Intellectual disability and community integration · 2007. 8. 7. · 22 • Euskal gazteak munduan / BASQUE YOUTH: Martín Iparraguirre, Pablo Sánchez Quiza OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES ABROAD

Issue 77 Year 2007

Baketik, in search for peace

Intellectual disability and community integration


3 • Aurkezpena Breaking down barriers and stereotypes. Txus Monreal, Director of Employment and Training

GAURKO GAIAK / CURRENT EVENTS: Major change of direction in recent years

5 • Atzegi (Gipuzkoa): pioneer in family involvement7 • Gorabide (Bizkaia): promoting quality of life8 • APDEMA (Alava): the challenge for integration 9 • ELHABE: Helping people with intellectual disabilities find employment11 • GRUPO GUREAK: Three decades commitment to building capacities

13 • Iñaki Abaurrea, member of the Lehendakaritza office staff

14 • Small group living16 • Recreational activities18 • People who break down barriers

20 • BAKETIK. In search for peace

22 • Euskal gazteak munduan / BASQUE YOUTH:Martín Iparraguirre, Pablo Sánchez Quiza

OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES ABROAD24 • San Francisco Basque Cultural Center’s 25th anniversary 26 • 20 citizen forums for peace created in Argentina

27 • Movies and music in celebration of 100 years of Mexico City Euskal Etxea

EUSKADITIK

28 • The Euro-regional Conference is born29 • Iñaki Azua, Honorary Consul of Mexico

AURKIBIDEA / TABLE OF CONTENTS

EGILEA / AUTHOREusko Jaurlaritza-KanpoHarremanetarako Idazkaritza NagusiaBasque Government-GeneralSecretariat for Foreign Action

C/ Navarra, 201007 VITORIA-GASTEIZTelephone: 945 01 79 [email protected]

ZUZENDARIA / DIRECTORJosu Legarreta Bilbao

KOORDINAKETA ETA IDAZKETAKazeta5 [email protected]

ARGITARATZAILEA / PUBLISHEREusko Jaurlaritzaren ArgitalpenZerbitzu NagusiaServicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco

DISEINU ETA MAKETAZIOA Didart

INPRIMATZAILEA / PRINTINGRGM, S.A.

ISSN: 1579-4229

L.G./L.D.: BI-1090-01

Issue 77. alea - Year 2007. urtea

Issue 77 Year 2007

Baketik, in search for peace



Aurkezpena

The right to work isa right that shouldbe enjoyed by allcitizens. It is one of

the primary factors behindintegration into society,and that includesintegration of people withintellectual disability.Finding employment andbeing able to keep it is not only ameans of remuneration but also away of building self-esteem,autonomy, a feeling of belongingand social relationships.

In the Basque Country werealized a long time ago howimportant it is for people withintellectual disability to becomeintegrated into society, and forthis reason several associations,organizations and companieshave been created over the yearsto address these par t icularissues. The number of groupsand the level of publicinvolvement show the heightenedsense of social responsibility inour community. Moreover, thegovernment acts as a promoterand defender of the rights of thisgroup of people.

Major efforts are made bypublic agencies to provideguidance and training for peoplewith intellectual disability in view

of facilitating integration into theworkplace. To a large extent,these efforts are materializedthrough Lanbide, the BasqueEmployment Service.

Lanbide works on a daily basisto improve the management ofresources in the area ofprofessional training andintermediation services aimed atintegrating persons withdisabilities into the labor market.Lanbide offers personalizedservice in the way of so-called“personal integration plans” oritineraries for accessingemployment suited to thecharacteristics, skills andcompetences of each individualwith intellectual disability.To meetthis challenge in the BasqueCountry we are developing a widerange of resources, includingoccupational training aimed atqualifying people with intellectualdisability for employment. A

number of factors mustbe taken intoconsideration in orderfor these efforts to besuccessful: demands ofthe labor market,economic subsidies forregular companies thathire personnel withdisabilities, and

programs set up to support peoplewith disabilities at the workplace.

Thanks to these effor ts agrowing number of men andwomen with intellectual disabilityare feeling more fulfilled in theirlives and able to work in regularjobs. At the same time, there is anincreasing amount of Basquecompanies that are exercisingsocial responsibility and hiringpeople with disabilities. We knowthat there is still a long roadahead. But as the readers ofEuskal Etxeak magazine willdiscover in the following pages, thefoundations on which to build abetter future for these people arefirmly in place. Both publicadministration and society itselfwill continue to move forwardalong this road, creating theresources and means needed tobreak down the social barriers andstereotypes which limit access toemployment opportunities.

Breaking downbarriers andstereotypes

JESÚS MONREAL Director of Employment andTraining of the Basque Government

Opening letter

Issue 77 Year 2007 3GAURKO GAIAK

Issue 77 Year 2007CURRENT EVENTS

Although there is still a lot of ground to cover, thesituation facing people with disabilities has takena major change of direction over the past fewdecades. For years the disabled were marginalized,kept at home or housed in institutions, generallydue to lack of awareness and fear of the unknown.But since the 1960s, thanks to the hard work ofmany parents, businessmen and women, publicagencies and selfless individuals, a network ofassociations and programs has emerged in theBasque Country to provide support for people withintellectual disability. Programs include protectedworkshops, supervised residences or apartmentswith support services, recreational activity groups,and other services geared towards improving thequality of life of the disabled and gradually raisingpublic awareness.

The first associations were created by concernedmothers and fathers who had no idea what wouldbecome of their children after they completedtheir schooling. The program of protectedworkshops, promoted by industrial development inthe Basque Country at the time, was a step in theright direction.

In 1982 the Law of Social Integration of theDisabled helped to develop regulations for services

for people with disabilities. After the law wasenacted, special education schools were replacedwith a policy of integrating people with handicapsinto the regular school system, supported byspecial programs and resources.

One of the goals set forth in employment policywas to integrate people with disabilities intoregular companies, or to use ‘protected’ workscheme formulas.

Companies such as Gureak, Lantegi Batuak,Talleres Usoa and Indesa underwent a period ofexpansion. People with intellectual disability, whountil that time had been forced to stay at home,finally began to see more opportunities to join theworkforce.

Over the past 15 years the various programshave been refined, work conditions for people withintellectual disability have vastly improved andsocial services have multiplied.

As the programs have developed, new needshave also appeared, such as premature aging andretirement among persons with intellectualdisability, developing individualized plans andpersonal work itineraries, or establishing andfurthering the duties of support-orientedfoundations.

MMaajjoorr cchhaannggee ooff ddiirreeccttiioonn iinn rreecceenntt yyeeaarrss

Intellectual disability is not something you have,like blue eyes, or a bad heart. Nor is it somethingyou are, like short, or thin. Intellectual disabilityis a particular state of functioning that begins inchildhood and is characterized by limitation inboth intelligence and adaptive skills.”

(Extract taken from the manual of the AmericanAssociation on Intellectual and Developmental

Disabilities)

4

Issue 77 Year 2007 5

The slogan used by Atzegi in its most recentawareness-raising campaign, “Me miras mucho,pero no me ves” (You look at mea lot, but you don’t really see

me) was an advertising success andsums up the Guipuzkoa-basedorganization’s philosophy. Atzegi,founded in 1960, was the firstorganization of its kind to providesupport for the families of people withintellectual disability. The slogandescribes what tends to happen when wesee a disabled person – we notice thedifferences but not the things we have incommon with that person.

Mitxel Lakunza is the head of the family supportdepartment at Atzegi, where he has been working for 20years. Over the past two decades he has seen howsociety has changed in terms of general attitudestowards people with intellectual disability. “47 yearsago, when the first families began to get organized, therewas nothing in place. It was an embarrassment for thosemothers and fathers to take their kids out, and I’m notonly talking about children with Down Syndrome, which

accounts for 20% of people with intellectual disability.Most intellectual disabilities can appear throughout ourlives, and these are the types of problems that haven’tdecreased since the sixties. There are fewer cases ofdisabilities from birth, but the rate of unforeseeabledisabilities hasn’t dropped. Today 1,899 families with atleast one intellectually disabled member are associatedwith Atzegi. The organization also has 2,929collaborating members and 5,336 “atzegizales,” peoplewho support us in our efforts to normalize the situationas much as possible.

Participation and involvement

The families that wanted to become involved came upagainst major stumbling blocks in the society. They

contacted the Caja de AhorrosMunicipal savings bank to see whethertheir social services department wouldbe willing to help. Little by littledifferent services were set in place,including apartments with supportservices and recreational, cultural andsport activities. Atzegi is now in chargeof the housing service, recreation andfree-time activities for 500 youngstersthroughout Gipuzkoa, and a service thatprovides apartments with support

services for independent living. In addition tomembership dues, further financial support is providedby Kutxa, as well as agreements signed with the Officefor Social Policy of the Provincial Government and mostof the local councils in Gipuzkoa, plus funding fromprivate businesses and other organizations such asONCE (Spanish National Organization for the Blind).

