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One recent campaign aimed at suppressing such activity is called “Si lo ves, no te calles” (If you see it, do not keep quiet) and encourages residents to report criminal activity by calling the emergency number 066. |
The campaign is sponsored by the Public Security Department, headed by Daniel Trujillo, and the citizens’ group San Miguel Siempre Hermoso (San Miguel Always Beautiful), headed by Filip Lein.
The latest Public Security program takes a different approach and is aimed at involving gang members in sports as a way to discourage illicit activity. Members of 12 gangs were invited to participate in a soccer tournament that began on February 12 and will continue for three months; members of 8 of the gangs agreed to participate. According to Trujillo, participating in the tournament has encouraged boys to play a sport instead of perpetrating vandalism. “The incidence of throwing rocks at police cars has considerably decreased during the last two weeks,” he said.
Soccer and socialization
“Arresting gang members over and over is not a good way to educate them,” said Trujillo. “I thought that inviting them to participate in a soccer tournament would be a good way to try to occupy their time. We are also planning to organize an inter-municipal tournament in which the winner of the San Miguel tournament would represent our city.
Trujillo said that there are also female gangs and it is important not to forget them, so he will also organize a girls’ basketball or soccer tournament.
“Every architect, doctor or engineer had his parents’ attention when he was a child. These gang members have always lacked that, and this disintegration of their families pushes them toward bad behavior. They are not criminals but victims of society itself, and it is society that has to help them,” said Trujillo, who thinks that it is important to do something for them before they go on to form robbery rings, as has happened in cities such as Celaya and León. In future programs, Trujillo will include opportunities for the boys to study to be carpenters, barbers or mechanics.
Although they belong to gangs, some of the players do work or study. Antonio Morales, from La Estación, is 17 and studies at CBTIS; Antonio Simón, also from La Estación, is a gardener. Armando Ramírez, 16, does not work or study but said that he “likes to play soccer in the street.” Emmanuel, 17, is in high school and thinks that playing soccer keeps him away from drinking and smoking. Jesús, 22, from San Antonio, is an artisan and a sportsman. He said that is good that the police have organized the tournament to keep them away from drug addiction. Carlos Iván Palma Elías, 23, said he is also an artisan, a sportsman and a caguama (one-liter bottle of beer) drinker. “I’m glad to participate in this soccer tournament so that people will see that we also play sports.
Goals and ¡Goooools!
José Alfonso Sánchez Yáñez and Bernardo Rivera Rangel, police officers, were charged by Trujillo to organize the tournament. Teams from Las Cuevitas, San Antonio, Guadalupe, San Luis Rey, San Rafael, La Estación, Mexiquito and Ejido de Tirado participated in the matches, each with about 15 players. “During the matches there are seven players on a team and the rest are substitutes. The matches are one hour long,” he explained. He added that during the next round teams from Cuesta de San José, Francisco Villa and Palmita de Landeta will join the tournament.
The semi-final and final matches of the first stage of the tournament were played on the field behind La Cabaña on Salida a Dolores. The semi-final match between Guadalupe and San Luis Rey ended with Guadalupe in third place and San Luis Rey in fourth.
In the final match, held February 22 between La Estación and San Antonio, the La Estación team prevailed 8 to 2.
According to Sánchez, the number of street fights and acts of vandalism against police vehicles have decreased during the last two weeks. “Thanks to the tournament, officers can now patrol at night in neighborhoods like San Luis Rey, where it was impossible to drive a patrol car after 10pm without gangs throwing rocks at them. The boys have seen that we are just as human as them and that we do not just take an offensive stance against them; many good things can come from talking. This has helped us also to know them and to learn about their needs,” he said.
Biblioteca Pública President’s Report
By Ali Zerriffi
This report is about achievements and improvements but it is also about challenges and goals. This report is also meant as a call for a realistic assessment of the affairs of the Biblioteca Pública and the role it must continue to play in our community. While this role may look to the outsider as the traditional role of a book-lending institution, those of us in the community who work as volunteers and employees and those whose loyalty and support have helped bring about some of the improvements at the library know that its mission is more important than ever and that mission is expanding to meet the challenges of the future.
