit. The mesquite trees are covered in catkins. The winter rains were good and well spaced. The full heat has not arrived and the Sonoran desert is beautiful and comfortable now. The Comca’ac await us there.
One project waiting is to build a shade to protect one co-op’s new kayaks from the sun. The kayaks have been made available for the para-ecologists to use while studying the wildlife in the area. They can also be rented out to tourists. It is a welcome addition to the fleet of motor boats now in use. This project might get us some lessons in sea-kayaking.
Cultural survival and food security will be addressed along with economic development. All this will lead us to a variety of work situations with a cross-section of tribal people.
Join us this summer for some beach time and an unforgettable experience with some unforgettable people.
Or, I could say nearly the same thing about our work with the Oglala Lakota at the end of the summer. Only the beach will be different in South Dakota. Still pleasant, but very different. Canoes instead of kayaks kind of different.
Here is our schedule. Contact me for more information or check out our website.
Mike Gray
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June 25 to July 2, 2008
We will go to El Desemboque de los Seris to work with the tribe to prepare for the celebration of the New Year that arrives with the summer rains and the ripening of the summer fruits and foods. This project will leave from Tucson, AZ. All inclusive cost for the week will be $600.
July 5 to July 20, 2008
We will again return to El Desemboque from Tucson, AZ. This project will focus on food gathering; primarily mesquite beans. We will also look for Mexican oregano and continue gathering cactus fruits and buds. We offer the option of doing either or both weeks. Cost will be $600 per week or $1000 for both weeks.
July 27 to August 3, 2008
Join us in Denver, Colorado for a project going to Pine Ridge, South Dakota where we will work with the Oglala Lakota Nation and attend their tribal Pow-wow. Cost for this project will be $700 per participant.
Registration forms for all projects can be found on our website at http://www.afsc.org/central/imym2.htm..