“The families that visit us at Atzegi,” explained MitxelLakunza “don’t come with the idea that their problemsare going to be solved by paying a monthly membership

GAURKO GAIAK

TOWARDS THE INTEGRATION OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

AAttzzeeggii ((GGiippuuzzkkooaa)):: ppiioonneeeerr iinn ffaammiillyy iinnvvoollvveemmeenntt

Orain dela 47 urte, adimen urritasunaezkutatu beharreko tabua eta lotsa sozialazenean, Gipuzkoan arazoa gertutik bizizuten hainbat guraso mobilizatu egin zireneta Atzegi fundazioa sortu zuten. Indarhandia eginez, egun dituzten hobekuntzaklortu zituzten eta 1.900 familia dira taldekoonuradun. Babestutako etxebizitzak, aisialditaldeak eta gaixo hauekiko onarpen sozialaizatea aitzindari horiek egindako lanariesker da neurri handi batean.

fee. We try to make Atzegi members understand that it’snot just a matter of getting something out of theorganization, but actually becoming part of a supportmovement. Through the efforts of these families we’veseen a number of improvements: a heightened awarenessin society, work possibilities in different towns,campaigns being organized .... Atzegi’s goals aren’tlimited only to providing people with special apartmentsor getting them involved in social activities. The familieshave fought long and hard and now we have to make surewe can provide them with quality services.”

To meet these goals, Aztegi has a staff of 78professionals and a large group of volunteers. There is atotal of ten local committees throughout Gipuzkoa, madeup of family members who take part in local activities,organize lectures, promote awareness-raising campaigns,and make note of the needs of their particularcommunities. This information is then brought to thecentral office in Donostia to see what can be done.

Integration in the schools

Atzegi is a firm believer of integration in the classroom.“It’s easy to say,” added Mitxel Lakunza “but actuallydoing it is another thing.We have a theoretical framework,but it has to be improved. I think it’s an enrichingexperience for people without disabilities to share theclassroom with people who have impairments.This kind ofcoexistence is another form of personal integration, but ithas to be done right, with support and help from educationexperts. I realize that in some cases, where majordisabilities are involved, integration is impossible. That’swhen special classrooms have to be created, but alwayswithin the framework of inclusion.

Atzegi’s social integration program includes keepingfamilies up to date on available resources and the rights of

their children at school. It also helps families with thearrangements and paperwork needed to take advantage ofsupport services and other rights. The organization alsoworks on raising awareness among educators and societyin general so that students with disabilities are morereadily accepted and have a better chance at becomingfully integrated in the classroom. To achieve this goal,Atzegi works closely with different educational entities,including schools, Berritzegune Centers (centers designedto provide support, advice and new ideas to the educationcommunity) and the Department of Education.

6 Issue 77 Year 2007CURRENT EVENTS

ADIMEN URRITASUNAREN NORMALIZAZIOAREN BIDEAN

Mitxel Lakunza: «I think it’s anenriching experience for peoplewithout disabilities to share theclassroom with people who have

impairments.»

Recent Atzegi awareness-raising campaigns

2007 2006

COMMUNICATING ONLINEAtzegi’s website www.atzegi.org features section called “Atzegieskuetara,” where people with intellectual disability can findspecially adapted interactive information. It is an interactivecomputer tool adapted to individual skills, needs, preferences andtastes. Atzegi eskuetara features five different sections Music(listen to music, animal sounds and even compose your own tuneswith the help of a piano); Information (news, current events andcultural events going on in towns throughout Gipuzkoa); Games(with different levels of difficulty); a chat room and video-conference to communicate with others. Atzegilio, the onlinemascot, helps guide visitors though the website.

In November 1962 a group ofparents and friends of people withintellectual disability created the“Asociación Vizcaína Pro-

Subnormales,” the organization thatwould eventually become Gorabide. Itsmain concern was to raise publicawareness around families and socialissues connected with intellectualdisability and to create supportcenters, which at the time were non-existent.

During the first phase Gorabide wasrun exclusively by volunteers, growingfrom a private charity in 1963 to an official entity of“public interest “ in 1970.

Today basic goal of Gorabide is to “promote quality oflife among people with intellectual disabilities and theirfamilies.”

To achieve their goal, the association works in fourareas: exerting influence on society, promoting individualsupport services required for each case, creatingcomprehensive community-based and direct services, anddefending the rights of citizens with intellectualdisability, regardless of cause or origin.

Personalized support

A key aspect of this association is the personalizedattention it provides based on the needs, tastes andinterests of each individual.

As a service-providingorganization, Gorabide knowsthat focusing on individuals,bringing new people into theassociation and continuouslyworking towards improvingall aspects of theorganization are essential toeffective management.

Therefore, Gorabide hasadopted the EuropeanFoundation for QualityManagement EFQMExcellence Model and

elaborated and approved its Strategic Plan for 2004-2007. (The purpose of the EFQM Excellence Model isto help business and other types of organizations tobetter understand their own management systems and,as a result, enhance their performance. It is sponsoredby the European Union).

Among its residential services, Gorabide has residencesfor people who need generalized, guaranteed support;apartments for semi-independent groups and the so-called “Ola” residences for temporary time periods.

Gorabide also organizes fun and satisfying free-timeactivities designed with a view to promoting autonomyand self-organization and to developing social skills andinterpersonal relationships. An additional aim is theintegration of individuals in regular communityrecreational activities. For this program Gorabide hasrecruited over 400 volunteers and six professionals.



«An additional aim is

the integration of

individuals in regular

community recreational

activities»

Gorabide (Bizkaia): promoting quality of life


Alava is home to APDEMA, an organizationwhose mission is to improve the quality oflife of people with intellectual disability inAlava and their families.Most important among their member services is thearea of family services, i.e. helping families in their lifeprojects, attending to their wants and needs, offeringthem support and guidance, following up on theirspecific situations and ultimately striving for a betterquality of life for disabled persons and their families.

The different committees and groups work to improvethe living conditions of people with intellectualdisabili ty, based on early intervention services,occupational support and special transportationservices for the severely disabled people associated withthe center.

Residential services are managed through acooperation agreement signed with the ProvincialCouncil of Alava. The aim is to provide a home orother types of support so that people with intellectualdisabilities can live on their own. This is the ideabehind the so-called group homes, accommodating amaximum of twelve people; smaller, intermediatehomes for up to four people; support homes for fourpeople, which include limited services for semi-independent living; and a family support respiteschemes, which provide a rest for families with school-

aged children with behavioral or other added problems(sensory, motor, etc.).

Public presence

APDEMA also wants to reinforce its presence in publicopinion and in this way promote its image as anassociation. Every year the association selects anobjective and organizes a series of activities. One year, forexample, a ‘solidarity picnic’ brought together over athousand people, and special workshops organized byPantha Rei focusing on children’s theater and integrationbrought in a total of 1,200 participants.

The association also took part in the solidarity telephonemarathon organized by Euskal Telebista and RadioEuskadi-Radio Vitoria, in which a series of reports werebroadcast on the different services provided by APDEMA.Families, collaborators and volunteers took part in thegala closing event. Members from the APDEMA swimteam joined athletes from other associations to take partin the “the challenge for integration.”

The recreational service is essentially made up of leisureand recreational groups of Vitoria, Llodio and Amurrio.The offer depends on the age and needs of participants.Services cater to two types of activities: social activityworkshops that take place during the week, and specialweekend activities, including outings, fiestas andcelebrations.

APDEMA (Alava): thechallenge for integration



Iñaki Alkorta has the honor of being the firstpresident of ELHABE, an umbrella associationfounded in 1987 made up of non-profitorganizations. He is now occupying the rotating

position for the second time. “Our job, said Alkorta,“is to oversee the job search for people withdisabili t ies . Eight agents or companies workautonomously in the three historical territoriesthrough 93 work places. We also work in conjunctionwith the Basque Government with national andinternational par tner organizations such asWorkability, which serves as a forum to detect newsources of employment and share knowledge and

experiences with members from around the world. Inshort, what we do is bring together 90% of theorganizations in Euskadi whose mission is to promoteinitiatives for people with intellectual disabilities.”

According to law, in order to be eligible for a job ofthis type, individuals mus t have a 33 percentdisability. Once disability is ascertained, there aredifferent ways for applicants 18 years or older toenter the system depending on the province they livein. In Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia arrangements are madeeither through the local governments, the socialservices attached to the provincial governments, orthrough parents associations. Depending on the typeof disability, individuals from Gipuzkoa sign up witheither Gureak or Katea/Legaia – and people fromBizkaia sign up with Lantegi Batuak, Usoa orRanzari. In Alava services are provided through theprovincial government under the auspices of theInstitute of Social Welfare, which works with anetwork of centers called INDESA.

“There’s a waiting list,” explained Iñaki Alkorta“Negotiations are carried out on the number ofpeople that can enter the workforce each year,

ELHABE: helping people withintellectual disabilities find

employment

1987an, adimen,gorputz eta zentzumenurritasuneko pertsoneieta gaixo mentalei lanaemateko sortutakoEHLABEko (EuskalHerriko Lan BabestuarenElkartea) presidente denIñaki Alkortak, hirulurralde historikoetandauden 93 zentroetangaratzen duten jardueraazaldu du.

«In any type of economic activity

there are job opportunities for

people with difficulties or

disabilities»


depending on the annual budget and the subsidiesearmarked for this activity. The government agenciesprovide subsidies for salaries and allowances forSocial Security payments. We are also given discountson the cost of each worker we hire but as companieswe have to find customers to make things for.”

These ‘customers’ come from a wide range of sectors– from the automotive industry, to electronics andelec tromagnetic assemblies, paper and boardprocessing, gas stations, aluminum work, industriallaundering, carpentry, hotel and catering business,gardening, industrial cleaning, adver tising andmarketing.