The youth of today, in the Municipality of San Miguel de Allende, know what the Biblioteca is offering them the same way as previous generations recognized the help they received while they were students and working on forging their future. The challenges of tomorrow for all institutions involved in education, private and governmental, are to provide the type of education that will match the needs of our times and in our society, an education that will provide a student with meaningful employment, but also with the opportunity to be a full participant in his/her own society and culture.
The Biblioteca Pública has engaged in the past year in various discussions with educational institutions, national and foreign, that aim at establishing programs of continuous education and professional training that will benefit the people of our community.
I will come back later to the topic of the future of the library and the various projects that have been initiated at the end of my presentation but now I want to go through the various departments and underline their work and their future plans.
Administration
Under the leadership of Miguel Kegel, the administration has moved forward on the path toward an efficient and responsible organization. Procedures have been put in place in collaboration with department heads and performance reviews have become a constant exercise rather than just a salary adjustment process. Employees are asked to constantly search for ways to improve their daily tasks and the service provided to our membership and the public in general. Budgetary limitations have become a serious concern and while we all strive toward efficiency and productivity, the future of the library’s finances has to be addressed urgently and we will need the community to understand the inner workings of the library and its financial situation. The present administration has been able to do some long-needed repair and upgrade work thanks to the generous support of a few supporters who recognized the urgency of the situation, but the sheer yearly increase of overhead costs and regular maintenance will put us in a deficit position unless we start getting regular financial aid from the community. It should be stated again that the Biblioteca Pública, unlike its Canadian or American counterparts, does not receive any government subsidies and depends on its own enterprises for its financial survival. Our membership fees do not even cover the 250,000 pesos that were spent on book acquisition this past year. We fortunately have a few donors who help us with necessary out-of-budget expenses and who contribute yearly to the Scholarship Fund but a more general community support has to be generated to keep the library not only solvent but also relevant to the needs of the times.
“Managing a library for public use goes beyond security and maintenance. It involves constant evaluation of how effectively the programs and amenities serve patrons and the mission of the library itself. A good management effort keeps the library operating in peak form by responding to evolving needs of users with ongoing improvements and refinements” (Project for Public Spaces and The Americans for Libraries Council).
As of today it is mostly the in-house enterprises that provide the revenue to support the Biblioteca and its various services and give the educational and financial support to the youth of the Municipality of San Miguel de Allende as per its mission statement and the terms of the Commodato that allocated us this wonderful space 50 years ago.
Atención
The newspaper represents the most important source of income for the Biblioteca and, at the same time, the most important challenge. Our editor, Suzanne Ludekens and her rather small team, have to respond to the demands of our readership and the demands of our business partners and it must be said that these demands are often exigent and not always the same. The scarcity of talented (and bilingual) local contributors makes every issue a juggler’s challenge to balance editorial content and advertising in its various forms. Recruiting employees with linguistic talent in two languages and adequate knowledge of the trade is a daunting task, made even more complicated by the laws that regulate the hiring of foreigners. We get great help from volunteers and all considered, the publication has seen an enormous improvement over the last few years both in its artistic layout and its editorial content. The newspaper has received support from the board in helping the general manager and the editor to review their internal processes and with the acquisition of the equipment and software needed for their particular enterprise.
Atención needs to be considered as a stand-alone enterprise, accountable to the board of directors representing the library membership. It needs to have financial reserves to invest in human resources and training and it needs to invest in equipment and software to maintain its leadership in the marketplace and move forward into new fields of action.
Bodega de Sorpresas
The domain of the “Señoras,” the Bodega de Sorpesas has represented over the years a constant stream to the scholarship fund fed by community donations of books, clothes and household items. The library and the scholarship recipients are extremely grateful to all the volunteers who have been doing the Thursday sale for years and we also welcome the new residents who have joined the program this year.
Café and Teatro Santa Ana
The café and the theater are grouped in this report because they exemplify what efficient communication between departments can achieve. These two areas have achieved remarkable results by coordinating their activities and, with the help of the newspaper, maximizing results while providing better service to their patrons. José Luis Mendoza and Juan Carlos Alamilla have had a great year and expect an even more spectacular 2008.
