Maine International Links : Maine International Resource Directory
The Maine International Resource Directory provides information on internationally-involved organizations which are either Maine-based or have Maine representatives. The Directory is published by the World Affairs Council of Maine to promote dialogue among those interested in international affairs and to increase Maine’s capacity for public education in the field.
Entries in the Directory are in alphabetical order . Each entry contains contact information and a brief description of the organization. The Maine 207 area code is omitted for Maine telephone and fax numbers.
Corrections and additions to the Directory are welcome, and should be sent to the World Affairs Council (E-mail)
This web publication of the Maine International Resource Directory was edited by former Program Director Lorna Endreson. Revisions to the original 2000 printed edition were accomplished during 2002 and 2003 by University of Southern Maine student interns Antonina Zykova, Megan Niles, and Elaine Heddings Saejung.
Aegean Arts and Cultural Exchange, USM
Contact: Charles & Nancy Grant Larry & Stephanie Ralph
Bath, Me 04530
Rte 177
Web Site: www.centerforculturalexchange.org
Council on International Educational Exchange
300 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
www.ciee.org.
Contact: Adam Rubin, Program Director
Telephone: 207-553-4051
Fax: 207-553-5051
The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is the leading U.S. non-governmental education organization. CIEE creates and administers programs that allow high school and university students and educators to study and teach abroad.
Into the chilly postwar world of 1947, CIEE launched the next generation of study abroad programs, the first since they'd been suspended during World War II. Senators and scholars worried about how to increase international understanding and establish trust between nations. As soon as there was enough capacity aboard trans-Atlantic ships to carry students, CIEE programs began teaching.
For U.S. high shool and university students, CIEE administers approximately 104 study abroad programs in over 35 host countries and teaching programs in Chile, China, Spain, and Thailand. Educators can participate in 26 summer seminars in 28 countries.
The Trainee Program - a category of the J-1 Visa - constitutes one of CIEE's core areas of competency. During its nearly 20 years as administrator of this program, CIEE has supported more than 50,000 participants in their endeavor to expand their knowledge and skills and to enhance their professional qualifications. The knowledge and experience accumulated over this time, along with an enduring commitment to quality, has allowed CIEE to remain the largest sponsor in this category and an overall leader in program administration.
CIEE's Work and Travel USA Program makes it possible for international students to explore life in the United States. The program is designed so that overseas students can become more than tourists, experiencing life in the U.S. firsthand by working alongside U.S. citizens in temporary employment. CIEE has been designated by the U.S. State Department to administer this J-1 Visa program since 1969.
Web Site: www.cav2000.org
Citizens for Global Solutions, Maine Chapter
PO. Box 39
Waldoboro, ME 04752
Contact: Thesil Morlan, Co-Chair, Maine Chapter
Telephone: 207-832-6863
Fax: 207-832-6863
E-mail: thesil@midcoast.com
Website: www.midcoast.com/thesil/CfGS-Maine.html
Citizens for Global Solutions envisions a future in which nations work together lawfully to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. To that end, it educates about global interdependence, communicates global concerns to public officials, and develops proposals to create, reform and strengthen international institutions such as the United Nations.
Web Site: www.ceimaine.org
Web Site: www.coa.edu
Web Site: www.ciee.org/study
Contact: David McKittrick
Eastern Maine Community College
354 Hogan Road
Bangor, ME 04401
Contact: Dan Crocker, Assistant Academic Dean
Telephone: 941-4600 FAX: 941-4608
E-mail: dcrocker@emcc.edu Web Site: www.emcc.edu
Eastern Maine Technical College offers certificates, degrees and diplomas in 20 technologies, preparing technicians and skilled workers f or careers in mechanical, engineering and construction industries, allied health professions, and business occupations. Short-term and specialized training and retraining courses are also available to business, industry and the community. The college conducts a program in culinary arts with an institution in Quebec, and it participates in exchanges with an Irish institution in cooperation with the Maine Community College and University of Maine systems.