“The cooperatives belonging to the Mondragón Groupare some of our best customers. Some of their hiringcriteria is based on purely commercial factors, whileothers contracts include an element of promotingsolidarity and social conscience. We also have apresence in the automobile industry, for example,where our customers are multinational corporationsand disability is not a factor. In other words, theygive us work because we do good work for a goodprice and deliver the job on time.”

Some of the work, such as assembling components byhand, is generally reserved for people with severedisabilities. But, as Alkorta pointed out, “people withother types of disabilities are able to work with morecomplex parts. The more value we can add to anitem, the more marketable we are to our customers.

Our main objective is to train people to produceincreasingly complex products.”

Lifelong training

EHLABE has set up a system of ongoing trainingbecause the nature of the work changes and people donot perform the same task throughout their lifetimes.“Training doesn’t usually take place in a standardclassroom using chalk and blackboard. It’s the kind oftraining that focuses on the idea of daily work and thetask at hand, ins t il ling competence andimprovement.”

Alkorta is aware that it is the market that determinesthe particular circumstances. “It gives us what itgives us, not necessarily what we’d always like tohave,” he added. But he insists that the experiencehas led them to believe that in any type of economicactivity there are job opportunities for people withdifficulties or disabilities. “Our ongoing challenge isturn those opportunities into real jobs filled by peoplewho work with us.”

EHLABE DATA 31-12-2005

KATEA-LEGAIA 63 742 85 890 33 923

LANTEGI BATUAK 751 570 1,321 477 98 1,896 265 2,161

USOA 41 164 205 40 14 259 28 287

GUREAK 738 837 1575 1,001 366 2,942 524 3,466

INDESA 328 352 680 141 45 538 39 577

RANZARI 48 125 173 0 0 173 30 203

1,906 2,048 3,337 2,401 608 6,698 919 7,617

MENTALOC* WC** TOTAL

*OC- Occupational Center // *WC- Work Center

PHYSICAL &SENSORY

MENTALLYILL

ALL PEOPLEWITH DISABILITY

ALL PEOPLEW/OUT DISABILITY TOTAL

«Our main objective is to train

people to produce increasingly

complex products»

Iñaki Alkorta.



The experience of Grupo Gureak has demonstratedthat without question there is an endless numberof tasks and economic activities (agriculture,industry and services) that could be carried out bypeople with some degree of disability. These activitiesinclude producing electronic circuits, injecting plasticcomponents, cleaning and maintenance tasks,res taurant and hotelresponsibilit ies, gardening,marketing activities, graphicar ts, and reception andtelephone services. These aresome of the wide array ofactivities targeted by GrupoGureak, a broad range of jobpossibilities suited to individualneeds, skill levels, motivationsand wishes.

Grupo Gureak embarked on this adventure with twosmall workshops created in 1972 by Atzegi, theGipuzkoa association for persons with intellectualdisability. The initiative – which many thought wasmadness – consisted in finding employment for peoplewith mental disabilities who could not enter theworkplace after completing school. In 1976, after twonew workshops were opened, Talleres ProtegidosGureak was founded, today known as Grupo Gureak.

Today the group has a growing network of workshopsspread throughout Gipuzkoa, which has made itpossible for people to work within a 20 kilometer radiusof their place of residence and in this way maintaincontact with their families and communities. Thediversification of activities and the expansion of thegroup are the result of the growing demand for jobs

among people with disabilities,who are seeing the possibilityof finding employmentadapted to their needs andabilities.

To provide employmentguidance to these people ahighly qualified team is incharge of designing andpromoting a training andemployment itinerary perfectly

Grupo Gureak: Three decadescommitment to building capacities Hogeita hamar urte baino gehiago igaro diraGureak Taldea jaio zenetik Gipuzkoan, eta bereibilbidean zehar helburu bakar bati jarraitu diobeti: lanbideratzearen bitartez, adimen-urritasuna duten pertsonen erabatekointegrazio soziala lortzea. Gaur egun, 3.668lagunek egiten dute lan bertan eta horietatik%85a urritasuna duten pertsonak dira.

«Since its inception, Grupo

Gureak has dedicated its efforts

to promote the fundamental

principles and values behind

the real integration of people

with disabilities»



suited to every individual with disability. For yearsGrupo Gureak has based its efforts on individualattention and support, a vision which constantly strivesfor the full participation, respect, self-determinationand empowerment of people with disabilities. The goalis to create channels of communication so that peoplecan make their own decisions and chose the path theywish to follow according to their own interests andconcerns.

New times, new needs

Since its inception, Grupo Gureak has dedicated itsefforts to promote the fundamental principles andvalues behind the real integration of people withdisabilit ies, placing par ticular emphasis onemployment. But times have changed, as have theneeds of this group of people. Last year two newprograms were set into motion that allow for thedevelopment of new skills in different environments.“Pausoak” is an alternative to the regular workscheme. Set up on a farm, the participants learnagricultural and livestock related skills; “Zabala” is a

program which uses a variety of activities to developmotor, cognitive, sensory and social skills, giving menand women with disabilities the capacity to live moreindependent lives In addition, the GoyenecheFoundation, a network of day care centers locatedthroughout Gipuzkoa, sees to the needs of people whoare because of their age are unable to continue workingin Grupo Gureak partner centers.

Opening the door to other groups of people

As Grupo Gureak has diversified its activities over theyears and consolidated itself as one of the largestcompanies is Gipuzkoa, it has generated hundreds ofnew jobs. Virtually all of the vacancies have been filledby people with intellectual disabilities. However, little bylittle people with other types of handicaps, such asthose with physical or sensory disabilities or individualswith mental impairments, have been able to join theworkforce.

By opening its doors to serve the needs of other groupsof people, Grupo Gureak has managed to provide newopportunities to enter the job market to help peoplewith all types of disability. Although most of theindividuals working with the group have intellectualdisability (44%), people with other types of disabilitiesfill a significant number of positions: people withphysical disabilities (el 23%), people with mentaldisorders (12%), people with hearing impairments(5%) and people with visual impairments (1%). Peoplewith no disabilities make up 15% of the group’sworkforce.

«Grupo Gureak concentrates

its efforts on individualized

attention, services and

support»



Iñaki Abaurrea works as a mail sorter at the Office ofthe President thanks to an agreement signed withGureak Araba. He is the third person to benefit fromthis scheme.The agreement was signed a year ago basedon giving as many people as possible the opportunity toacquire social and work-related skills.

Josune Rodríguez, who works as a job training coach forGureak Araba, supervises Iñaki’s work. At first she kept an eyeon everything he did during his four-hour work shift, but nowshe only has to monitor him sporadically. “I was pretty muchby his side all the time while he was learning the social skillsneeded at the workplace, ranging from punctuality to simplygreeting his workmates,” she said. “But now I don’t have to bethere constantly. I keep an eye on him to correct any possiblemistakes but little by little I’ll cut back until he’s completelyself-sufficient and can take on more repsonsibilities. That’swhat these hiring agreements are all about.”

Iñaki has caused no problems since he has been working in thesorting room. In fact, his workmates have become quite fond ofhim. “He’s an easy-going guy, a bit shy, but he’s loosening upover time and gaining self-confidence. “He’s really grown onus. It’ll be sad when he has to leave,” said Josu Menéndez, whoworks in the same department as Iñaki and shares a lot ofdown time with him.

The work is mechanical, but it must be done in an orderlyfashion and requires close attention.“I deliver all of the mail tothe people in the different departments. I also help deliver thepress dossiers and when people come to visit the Office of thePresident I show them around the different offices,” said Iñakiat the end of his morning work shift, which had begun at nineo’clock. Three days a week he works in the afternoons for asmall photocopy business. The morning of this interview, hewas feeling a bit nervous about missing the bus. And he alsohad to buy bread for lunch at home. Iñaki lives with hisparents and brother. “I help however I can,” he added. Afterlunch he goes to work making photocopies, and on hisafternoons off he usually stops in at the Asociación IsabelOrbe, of which he is a member. There he meets up with some ofhis friends.

Although he did not tell us himself, one of Iñaki’s biggestpenchants turns out to be bulls. His friends know it and bringhim bullfighting magazines. He shows them his photo albumfilled with pictures of famous bullfighters. He also likes goingfor walks and is a soccer fan. “My favorite teams are Alavésand, as of this week, the Bilbao Athletic club too. I used to rootfor Barcelona and Sevilla’s Betis, but not any more because Idon’t like it when the players fight with each other. I sort of likeOsasuna, but not Real Sociedad. I won’t go see them.”

Before his current job, Iñaki worked for a do-it-yourselfmultinational, but he said that he likes what he is doing nowmuch better. When asked what it was about this job that heliked, he quickly glanced at his watch and said, “Everything.”We got the message loud and clear and decided not to press itany further.

Before Iñaki, Idoia and Rubén had held mail sorting position,both of whom left a good impression on their co-workers. “Infact, it’s been a wonderful discovery to work with thesepeople,” concluded Josu Menéndez.

Iñaki Abaurrea, member of thesorting office staff

Thanks to an agreement between Lehendakaritza and Gureak-Araba

«He’s an easy-going guy, a bit shy,

but he’s loosening up over time and

gaining self-confidence. He’s really

grown on us. It’ll be sad when he

has to leave»

Housing services set up for people with intellectualdisabilities, including apartment sharingarrangements, have been in operation since 1978.This type of living scheme has provided a valuablealternative to traditional large-scale residentialfacilities, which are often located far from the resident’shome and family environment. The experience hasproven to be successful, although it is limited to peoplewhose disabilities are not considered severe.