House & Garden Tour
Overall 2007 was not a good year for the House & Garden Tour because of the various political and economic events. Jennifer Hamilton and her team of volunteers managed to best last year’s numbers by the end of the year and we hope that the political and economic outlook will improve in 2008 and the impact of the new passport regulations will diminish over time. There is also a clear indication that we have more visitors from Canada, thanks to the strength of their currency. The board is considering various options to help the House & Garden Tour maintain its role as a player in the tourist industry of San Miguel and a strong contributor to the financial equilibrium of the Biblioteca.
Library
The office of the librarian, under the leadership of Rosario Muñoz and our head librarian Juan Mañuel Fajardo, has had a tumultuous year because of the major change that took place at the Biblioteca: the migration to a new library software. The new system called Absys 6.1 allows for quick and easy book search in the catalogue either in situ or through our web page and material can be reserved through the internet. Research can be done in three languages: Spanish, English and French. Members also can check their account for loans, reservations and overdue materials. The system, worth 750,000 pesos, costs the library less than 200,000 pesos thanks to the donations in kind obtained from the supplier and the financial help of a few donors who understood the necessity of the acquisition. The same generosity prevailed in helping us protect our collection when a benefactor paid for half of the security system that has been put in place this year. The 3M system is state of the art equipment: two arches made out of anticorrosive high resistance plastic conform to the norms of security of the American with Disabilities Act.
Library personnel took advantage again this year of the training and networking available through the Mexican Association of Librarians and both Juan Manuel Fajardo and Eduardo Sanchez went to the annual event to attend workshops. Eduardo Sanchez, who runs the Sala Infantil, did a presentation at the Book Fair that took place in Dolores Hidalgo last November to promote reading among children of school age.
Like any department at the Biblioteca, a day’s work could never be achieved without the help of the volunteers, chiefly among them Robin Velte whose enthusiasm and dedication have been instrumental in inspiring others in and out of the library to provide assistance with their time and their financial support. We receive on a regular basis new titles both in Spanish and English in our “new arrival section.”
La Tienda
Our little gift shop has been the star this past year thanks to Stephanie Hough who helped redesign it and stock it with the proper merchandise. Its financial success is also due to the work of its management led by Emma Salazar. Now we hope to continue making our gift shop a “must visit” stop in San Miguel.
Scholarship Program
In the tradition begun by Stirling Dickinson, the Biblioteca has granted scholarships this year to students attending middle and high schools. This year 123 students received 1,000 pesos each so that they can attend their local schools and eventually continue on to university. This year we also awarded 112 university scholarships of 6,000 pesos each, an amount that most of the students will have to supplement with part-time jobs and loans from family members. Tuition in many universities has risen and we may have to increase the scholarship amounts soon.
The library’s scholarship program reflects in a way the changes happening in San Miguel. In just a few years, the number of students receiving university scholarships from the library has more than doubled and we expect this trend to continue as the demand grows. There are, of course, other organizations that provide financial help to students in our community and we need to coordinate our efforts with the other organizations to make sure that resources are allocated fairly and students are properly oriented in their quest for higher education and better life opportunities. There is also a great need to fill the void that exists in San Miguel by opening educational facilities that are affordable, if not entirely free, and this need has to be addressed by all of us in the community. There are several initiatives that have been taken by the municipal government under the leadership of President Jesus Correa and in conjunction with universities like UNAM, the University of Northern Guanajuato, the University of
Texas Pan American and our own Biblioteca Pública. Soon, San Miguel students will not have to travel out of town to find affordable education and soon training programs at every level will be available right here in town so that our youth can stay right here and become full participants in the life of our community.
At the library we help this educational effort thanks to the work of all our staff and our volunteers and also thanks to the support of the community, but the challenges are getting bigger and more urgent as the political and financial pictures change in our hemisphere, and indeed around the world, and the need to make room for future generations becomes more imperative. The challenges confronting the youth of tomorrow are also our challenges as parents, educators, civil servants and men and women engaged in the private sector.
Fundraising/Finances
The challenge mentioned above is something that the library has been dealing with for over 50 years. The challenge that faces the library itself is of a financial nature, of course, but it is also a challenge of leadership and guidance.