Eastport-Husavik, Iceland, Sister City
Eastport Port Authority
Madison Street
Eastport, ME 04631
Contact: John Sullivan, III
Telephone: 853-4614
Email: johnsullivan@portofeastport.org Website: www.portofeastport.org
Ethnic Minority Coalition
P.O. Box 10055
Portland, ME 04104
Contact:: Reza Jalali, Chair
Telephone: 822-0418 & 773-3392 FAX: 822-0165
Maine has become home to thousands of refugees and immigrants who have come to the United States seeking safety from political and religious persecution, wars and famine. The Ethnic Minority Collection was founded in 1995 to create a platform for members of refugee and immigrant communities and their advocates to voice their concerns and offer their help in building bridges of friendship and understanding with other communities. The coalition is anon-profit, Maine-based grassroots community organization engaged in community building projects such as Diversity Day celebration and raising public awareness on diversity and refugee issues.
Finnish-American Heritage Society of Maine
P.O. Box 294
6 Maple Street
South Paris, ME 04281
Contact: Helen Heath, Past President
Telephone: 674-3094
Finnish-American Society
P.O. Box 488,
Warren, ME 04864.
Info: (207) 845-2253
Website: www.geocities.com
The Society was formed in 1982 to preserve and make available historical and other material to perpetuate the events, customs and traditions of Finnish culture and to disseminate this knowledge to all interested persons. Membership in the Society is open to any person of Finnish origin, or any person currently or formerly married to someone of Finnish descent who is interested in the work of the organization. The Society has an active social schedule, and its members are available to present programs including Finnish history, archives, dance, costumes and food as scheduling permits.
Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME)
Po Box 207
Augusta, ME 04332
Contact: James Torbert, Advisory Board President
Telephone: 549-3149
Website: www.umaine.edu/flame
FLAME provides professional development for second language teachers through State Conference and Summer Institutes :networking through our website ,newsletter, and Resource Directory, as well as through our summer participation in national organizations and public advocacy for the notion that learning another language should be considered normal part of everyone’s education. WE are the umbrella organization representing all second language educators in the state of Maine, from those dealing with preschoolers to those dealing with graduate students, adult professionals and amateurs seeking to improve existing language schools.
Forum Francophone des Affaires (FFA-LJSA)
179 Lisbon Street
P.O. Box 3182
Lewiston, ME 04243-3182
Contact: Thomas Garriepy, Executive Director
Telephone: 782-2445 FAX: 782-6905
E-mail: execdirector@ffa-usa.org Web Site: www.ffa-i.org
The FFA- USA is the official representative of the United States in the Forum Francophone Des affaires, an international trade organization focused on developing business opportunities and trade in over 50 member countries around the world.
Fox Intercultural Consulting Services
239 Foreside Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
Contact: Suzanne Fox, President
Telephone: 207-781-3767
Web: www.FoxIntercultural.net
Fox Intercultural Communication Services is a cross-cultural training and consulting firm focused on helping businesses, individuals, educational institutions and local communities develop a multicultural and global approach. FICS believes that establishing, developing and maintaining long term global relationships is critical to success. FICS provides the cross-cultural awareness, global communication skills and country specific background so participants are fully prepared for the cultural differences they may encounter at home or abroad. Specific programs include: Strategies for Effective Cross-Cultural Communication, China Briefings, South Korea Briefings, America for the Non-American, Cross-Cultural Issues in Patient Care. Programs can be custom designed based on specific needs.
Franco-American Centre
University of Maine
164 College Avenue
Orono, ME 04473
Contact: Yvon A. Labbe, Director
Telephone: 581-3764 FAX: 581-1455
E-mail: labbe@maine.edu Website: http://www.umaine.edu
The Franco American Centre at the University of Maine serves as a gathering place for students, faculty and community members of Franco-American descent, and as a source of information about Franca-American history, language and culture. From the beginning, the Centre’s purpose has been to represent the Franco-America community and to integrate the Franco- American reality into the academic, cultural and social life of the University of Maine. The center also serves as a liaison to other francophone communities and nations throughout the world.
Friends Camp
P.O. Box 84
East Vassolbaro, ME 04935 (winter)
RR1, Box 1110
South China, ME 04358 (summer)
Contact: Susan Morris
Telephone: 923-3975 FAX 923-3905
E-mail: smorris@oivot.net Web Site: www.friendscamp.org
Friends Camp is a co-ed residential camp for children ages 7-17. It is owned by the Society of Friends and it is open to all children regardless of race or religion This is a non-competitive environment. Very creative programming permits children to choose their programs, thereby encouraging decision making and commitment. Emphasis is on values and ethics. Programs includes drama, photography, sailing, canoeing, pottery, sports, day tripping. Multiple of two week sessions are available. Write or call the director for more information.