“The program involves three main types of livingschemes, depending on the type of support servicesrequired: intensive, intermediate and light. In general,the apartments are part of a larger apartment buildingwithin the community,” explained Patxi Izulain, head ofAtzegi’s housing department. The apartments are sharedby groups of four or eight people, although there are alsotwo residences with twelve people each, divided intosmaller shared-living core groups. Altogether, there aretwenty apartments with space for 135 residents.

An eight-person apartment, for example, comes with asupport team of four professionals, an etxekoandre(literally, a housewife), who sees to household duties, andthree advisors or coaches who take turns providingsupport services for the residents. All of the residents areoccupied during the day, mostly of them participating inoccupational workshops or holding regular jobs.

Etxebizitza zerbitzuak ongizatea, parte-hartze sozialerako aukerak,intimitatea eta segurtasuna ematendizkie familiarik ez duten edofamiliarekin bizi ezin diren adimenurritasuneko pertsonei.

Small group living arrangements

Juan José, José Luis, MiguelÁngel and Luis share anapartment in Gros, aneighborhood of SanSebastian. They live in aseventh floor apartment,complete with a large terracewith fantastic views in aprime location near Zurriolabeach. Miguel Ángel and Luisare particularly shy, so JoséLuis, being the most talkativeof the group, serves as thespokesperson for the four-man family.

It’s eight o’clock in the evening andthe first thing that greeted us was thesmell of home cooking, which Pili thecook prepared just before we gotthere. The menu tonight is vegetablesand steak. Everything is on the counterand ready to be heated up in the fyingpan. When asked if Juan José needs ahand, he answers with a resounding“yes,” which makes his roommateslaugh. José Luis is the best cook in

the group. He is from Zarautz and hasthe longest experience living inapartments of this type, 21 yearsaltogether. “I feel at home here. Ifnot, I would’ve left,” he says laughing.“It’s impossible to outdo Pili, butwhen she makes homemadesanjacobos, for example, I help herlayer the cheese on top of the ham androll them up. Or peel potatoes for her.”He once took a cooking class but, in

his words, “It was toosophisticated. I like stuff likebeans and garbanzos.”

They do help out with otherchores, such as washing thedishes and setting the table. Andso that no one forgets whoseturn it is, there’s a schedule ofwho and when clearly posted inthe kitchen.

We all go to the living room,where we find the regularfurnishings one would expect tosee in this part of the house: acouch, a television, shelves,

cabinets and a table. At the age of 56,Juan José is the oldest of the group.Born in Ibarra, he has lived in othershared-living apartments in Tolosa andIkaztegieta and has been here inDonostia for two years. “I’m pleasedbecause I already knew myhousemates before coming here.” Heshares a room with the youngestmember of the group, Luis, because thetwo of them have to get up the

A FOUR-MAN FAMILY



José Luis, Miguel Ángel, Juan José and Luis.

The groups are as homogeneousas possible. “We try to matchthe characteristics of thedifferent people and keep themas close as possible to theirfamily settings,” said PatxiIzulain, adding that most of theparticipants in these programscan be categorized into one oftwo major groups. “First, there’sthe 18- to 20-year-olds whogenerally have a weak familysupport network and in manycases have already been involvedin other types of care-givingschemes. On top of their intellectual disabilities, thesepeople tend to have difficulties adapting socially. Thenthere’s the 40- to 45-year olds, who’ve lived with theirfamilies and have been Atzegi members for some time,but whose parents have passed away or are ill andtherefore can’t give them the support they need. Rightnow we have two people over 65. We’ve found that thebest solution, much the same for so many families, is forpeople to live at home as long as possible. That has beenour conclusion so far.”

These programs are partially funded throughagreements with the provincial government.But the residents themselves contribute acertain amount, depending on their pensionbenefits, salaries or occupational incomes,which account for 70, 50 or 30%.

There are also different shared housingschemes based on gender: apartments forwomen or men only, co-ed housing and evencouples who live with other groups of people.

Since everyone requires a certain type ofsupport, the people in charge try to adapttheir services depending on individual skill

levels and degrees of self-sufficiency in performing dailytasks. In order to provide proper care to cover such adiverse range of support services, a comprehensive studyis first conducted focusing on individuals and groups.Thestudies lead to the creation of a so-called IndividualWork Plan, which is then agreed upon by the affectedparty and his or her family. The plans define specificobjectives relating to different areas of interest, and areupdated and revised annually.

earliest. “I work for a heatingcompany in Ordizia from 7 in themorning till 3 in the afternoon,” saysJuan José.

Miguel Ángel was born in theneighborhood of Gros and is thrilled tobe back in his txoko. He shares a roomwith José Luis and they both work atthe Gureak-associated workshops, inthe area of automation. Their workdayis the same as at any other workshopor business, and even longer than some

places: from 8:15 to 5:27, except forFridays, when they head home for theweekend at 2:45. “And for Easterholidays we have the whole week ofEaster.”

They’ve been getting to know partsof Catalunya and Galicia but José Luiswould love to go to Andalucía or visitplaces in the Basque Country they’venever been to. “For example, insummer I’d happily go work on a farmin exchange for room and board,” says

José Luis. Juan José doesn’t feel thesame way. “My parents had afarmhouse and I already know whatthat kind of work is like.” But hewould like to have been able tocelebrate Carnival in Tolosa, a townknown for hosting the mosttraditional and long-standingCarnival in Gipuzkoa. He shouldknow, since he was born right nextdoor in Ibarra. “The weather wasbad so I only managed to go on FatThursday in the afternoon to eatsome chorizo with my friends.”

They are all followers of theReal Sociedad soccer club, but

prefer not to talk about it. They saythat they get depressed every time theygo to the Anoeta stadium and watchtheir beloved team lose over and overagain. Juan José doesn’t think thatReal will be relegated to seconddivision, but José Luis has beenconvinced for some time that they will.“But I think people should keep goingto the games. A lot of people havestopped going and you can see a lot ofempty seats in the bleachers. That canbe really discouraging for the team.”

«Programs are

funded by the

provincial

government and

contributions from

the residents»

Issue 77 Year 2007 GAURKO GAIAK 15


The four roommates around the dinner table


The Leisure and Social Participation Service atAtzega is dedicated to enhancing the lives ofpeople with intellectual disability by improvingtheir personal relationships, encouraging them to takepart in free-time leisure activities and, in short,successfully integrating them into society.

A number of programs have been set up to meet thisgoal, in addition to coordinating efforts with otherorganizations and ins titu tions to build publicawareness and promote free and integratedparticipation, focusing on the area of recreation andfree-time activities. A third area is to work withfamilies in the socialization process.

“A very important aspect,” said Oskar Carcedo, whoruns the service, “is that all of our work is carried outby volunteers. Today all of our programs are led by150 dedicated volunteers, and three paid staff who

provide support and deal with the paperwork.” Mostvolunteers stay with the project for only a short time,usually around two to three years, although some arelonger term volunteers. Therefore, one of the ongoingtasks is the recruitment, training and follow-up ofvolunteers, whose job is a combination of dedication,enthusiasm, solidarity and commitment.

Most of the programs organized by Atzegi are gearedtowards people over the age of 14 with intellectualdisability. “We’re now organizing a program foryounger children, but it’s a one-off initiative, sincethere are other institutions and organizations thatcater to younger groups,” added Carcedo.

Full house on weekends

There are twelve recreation clubs for people over theage of 16 in Gipuzkoa, strategically located so thatthe 525 participants can chose the one closest totheir place of residence. At the centers, which operateon the weekends, the members get together, decide onthe activities they want to do, and with support fromthe volunteer counselors, either carry out theactivities at the centers themselves or elsewhere in thecommunity. Sometimes they will go as a group to themovies, or for a swim at the municipal pool. Othergroups decide to go for walks or outings in outlyingareas. “There are a lot of things to chose from, but aswe see it, the most important thing is that theactivities give people the chance to make friends

Gipuzkoan, adimen urritasuna dutenpertsonek beren aisialdiaz gozadezakete Atzegik antolatuta duen AisiaZerbitzua eta Gizarte Partaidetzariesker. Oskar Carcedo, zerbitzu honenburuak, beste bi profesionalekin eta150 begirale boluntario gogotsurekinbatera gaixo horiek bizitza atseginagoaizatea lortzen du.

Recreational activities


develop their social skills,” explained Carcedo. “Thisprogram, which is called ‘Txolarte,’ is the moretraditional program. Last year we started a new onecalled ‘Neurrian (leisure activities made to measure)as a complement, since there are people who aren’t ascomfortable with group activities and would rathertake part in more individually oriented pastimes.

Programs made to measure

The latest offer is “a la carte” programs. “We channelthe requests and find volunteers who will accompanyindividuals in their made-to-measure activities, whichinclude things like playing racquetball, bike riding,running or going for a walk, either on weekends orduring the week. It’s a lot of work putting a programlike this together, mainly because people are so spreadout geographically, but the results so are positive.Right now we have five very small groups of betweentwo and five people who can do whatever activitiesthey like.”

Cultural activities are usually scheduled for afterwork on weekdays, and are oriented toward peopleover the age of 14. The choice of cultural activitiesdepends on the participants themselves and whetherthere is a volunteer and a venue available. Sometimesthey are carried out at the recreation centers or otherspecialized facilities, and always with assistance froma volunteer. Activities include such things as surfingthe Internet, cooking classes, movement or tropicaldance classes, handicrafts, and so on.