The overhead costs, the various library programs and the 5 percent of the total budget that is allocated to the Scholarship Fund are eating up all the income produced by our internal enterprises. Our treasurer, Ken Rowland, will give more details on the financial situation of the library but I can affirm right now that we need the community to start thinking of the Biblioteca as an institution worthy of support .It is an organization that has proven its worth over decades, that has been successful in its mission and has now an even more important mission to fulfill as a player in the field of education and training. To accomplish our goals we need talented people to come forward to join the board, to participate in committee work, to help organize fundraising events and to help us set up a “friends of the library” support group.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as a board member of this great institution for the last five years, almost four of them as president. It has also been a great comfort and support to work with the various people that have been on the board during these years, with the amazing people on the staff whose collaboration has made all our achievements possible and with our corps of volunteers without whom none of our programs could succeed, none of our various tasks could be completed.
I must conclude, however, with a plea for help. The community must understand that:
“To succeed today, libraries must master many different roles—some traditionally associated with libraries, some not. Their new, multifaceted missions must be supported with great design, strong amenities and popular programs. That’s a lot to juggle, but when everything works together, libraries become places that anchor community life and bring people together.” This again from Project for Public Spaces and the Americans for Libraries Council.
The Biblioteca Pública actually scored extremely well on their 14 points that make a library great but the Biblioteca needs help, financial help, but it needs also people willing to work on the various committees, people who can devote a little bit of time to share their talent and knowledge for the benefit of us all.
Biblioteca Pública Board Election
Tue, Mar 4, 11am–2pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
Current membership necessary
Due to other community commitments Sioban O’Donoghue will not run for Director-at-large in the forthcoming election.
Serving as part of our community
By Robin Loving
Service, whether to help animals, children, our culture, education, the elderly, the environment, or something else that resonates with us, is a privilege that many people in San Miguel are proud to be able to share. The 100-plus service organizations in San Miguel are proud to have so many to serve, but there’s always more to be done, and these organizations are always seeking more folks to join them. The Biblioteca Pública is hosting the First Annual Volunteer Fair, so we invite you to come explore, discover, broaden your horizons—get involved!
“Why are we here if not to help one another?” responded Bill Boyle, a friend I’d asked about the meaning of life long ago when I was just beginning my career and he was just completing his. Made sense to me then, and then I discovered the Rotary Club whose motto is Service Above Self. I then discovered the Lions Club, whose motto is We Serve.
Free to the public, The Volunteer Fair will have more than 30 exhibits from local community service organizations. So, if you feel an urge to serve or simply want to become more integrated into the fabric of San Miguel, drop by Friday, February 29 or Saturday, March 1, between 10am and 2pm either day to see where you might best fit.
For more information, contact Judy Boston, Biblioteca Volunteer Coordinator, at bostonjudith@yahoo.com.
Robin Loving is a full-time volunteer for any cause that supports the Casa Hogar Kids. She may be reached at
robin@robinloving.com and/or at 152-3709, SMA; 925-418-8003, US.
Volunteer Fair
Fri, Feb 29–Sat, Mar 1, 10am–2pm
Biblioteca Pública
Free
These organizations want YOUR help:
Rotary Club of San Miguel
Casa Hogar Kids
Mujeres en Cambio
Jovenes Adelante
El Charco del Ingenio
Save a Mexican Mutt
Fondacion Internacional de Ninos
Hospice San Miguel
Sociedad Audubon de Mexico
Amigos de Animales
San Miguel School of English
Instituto de Conservacion de la Cultura
CASA
Biblioteca Publica
Centro de Crecimiento
Center for Global Justice
Feed the Hungry
Sociedad Protectora de Animales (SPA
Without volunteers, a lost civilization
By Erma Bombeck
Reprinted from At Wit’s End by Erma Bombeck, 1975 Field Enterprises, Inc. Courtesy of Field Newspaper Syndicate
Erma Bombeck, a syndicated columnist and author of several books, wrote frequently about giving and volunteering.
I had a dream the other night that every volunteer in this country, disillusioned with the lack of compassion, had set sail for another country.
As I stood smiling on the pier, I shouted, “Good-bye, creamed chicken. Good-bye phone committees. So long, Disease-of-the-Month. No more saving old egg cartons. No more getting out the vote. Au Revoir, playground duty, bake sales and three-hour meetings.”