The spor ts programs are similar in terms oforganization. They are offered after work onweekdays and also on Saturdays. The choice of

activities includes: soccer, swimming, gymnastics,track and field, horseback riding, surfing and multi-sport activities, among others. All of these activitiesare carried out in municipal or privately run centers,depending on the location, schedule and availablefacilities. Competitions are organized from Octoberthrough June, including the indoor soccerchampionships of Euskadi, the Week of AdaptedSports aimed at people with intellectual disabilities orpopular athletic events such as the Behobia-SanSebastián 20k run.

Holidays away from home

In August members of the “Txolarte” clubs can signup for two-week getaways to a variety of interestingdestinations. And for people who are not able to getaway in August, other trips are organized duringChris tmas and Easter. “We try to make theenvironment as ‘normal’ as possible, staying in hotelsor hostels,” said Oskar Carcedo. These holidays awayfrom home are some of the most valuable experiencesin terms of promoting self-sufficiency and they also agood way for people to socialize with the rest of thegroup.

There are also vacation programs conducted incollaboration with other organizations. One of these isthe camp program sponsored by the BasqueGovernment for people aged 15 to 22, in whichparticipants perform some sort of project thatbenefits the community, such as reconstructing orexcavation. In 2006 two young people withintellectual disability took part in programs of thistype through the “Udaleku” summer camps organizedby the provincial government of Gipuzkoa.




He’s been in four short films, twotelevision series and several plays.His work received Best Actor Awardat the Youth Video Festival inCiudad Real and Best Actor at theshort film competition sponsored byAtzegi. He speaks both Euskara andSpanish and loves cinema, readingand swimming. Gorka Zufiaurre wasborn in Urretxu, where he is awarehouse worker for a privatebusiness and acts in a theater groupcalled Karmakros, where he isconsidered another member of thetroupe.

His mother, Elena Niño, isconvinced that Gorka develop hisskills because he works very hard atit, but also because his family hasalways been there to support himand help build his self-esteem. At theage of 28, Gorka has a curriculumthat would be the envy of any personhis age: he completed EGB (BasicGeneral Education) and two years ofREM (Secondary EducationReform) at the high school inLegazpi. He took a course inupholstery and another in buildingmaintenance.

“When I was 14 they called mefrom Atzegi and asked me if Iwanted to be in a movie. Iimmediately said yes because I likecinema a lot,” said Gorka. That firstphone call was about making a shortfilm called “Aquel mundo de Jon” byAitor Manchola. The film wasawarded a prize from the Basque

Film Archive. Later came “La cajade croisanes” by Koldo Losada(1996), and “Bernar” by JonAndueza (1998), the latter of whichtook the award for Best Video at theInternational Short Film Festival ofElche and the Best Actor Award atthe 5th edition of the Youth VideoFestival in Ciudad Real. Gorka’smost recent work was the lead rolein “Bilintx” (2006), by the samedirector. He has also appeared inseveral chapters of the popular andlong-lived ETB serial, “Goenkale”and another series called “Gurefamilia eta beste batzuk” broadcaston ETB1. In 2003 he took part inan educational musical production, atribute to poet Gloria Fuertes, withKontxu Odriozola and the BasqueNational Orchestra.

Gorka doesn’t hesitate to saythat he likes movies more than stageproductions. One of his favorite

directors is Almodóvar, because,“he’s good,” but he also praises allof the Basque directors he’s worked.“They’re all my friends,” he added.He’s made good friends with someof the actors, and says that AizpeaGoenaga, Gorka Otxoa and JoséRamón Soroiz encouraged him themost. He learns his lines by heartand says that it’s easy. “I’m used torepeating.” In “Bilitx”, however, hedidn’t have to learn a single line,since it was a silent film andtherefore the work involved morebody movement. He plays the roleof the caretaker of an old theaterwho silently watches a youngballerina as she improves herdancing skills. The character’seagerness to get ahead and hisartistic restlessness is not unlike thestory of Gorka himself, who has hadto break down more than one barrierin life to demonstrate his skills.

GORKA ZUFIAURREactor

PEOPLE WHO BREAK Not everyone is able to do what they

really want to in life, or have thechance to develop their natural skillsand talents. It’s the fortunate peoplethat do, and if they’ve had to struggle

along the way to make themselvesheard, all the more credit to them.

Rowing against the current is noteasy, especially if it’s society thatwrites the rules, sets the pace andthe defines the goals. Here are threeexamples of personal success stories,people who have broken down socialbarriers.


Gorka Zufiaurre.


He’s 25 years old and he’s a bertsolari.One of his teachers at the ikastola in hishome town of Azpeitia noticed that hehad a natural talent for Basque poetryimprovisation, so at the age of ten hebegan practicing the art as part of hisextracurricular activities. Ander Alberdialso works at one of the Gureaksponsored workshops located in thenearby town of Azkoitia, and will mostlikely enroll next year in the School ofBertsolarismo in Azpeitia. A few yearsago he was awarded a special prize by acompetition jury, who recognized histalent for well written rhymes.

- “How did you get started?”- “I’ve always been fond of bertos

and used to pay close attention whenbertsolari programs were shown onETB.”

- “A few years back you used to gofrom town to town performing yourbertsos. Do you still do that?”

- “No. I’ll perform now and then at afiesta, or at a friend’s wedding or when Iget together with a few friends. Now Imostly just write them. I also sing whenwe make pilgrimages to Lourdes.”

- “Do you write down bertsos whenthey come to you?”

- “Yeah. I write them down in anotebook. I have so may now, I couldwrite a book.”

- “What sort of things do you writeabout?”

- “Springtime, love, maybe a girl Ilike ...” (laughs shyly)

- “Who’s your favorite bertsolari?”- “Sebastián Lizaso.”- “What about Andoni Egaña?”- “Hmmm ... “

He was never taught the secrets ofperspective or how to combinecolors. No one has ever told himabout materials or techniques, butIñaki Echano paints withwatercolors like nobody’s business.There’s hardly a building in Donostiathat escapes his eye. Every morninghe sets out with his yellow metaleasel, and his partner Mariaje forinspiration. “I copy what I see, whatI like. First I use this pencil to drawand then I fill in the colors.” Theoutcome of this creative process isthree or four paintings a day, whichhe gives away, sells, or puts ondisplay. “My paintings have been ondisplay at the provincial governmentbuilding and the Kutxa exhibitiongallery. People congratulate me formy work.”

Iñaki Echano’s natural talentwas discovered by his teacher, LucasAlberdi, in Eibar, where Iñaki wasborn and raised. “Lucas Alberdiused to tell me I was good atpainting and when he saw mydrawings and caricatures he’d say,‘that’s quite a talent you have.’”Besides painting, Iñaki also workedwith metal etchings: “I was reallygood at it,” he said. People he knewwould give him sheets ofpaperboard, watercolors and othersupplies, so he started paintingoutdoors, first in Eibar and later in

Zarautz. After his mother passedaway, Iñaki moved to SanSebastián, where he met hisgirlfriend, Mariaje. The two of themhave lived together for over fouryears at Txara, a residential facilityin the neighborhood ofIntxaurrondo. Mariaje brings him asense of calm and order when hetalks about all the ideas he hasswimming in his head

They went on vacation togetherto Benidorm, where they celebratedtheir own special sort “wedding.”They’ve also been to Hondarribiaand Zarautz. “In Zarautz we madefriends with Carlos Arguiñano, whoinvited us for coffee and gave us acookbook that says “rico, rico,rico.”

Little by little Iñaki has becomea very popular urban landscapeartist. A number of passers-bypurchase his work and localshopkeepers hire him to paintpictures of their storefronts so theycan display them inside. Some of hispaintings can also be seen in some ofthe Kutxa branch offices and at theIntxaurrondo out-patient clinic. Oneof the art supply stores in Donostiagives him discounts on all of hispurchases since he is such a goodcustomer, and his residential facilityused one of his illustrations on theirChristmas card.

ANDER ALBERDIbertsolari

IÑAKI ECHANO Artist

DOWN BARRIERS

Ander Alberdi and Andoni Egaña


Inauguration of the new Baketik Peace Centre in the Gandiaga Topagunea auditorium at Arantzazu.

© K.

COR

BELL

A

baketikLast October a center associated with theMonastery of Arantzazu (Gipuzkoa) opened itsdoors for the sole purpose of promoting peace.The center is called Baketik (“coming frompeace” in Euskara) and is promoted by theFrancisican Arantzazu Foundation. Its mostimmediate objective, which was to train a thousandso-called “reconciliation partners” by 2008 in orderto create a “social reconciliation network,” has beenfar exceeded, with nearly 2,000 people signing up fora course on the Ethical Conflict Management.

The center is open to people from all walks of life; itis non-secular, non-denominational and autonomous;its sphere of influence includes the family, schools,university, business, emerging social conflicts, internal

politics and external strife. It is a school aimed atteaching and promoting ethical ways to face all typesof conflicts, using tools for prevention, mediation andreconciliation, based on courses and other activities.