As the boat got smaller and they could no longer hear my shouts, I reflected, “Serves them right. A bunch of yes people. All they had to do was to put their tongue firmly against the roof of their mouth and make an O sound. Nnnnnoooooooo. Nnnnnnnnooooooo. Nnoo! No! It would certainly have spared them a lot of grief. Oh well, who needs them!”
The hospital was quiet as I passed it. Rooms were void of books, flowers, and voices. The children’s wing held no clowns.
The Home for the Aged was like a tomb. The blind listened for a voice that never came. The infirm were imprisoned by wheels on a chair that never moved. Food grew cold on trays that would never reach the mouths of the hungry.
All the social agencies had closed their doors, unable to implement their programs of scouting, recreation, drug control, Big Sisters/Big Brothers, YW, YM, the retarded, the crippled, the lonely, and the abandoned.
The health agencies had a sign in the window, “Cures for cancer, muscular dystrophy, birth defects, multiple sclerosis, emphysema, sickle cell anemia, kidney disorders, heart diseases, etc., have been cancelled due to lack of interest.
The schools were strangely quiet with no field trips, no volunteer aids on the playground or in the classrooms…as were the colleges where scholarships and financial support were no more.
The flowers on the church altars withered and died. Children in day nurseries lifted their arms but there was no one to hold them in love. Alcoholics cried out in despair, but no one answered, and the poor had no recourse for health care or legal aid.
But the saddest part of the journey was the symphony hall which was dark and would remain that way. So were the museums that had been built and stocked by volunteers with the art treasures of our times.
I fought in my sleep to regain a glimpse of the ship of volunteers just one more time. It was to be my last glimpse of civilization…as we were meant to be.
Festival of Cuban Culture
The Fifth Festival of Cuban Culture will be held in San Miguel de Allende from March 8 to March 16. This year it will be dedicated to Benny Moré, a Cuban musician, on the 45th anniversary of his death.
A literary, musical and arts and crafts exhibition will be held in the Jardín, offering more than 5,000 titles of Cuban authors, CDs and different objects related to Cuban culture.
All the activities are free: For more information visit www.cubaensanmiguel.com
or call 415-152 0900 or 415-152 7041.
Fabiola García leaves International Relations Office
By Jesús Ibarra
| Fabiola García, who for two years has worked in the Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations Department, is leaving her current position as coordinator of the International Relations Office to seek employment in Mexico City. | |
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Fabiola spoke with Atención reporter Jesús Ibarra about her achievements during her tenure with the local government and what San Miguel and its people have given to her.
Jesús Ibarra: Why are you leaving the Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations Department?
Fabiola García: There are several reasons. I feel I have done a good job during these two years, but I believe there is always a time to close one door and open another, and the moment has come. I have several opportunities in Mexico City, and I want to take advantage of them.
JI: Can you tell me something about your background?
FG: I am a tourism business administrator. I graduated from Anahuac del Sur University in Mexico City, where I was born, so I am returning to my roots. All my jobs have focused on public relations.
JI: What positions have you held during your stay in the department?
FG: The first two months I was an assistant coordinator in the International Relations Office, and then I had the opportunity to be the coordinator.
JI: What have been your mayor achievements during these two years?
FG: My greatest achievement has been serving people and seeing their faces, full of satisfaction, when I did my job well. In particular, I would mention Kids First, a program in which U.S. doctors come and operate on children who have difficulty walking. Also, the veterinary campaign that we organized last year benefited 300 families; for most of them, animals are key to their survival. It was also of great satisfaction to succeed in helping get alimony for women who had been abandoned by their husbands.
JI: What will you take away from San Miguel in terms of personal relationships?
FG: I have made a lot of friends and have learned a lot from the people I have worked with. The residents here are extraordinary. I would like to thank Cristóbal Finkelstein, the current city secretary, because he has always shown professionalism and maturity; Suzanne Ludekens and Miguel Kegel for their friendship and support; Mayor Jesús Correa for his support and enthusiasm; and the people who worked with me during these two years: Fernanda Esparza, Javier Cerritos, Lolita, Sandra and Mari.
JI: What did San Miguel give to you as a city?
FG: It leaves me with great memories. It is a city I would return to to live someday, a city with an extraordinary quality of life. I know I am leaving many open doors in San Miguel.