The initial program and core of the center’s proposalis the “Bider Mila” Project (multiplied by 1000),oriented towards educating society in peaceful co-existence and reconciliation. In this way, Baketik aimsto reach out on a massive scale to teach the “basicnotions of destructive conflict prevention, mediationand reconciliation by designing courses on ethicalconflict management and creating a broad network ofreconciliation agents.” The people working withBaketik underscore that when they speak of conflicts,they not only refer to major political, international orreligious disputes, but also – and very particularly –closer conflic ts encountered in our own dailyenvironment.

Snowball effect

Bider Mila is hoping to create a “snowball effect forcoexistence,” according to the center’s director, JonanFernández, in addition to “giving more and more

In search for peaceHerritarren erantzunak soberan gaindituditu Baketik-etik sortutako parte-hartzeaurreikuspenak. Zentro plurala, laikoa, ezkonfesionala eta autonomoa da, eta urrianjarri zuten martxan Arantzazukomonasterioarekin batera, bakea bilatzekoadiskidetze sare soziala.


kpeople the chance to acquire basic training inreconciliation.” The training program consists of six-or ten-hour courses on the ethical management ofconflicts distributed in three modules: prevention ofconflic ts, mediation, and reconciliation. Uponcompletion of the course, students are accredited bythe center as “reconciliation agents.” Fernándezexplained that after finishing the course and earningthe diploma, “participants and others making up thenetwork are not required to do anythingextraordinary, other than making an effort to resolveconflicts ethically and staying connected to a networkof information, documentation and experience sharingfor the purpose of creating a culture of peace in theirenvironment.”

The initiative is planned to cover four large sectors.In education, for primary and secondary schoolteachers; in the university, both instructors andstudents; in local administration, aimed at mayors,councilors and municipal technical personnel; and inthe scope of civil society, aimed at people who makeup the network of associations. In the same way thatit is good as many members of society to know how toproperly render first aid in an emergency, the BiderMila project sets out to provide a growing number ofpeople from all walks of life with basic training inpeaceful co-existence and reconciliation.

Baketik is offering a series of activities for 2007: InJanuary and February, a pilot experience in theprevention of violent and racist behaviors in theschool setting, using theatre as a tool; In March, aseries of seminars on emerging conflicts; From June4-10, a Week on Africa, the invisible continent, and in

July, a World Congress on Peace Education, incollaboration with the Columbia University TeachersCollege, New York.

Experts in dialogue and the culture of peace

Jonan Fernández, who for 13 years spearheadedElkarri, the Movement for Dialogue and Agreement, isnow the director of Baketik. He is convinced thatcitizen participation in the search for peace is notonly a matter of “having the right to give our opinionand make decisions,” but that we must also “to learnto deal with conflict in an ethical manner and tocommit ourselves to creating a culture of peace.” Alsoinvolved in this project as members of the AdvisoryCommittee are former General Director of UNESCO,Federico Mayor Zaragoza, and President of theCulture of Peace Foundation, author, and Nobel PeacePrize Laureate, José Saramago.

This year the Peace Center signed an agreement withthe Basque Government and Eudel by which they willreceive 60,000 euros and 20,000 euros respectively.The agreement also includes “reconciliation” seminarsgeared towards mayors, councilors and localmanagement authorities to address formulas forresolving conflict in their respective communities. Theagreement was signed by Lehendakari Juan JoséIbarretxe; the President of Eudel, Karmelo Sáinz dela Maza; the President Fundación Arantzazu, JoséMaría Arregi, and the Director of Baketik, JonanFernández. The init iative is connected to theagreement signed in January by Eudel and the BasqueGovernment to promote public participation inbuilding peace and achieving political normalization inthe Basque Autonomous Community, Navarra andIparralde, with an eye to reconstructing socialdialogue following the end of the ETA ceasefire.

Representatives ofBaketik, the Basque

Government andEudel sign the

agreement.

www.baketik.org

Associate degree in Tourism

and Hospitality

MARTÍN IPARRAGUIRRE

Iparragirre koblakariaren ondorengohau bere jaioterri Mendozatik Euskadiraetorri zen “Euskal Herrirantz 2003”bekari esker. Euskadin bere arbasoakzer eragin duen deskubritzen ari dapixkanaka, eta Donostiaz maitemindudela azaldu du; orain, gainera, ezin dubertatik mugitu bizi proiektua norekinpartekatu aurkitu baitu, bere neska-lagun Larraitz ezagutu baitu,ostalaritzako lanaren bitartez.

MMartín didn’t have to flaunt his surnameIparraguirre to open up opportunities forhim. “I’ve pretty much kept it to myself.Part of the reason I left Argentina wasto assert my own independence andmake a life for myself. It’s not my styleto namedrop to get attention.” But thefact of the matter is that when people atthe restaurant Martín works at inDonostia find out that he is related tothe famous bard, they are quiteimpressed.“People have shown me documents,photographs, old newspaper clippings,medals, books .... Vicente Lasa, a ferventadmirer of Iparraguirre and man whodesigned the new Iparraguirremausoleum in Urretxu invited me to goand see it with him. People are reallyinterested in the man.They remember hisromantic ballads and so many of thesongs he wrote about the Basque people,their language and their desire forfreedom. I’ve learned what animportant symbol he is for people here.”Since Martín has been in the BasqueCountry the stories he his family used totell him about his great-great-grandfather have all been brought to life.

Martín holds an Associate Degree inTourism and Hospitality. On September21st 2003 he came to Donostia on a

grant from the Basque Government totake part in a training course in tourismmarketing at the Zubiri Institute as partof the Euskal Herrirantz program. Aftercompleting his studies he did a hotelinternship followed by several jobs in thehospitality industry. Two years ago hebegan working at a well-knownrestaurant in the historic quarter ofDonostia. “San Sebastián has a way ofcaptivating your heart. When you finallymanage to get a few things in your life inorder, all of those other things that oncekept you tied to where you used to livebegin to unravel. And all of a sudden yourealize that this is your home. For awhile you have one foot in each place,but you end up calling this place home.

Martín’s mother, sister and twograndmothers are still in Argentina buthis father and another sister haveremade their lives in Euskadi. “We’rehalf here, half there.”

Martín became an adult here. “Ilearned in the school of hard knocks.Back in Argentina I lived with myparents and was completely dependenton them. The country was going throughsome rough times but my familymanaged to maintain a certain amountof economic stability. But it was aradical change when I came here and

had to learn to carry my own weight.”When he compares himself to the 27-year-olds he has met in Donostia, he feelshe is a few steps ahead of them. I haveall the responsibilities of an adult, suchas making sure my girlfriend and I canpay the mortgage. Here is seems that theyears of adolescence stretch on for alonger period of time. Proof of this isthe banking plan offered by the Kutxa,geared toward ‘youths’ of up to 30 yearsof age. I’m not saying that young peopledon’t work here. It’s just that inArgentina there are certainresponsibilities people have to face muchearlier.”

In Martín’s opinion, the Basquepeople are very much like the peoplefrom Mendoza, Argentina. “At first it’shard to make friends.There’s a feeling ofdistance and it takes people a while toaccept you. But we Argentineans havesomething that seems to attract people.Maybe it’s the accent or the way wespeak. Someone once told me that Ididn’t have any particular natural skills:I wasn’t good with my hands, I couldn’tsing or play music, and I was lousy atsports. He said that what I had weresocial skills. Over time I realized that hewas right. I have a way with people, but Ihave to work hard at all the other stuff.”

«I found out that my ancestor is a symbol for the Basque people»

EEUUSSKKAALL GGAAZZTTEEAAKK MMUUNNDDUUAANN

22 Issue 77 Year 2007BASQUE YOUTH

A“After ten years working for the Reutersnews agency, and a photograph archiveof around 400,000 images under mybelt, I had to start thinking about futurecareer options. For a couple of years Itraveled around India,Africa and SouthAmerica and then in July 2006 I wasoffered a job as senior photograph editorat the Reuters central office inSingapore,” said Pablo Sánchez Quiza.Pablo has now been working on thesmall southern Malaysian island ofSingapore for three months.

Since 2005 the globalphotography office in Singapore hasbeen the hub for all of the picturestaken by some 700 Reutersprofessionals around the world –around 1,500 pictures a day. “Theoffice operates on a system of threeshifts of 50 photo editors divided intotwo departments: magazines andglobal photography.”

At first, he had to think twiceabout accepting the job. “It meanlaying my camera down for a while andsitting in an office, something I’d neverdone before and hadn’t planned ondoing,” said Pablo Sánchez. But thechange also presented a series of

advantages and opportunities in thelong run. “Working in Singaporewould mean having direct contact withall of the Reuters photographersaround the planet and with the Reuterschief photography editor. Above all, itmeant living in a place that has alwaysfascinated me, and where it’s easy tofind inexpensive flights to a number ofnearby countries. I’m just a stone’sthrow from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines,Indonesia ...”

Sánchez is still trying to get usedto his new home. “I suppose it’ll takesome time to feel fully integrated andcomfortable in a country as differentas this one, and I’m bound to havesome uncomfortable moments. But I’lldo my best to keep them to aminimum.”

Singapore is a city-state off thesouthern tip the Malay Peninsula witha population of four million –including 50,000 millionaires. Up toeight different languages are spokenand virtually every religion is practicedamongst the population. According toSánchez, “you can get lost in the hugeshopping centers located all over the

city. It’s a rich city surrounded by poorcountries, and where the population isstrictly controlled. You might evencall it an economic dictatorship.Everything revolves around money,money and more money.”

“All over the city you can seesurveillance cameras and signsprohibiting this and that. The deathpenalty is prescribed for a all sorts ofoffences, especially drug related;alcohol and tobacco prices areoutrageous and an everyday car coststhree times as much as it does inEurope. The climate is extremely hotand humid.”

Pablo Sánchez Quiza beganworking as a correspondent forReuters in Euskal Herria in April1997. His work included a wide rangeof areas: politics, sports, assortedstories, and just about anything fit toprint in any type of magazine aroundthe world. “In my first years workingfor the agency my photographs werepublished in ‘The New York Times,’‘Life Magazine,’ ‘Libération,’ ‘TheTimes,’ and ‘Corriere della Sera.’ Atthe same time I also worked fordifferent Basque media outfits.”

PABLO SÁNCHEZ QUIZAPhotographer,

picture editor for Reuters

in Singapore

Hamar urtez Euskal HerrianReuters agentziako argazkilariaizan ondoren, Pablo SánchezQuiza Singapore Malasiakohegoaldeko uharte txikian dago,aipatutako agentziako bulegonagusiko goi editore gisa.

«Working in Singapore means being in contactwith all of the photographers on the planet»

BBAASSQQUUEE YYOOUUTTHH

Issue 77 Year 2007 23EUSKAL GAZTEAK MUNDUAN


The Basque Cultural Center of SanFrancisco, California, one of thelargest Euskal Etxeas in the UnitedStates, celebrated its silveranniversary from February 13ththrough 18th with a wide array ofevents.

The celbratory occasion gotunderway with an emotional flag-raising event at the San FranciscoCity Hall, where the ikurriña hungfrom the balcony for the entire week.Numerous members ofthe San Francisco clubjoined members ofBasque clubs from allover the United Statesto take part intraditional dance, musicand sports events. Theprogram began on the13th with a video onthe 25-year history ofthe Basque CulturalCenter presented byElizabeth and JeanPaul Barthe.

On the 15th and16th participantsenjoyed cesta puntaexhibition gamesfeaturing thechampions from JokoGarbi of the KapitoHarria Basque Pelotafederation of Uztaritz,France. Equally asexciting was the danceperformance offered byAintzindariak Taldeafrom Zuberoa, France,and entertainment bybertsolaris GracienAlfaro, MartinGoicochea, JohnnyCuruchet and JesúsGoñi, presented by San

Francisco Euskal Etxea director,Frantxoa Bidaurreta.

Bilbao to host next meeting

In this festive environment, the NorthAmerican Basque Organizations –NABO – held one of its annualmeetings, which was attended byspecial guests Miren Azkarate, BasqueMinister for Culture, Josu Legarreta,Director of Relations with Basque

Communities, and MaríaLuz Artetxe, President ofthe Federation ofA r g e n t i n i a n - B a s q u eEntities.

Among other items,NABO presented to itsmember clubs themanagement report, the listof names chosen torepresent NABO at the 4thWorld Congress of BasqueCommunities hosted inBilbao next July, and theprojects planned for the nextfour years.

The Minister for Culturepresented the program forlearning Euskara developedby HABE, the Institute forBasque Culture, Languageand Adult Literacy. JosuLegarreta provided detailson the 4th World Congress.

Between sessions, themeeting attendees went tosee the “Kantuketan”exhibit on Basque song infour languages: Spanish,Euskara, French andEnglish, presented by exhibitdirector Pantxoa Etchegoin.

Afterwards, María LuzArtetxe gave a presentationon the programs currently

Basque Minister for Culture Miren Azkarate joins the celebration

OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES ABROAD

«Cestapunta championsfrom Joko Garbi of theKapito Harria Pelota

Federation in Uztaritzentertained the

audience with a displayof their skills»

San Francisco Basque Cultural Centercelebrates its 25th anniversary

Issue 77 Year 2007 25EUSKADITIK

being carried out by the Argentinean-Basque Federation.

Special focus on Euskara

The first hour on Saturday the 17thwas set aside for a meeting betweenEuskara teachers working with thedifferent Euskal Etxea languageprograms – irakasleak – and J.F.Zinkunegi from HABE. The Minsterfor Culture and the Director ofRelations with Basque Communitieswere also present at the meeting. Thematerials created by the Institute forBasque Culture, Language and AdultLiteracy (HABE) aimed at teachingEuskara online were presented, andan agreement was made to organizeintensive courses for the irakasles inthe United States and Argentina. Themorning session ended with adiscussion on the current situation inEuskadi led by Spokesperson andMinister of Culture for the BasqueAutonomous Community, MirenAzkarate.

Saturday afternoon entertainmentincluded an entrance parade featuringthe Benafaroa Cavalcade,performances by Sue Elicetche, theElgarrekin Choir, the San FranciscoGazteak dance group and a pelotaexhibition featuring the Joko Garbipelotaris from the Basque PelotaFederation – Euskadiko PilotaFederakuntza.

After Sunday mass, celebrated bythe chaplain and former chaplain ofthe U.S. Basque community, AitaTillous and Aita Cachenaut, the 25thanniversary celebration was broughtto a close. The President of the SanFrancisco Basque Cultural Center,Xabier Berrueta, the BasqueMinis ter for Culture, MirenAzkarate, the Lieutenant Governorof California, John Garamendi, andNABO President, Mary Gaztambide,presented NABO’s “Bizi emankorra”lifetime contribution awards to JoeCastanchoa, Bill Etchegoin and JeanJauretche.

KANPO HARREMANAK

«The ikurriña flew over theCity Hall building for theweek-long celebration»

«Hoita bat garren mendea eta, zazpigarren urtea,

Eguna hemezortzi garrena, bigarren ilabetea,

Gaur zure ganat etorri gira, Euskaldun Etxe Maitea,

Guretzat ezin baitaike izan nihun bertze bat hobea»

Johnny Curuchet

The Basque Minister for Education,Universities and Research, TontxuCampos, visited Colombia, where hewas welcomed by ColombianEducation Minister, Cecilia MaríaVélez White. Campos presented theMinister with details on the BasqueEducation System and oncooperation and research programsthrough the Basque PublicUniversity.

The Basque Minister traveled toColombia with members of histeam to meet with Colombianeducation authorities and discussways to support online teachertraining and telecommunicationssubjec ts. The team from theBasque Department of Education,Universities and Research alsopresented the “Coexistence in theClassroom” programs, widelyrecognized by the educationalcommunity.

Basque Minister for Education presentsUPV programs in Colombia

Basque Minister for Education, Tontxu Campos, with Columbian Education Minister, Cecilia María Vélez.

26 Issue 77 Year 2007

Alberto Ignacio Philip, member ofthe governing board of the BahíaBlanca Euskal Etxea, and MaríaBelén Girasole, teacher of Euskaraand Basque culture, both feel verypositive about the twenty groupsthat have been created in thepursuit of peace. The number ofgroups is expected to reach ahundred. “Konpondu” is aninitiative that was initiallypromoted last October by theLehendakari himself. At the firstmeeting, held in December, fifty ofthe sixty officially recognizedBasque Centers took part and thefirst twenty forums were created inArgentina. Alberto and MaríaBelén both agree that the basicgroundwork for building the road topeace is peaceful dialogue. Theyalso recognize that this is the firsttime the Basque population abroadhas been invited to take part in aprocess of this breadth. In theiropinion the most important thing isthat now people have discovered

they can sit down and have adecent discussion without breakinginto argument, that there is roomfor everyone’s ideas to be heardand discussed.

The forums are open toeveryone in the community;participants need not be a memberof a Basque club. The underlyingphilosophy for this initiative cameabout through participation fromthe diaspora: gather all opinionsand viewpoints coming fromdifferent circumstances andsituations in order to achieve asingle goal.

María Belén is aware of theimportance of the viewpoints ofpeople living outside Euskadi. “Wedon’t live the day-to-day details,only the overall effects, the mostrelevant aspects. That’s why wecan bring a fresh outlook to thesituation. We’re not saying that thediaspora is always right, but withthe hundred forums we plan to setup, we can make interesting

contributions and provide ideas thatwill help improve the currentsituation. Alber to added that“when there are problems betweentwo sides, it is always good to havethird-party input. I’m not sayingthat the diaspora is actually a thirdfaction in the dispute, butsometimes taking a step back andlooking at things from a distancecan be very helpful.”

Together with the twentygroups, an online forum was alsocreated. Seven Argentineans andVenezuelans took part under thesupervision of a moderator fromEuskadi. The pilot experience wasorganized as a chain of e-mailmessages in which each participantgave his or her opinion on apredetermined topic. A round ofquestions was then kicked off andparticipants voted on the mostpositive ideas. The organization isnow looking into creating a websitewhere people can post informationon a more user-friendly format.

20 citizen forums for peace createdin Argentina

María Belen Girasole and Alberto Ignacio Philip during their visit to Euskadi.

OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES ABROAD

© ZI

GOR

ALK

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Issue 77 Year 2007 27

KANPO HARREMANAK

Various events will be heldthroughout the year of2007 to celebrate theMexico City Basque center’s100th anniversary.Members have beenplanning the event forseveral months. A Basquefilm festival was held inFebruary featuring anumber of recentproductions: “AupaEtxebeste,” the successfulfeature film made by Asier Altunaand Telmo Esnal, shown in Euskarawith Spanish subtitles, and “Éramospocos,” a short film by BorjaCobeaga, nominated for an Oscar.

The festival was organized inpartnership with the AllianceFrançaise and the movies shown wereselected by the Basque Film Archiveamong a variety of feature films,documentaries and short films. Theidea came from one of the membersof the Mexico City Euskal Etxea,José Manuel Ugarte, who contactedthe Basque Film Archive director,Mikel Arregi.

Also included in the festivalprogram were “Frío sol de invierno”directed by Donostia-born PabloMalo and starring Unax Ugalde, and“El final de la noche” by Patxi Barco.The films featured on the closing nightwere Montxo Armendáriz’s award-winning “Secretos del corazón,” adocumentary film called “Au Pays desBasques,” and “Navarra.” A similarBasque film festival, the “Muestra deCine Vasco” sponsored by the FilmArchive of Chile in collaboration withthe Catholic University, is already inits fourth year.

March was the month of music,

specifically the txistu, represented bythe Txistulari Band of San Sebastián,which gave two performances – firsta concert and next a parade throughthe streets of the ancient Aztec city.The bandleader was José IgnacioAnsorena, the first person to head auniversity txistu department, whoshowed the public the many facets ofthis instrument, including its role insymphony music. The concert, whichwas held at the NationalConservatory of Mexico, took theaudience on a journey through EuskalHerria, complete with dantzaris fromthe Kukai Dance Company andsinging featuring the Basque clubchoir and the Colegio de las Vizcaínaschoir.

The program opened with “LeBasque-Le Biscayenne,” composed byAnsorena himself, which reflects theimage people outside Euskadi have ofthe Basques. Next came pieces fromBizkaia, including “Sagar-dantza”from the town of Durango and dancessuch as the mascarade of Zuberoa.

The first performace ever given bythe Donostia Txistulari Band for theBasque community abroad wassuggested by José Luis Ugarte, also atxistulari, who wanted to show hisfellow countrymen the realpossibilities of the instrument.

The Basque Cabinet of Ministersnamed Donostia native, Aitor SotesElustondo, Basque Governmentdelegate in the United States.Economist by training, for the pastsix years Sotes worked as directorof the Chicago office of SPRI – theCorporation for Indus trialPromotion and Reconversion –under the auspices of the BasqueGovernment Depar tment ofIndustry,Trade and Tourism.

On February 21st the BasqueGovernment signed an agreementto open a Basque Office in theUnited States. Aitor Sotes’priorit ies in the for thcomingmonths will be to organize and give

shape to all of the aspects andtasks of the Basque Office.

The City of New York served asthe previous seat of the BasqueGovernment Office – and Galíndezone of the delegates. The Big Applewas also the residence-in-exile ofLehendakari Aguirre in the bleakyears after the Spanish Civil Warof 1936 and during the politicalpersecution agains t Basqueculture, language and identityinstigated by General Franco.

The new Basque Office in theU.S. joins the other offices alreadyin operation in Brussels, Madrid,Santiago de Chile, Mexico City andBuenos Aires. With the exceptionof Brussels, seat of the EuropeanUnion, this is the firs t BasqueOffice to open outside of LatinAmerica.

Movies and music in celebration of 100 years of Mexico City Euskal Etxea

Aitor Sotes, appointed Basque Governmentdelegate in the United States

EEUUSSKKAALL EETTXXEEAAKK BBAASSQQUUEE CCEENNTTEERRSS

EEUUSSKKAADDIITTIIKK


On March 1st the Lehendakari signeda cooperation agreement to set intomotion the Euro-regional Conference,a body aimed at reinforcing Europeancross-border cooperation.The goal setfor 2007 will be to find solutions toproblems related to transportation,health and education affecting peopleon both sides of the Bidasoa River.

The agreement creating this newforum was signed at the office of theProvincial Government of Gipuzkoaby the Lehendakari and the GeneralDeputy of Gipuzkoa, Joxe JoanGonzález de Txabarri; the president ofthe Regional Council of Aquitaine,Alain Rousset, and the president ofthe Regional Council of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Jean Jacques Lasserre.The prefect of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Marc Cabane, and thepresident of the French Conseil desélus du Pays Basque, AlainLamassoure, witnessed the signing ofthe agreement.

The Euro-regional Conference isconstrued as a non-legal entity aimedat promoting coordinated publicpolicies in the region straddling theborder. The Conference sets out tocontribute specific practical solutionsto common problems encountered bypeople living close to the border area.The idea is to provide a new forum fordialogue and to search for ways tosolve problems caused by legal andinstitutional stumbling blocks and bythe diversity of stakeholders involved.

Although there are many points ofcommon interest, for the time beingthe challenges will center on cross-border mobility and cooperation in theareas of health, social services anduniversity studies.

Transportation, health care andeducation

In the area of transportation, effortswill concentrate on collaborationbetween public services and operators(information systems, tolls, crisisplans, etc.) to improve the efficiencyof road traffic flow. With regard tohealth care, cooperation will begeared mainly towards hospitalservices, in particular emergencyservices on either side of the border, aswell as finding ways to coordinate

public health care systems. Anotherproject will be to conduct anepidemiological analysis of the cross-border region aimed at preventingdrug addiction, and to apply systemsfor preventing gender violence and forproviding support for victims.

As for university studies,collaboration initiatives will includethe possible implementation of doubleor common degree programs;developing exchange programs forteachers, researchers, administrativestaff and students; encouragingcooperation in the area of businessresearch and coordination; andteaching French, Euskara andSpanish.

“We are moving forward inEuropean policy innovation,” saidIbarretxe, adding that “if thisinitiative is successful, it will make thedaily lives of citizens easier, while atthe same time showing Europe thatborders can be used to solve problemstogether instead of markingdifferences.”

The Lehendakari stressed that inorder to have greater capacity andopportunities to overcome problems, itwas important to work together. “Thisis especially true at a time whenEurope is undergoing difficulties indefining its constitutionalframework,” he said. “Here is a groupof authorities that want to contributeto building Europe by transcendingborder constraints.”

The Euro-regional Conference is born

Scene from “Éramos pocos”

CCUURRRREENNTT EEVVEENNTTSS

Issue 77 Year 2007 29EUSKADITIK

As of last December, IñakiAzua is now the HonoraryConsul of Mexico in theBasque Country andNavarra. His officialmission is to protect theinterests of Mexican citizensin the Basque Country andNavarra and to promoteeconomic, commercial andcultural relations. In otherwords, from the consulate’soffice he will represent theeconomic interests andcultural activities of Mexicoand safeguard the interestsof the thousand-someMexican nationals living inthese two regions.

The consulate’s office will alsosupport for people in the BasqueCountry and Navarra with plans tomove to Mexico by providing themwith information and helping withlegalities and paperwork.

Iñaki Azua is perfectly familiarwith Mexican society. He is one of sixchildren born in Mexico to a family ofBasque exiles. He lived in Mexico for20 years before coming to Euskadi in1976 with the fall of the dictatorship.

As a member of the Basque club ofMexico City, with which he maintainsan excellent relationship, he took anactive part in a wide range of culturalactivities.

His father, Alberto Azua, was thelast delegate of the BasqueGovernment in Mexico when JesúsMaría Leizaola was the BasqueLehendakari. Three years ago, theHonorary Consul wrote a book abouthis father called “Alberto Azua,” inwhich he travels back in historythrough the various posts his father

Nominated for an Oscar for theBest Live Action Short Film,“Éramos pocos” by SanSebastian native Borja Cobeagaonce again laid claim to thesuccess of Kimuak.Two years agothe Basque Governmentsponsored film promotionprogram was also behind anotherAcademy Award nominee, “7.35de la mañana,” directed byNacho Vigalondo, partner, friendand onetime roommate ofCobeaga. Neither of the twomanaged to go home with thecoveted statuette but theinternational movie-makingacclaim brewing in Euskadi isbeginning to bear fruit. In fact,this year fifty film festivals,mostly in the United States, haverequested the new Kimuak shortfilm catalogue.

In addition to the presence ofOscar nominees, several Basqueshort films have been showcasedin international venues, includingthe International Short FilmFestival of Clermont-Ferrand,France, where Kimuak had its ownstand, and where “Máquina” byGabe Ibáñez took the SpecialJury Award in “Labo,” a sectiondedicated to experimentalfilmmaking.

Films from the 2005 Kimuakcatalogue have already reapedover 200 awards, and nearly 800over the past seven years. Kimuakis present in all types of festivals,large and small, with very positiveoverall results.

Iñaki Azua,Honorary Consul of Mexico

A good bill ofhealth for Basque

short films

Leopold Eyharts, from theLabourd region of France,is the first Basqueastronaut to travel inspace. Eyharts, a memberof the European SpaceAgency (ESA), beenassigned to fly onboard theInternational SpaceStation (ISS). In this newmission, slated for autumn, Eyharts,from the French Basque town ofArcangues, will be responsible for thedelivery and commissioning of theEuropean Columbus laboratory. The

Basque astronaut is set tofly on Space ShuttleDiscovery mission STS-122 and will return homewith the Endeavour STS-123 crew some twomonths later. Eyharts willbe a member of the so-called Expedition 16 crew,sharing this space mission

with five North American astronautsand one German. In December 1996 hewas selected as cosmonaut for thescientific space missio

Documents

Intellectual disability and community integration · 2007. 8. 7. · 22 • Euskal gazteak munduan / BASQUE YOUTH: Martín Iparraguirre, Pablo Sánchez Quiza OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES ABROAD