Friends International
P.O. Box 8506
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: R.L. Bergeron
Telephone: 775-0547
Email: friends@gwi.net Website: home.gwi.net
Friends International, Inc. is an umbrella organization that supports various projects, including a repository of literature on intercultural subjects at Andover College and Sailing for Peace, a multi-cultural program which has several donated boats in Portland that are used to teach at-risk young people how to work together and understand other cultures. Other projects in developing countries, primarily Latin America, are found f or those wishing to travel and help others.
Friends of Pueblo Nuevo
P.O. Box 525
Temple, ME 04984
Contact: Rita Kimber
Telephone: 778-3168
E-mail: rrkimber@mepolink.net
Friends of Pueblo Nueva is a small group of Farmington residents who have been helping a high school in northern Nicaragua financially for several years. The name of the school is Institution National Heroes y Martires de Pueblo Nuevo, Estleli, and it is characterized by dedicated teachers and staff, quality education and need for ongoing help. It is hoped that an exchange of faculty and/or students would take place at some point in the future when means permit.
Governor’s Academy for Language and Culture
5742 Little Hall (Room 201)
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5742
Contact: Tina Passman, Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Literature
Telephone: 581-2072
E-mail: passman@maine.maine.edu
A Learning Results initiative at the University of Maine, the Governor’s Academy for language and culture is a 10-day immersion language summer camp that creates a unique and active environment for learning language and culture in French, German and Spanish: provides technological and other experiences both in the language and in English, exposing students to Maine global links; teaches through athletic activities, cultural activities and field trips, modeling real-life linguistic and cultural situations and explores academic and career possibilities f or a successful and fulfilling future.
Greely Junior High - - Namioka, Aomori, Japan Sister School
303 Main Street
Cumberland Center, ME 04021
Contact: Betsy Stout
Telephone: 829-4817 FAX: 8294819
E-mail: betsy stout@msad5l.org Website: www.msad51.org/JapanExch
Greely Junior High has coordinated a student exchange with Namioka Junior High since 1992. In 1996 a Sister School agreement was signed, and Greely began hosting a small group of women each fall from Namioka. Students from North Yarmouth, Cumberland and Chebeague Island have made four visits to Namioka, Aomori Prefecture, and each year students and chaperones from Namioka visit Maine during the last week of March.
H.O.M.E., Inc. (Homeworkers Organized for More Employment)
P.O. Box 10
Orland, ME 04472
Contact: Lucy Poulin, Co-founder & President
Telephone: 469-7961 FAX: 469-1023
E-mail: info@homecoop.net Web Site: www.homecoop.net
H.O.M.E. is part of the World Emmaus Movement. H.O.M.E. Inc. was organized in 1970 as an outlet for homeworkers’ crafts by low-income local people. H.O.M.E. has grown into a multifaceted community development organization based on meeting people’s needs. H.O.M.E. includes a free health clinic, soup kitchen, food bank, homeless shelters, a learning center with daycare, literacy and GED tutoring, house construction, job and craft training: pottery, leather, wood and weaving shops; recovery barn, greenhouse and farmers’ market, sawmill and shingle mill. H.O.M.E. has established an Emmaus mission in San Juan Comalpa, Chimaltenanago, Guatemala.
Hancock County Medical Mission
P.O. Box 241
Ellsworth, ME 04605-0241
Contact: Beverly Henion
Telephone:963-4052
Website: www.hcmm.homestead.com
The Hancock County Medical Mission is a team of health care providers and non medical volunteers from the community interested in sharing skills with the third world nations. The mission journeys annually to under served areas of Ecuador to provide free surgical, medical, dental and eye care to the poorest citizens of that nation.
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
P.O. Box 518
Deer Isle, ME 04627
Contact: Stuart Kestenbaum, Director
Telephone: 348-2306 FAX: 348-2307
E-mail: haystack@haystack-mtn.org Web Site: www.haystack-mtn.org
Haystack is an international nonprofit studio program in the arts offering summer workshops for crafts makers and visual artists at all skill levels. Haystack Mountain School of Crafts was founded in 1950 by the late Mary Beasom Bishop(1885-1972). Established as a research and studio program in the arts, its mission is to teach fine craftsmanship, develop latent or inherent creative ability and carry on research in connection with the crafts . Haystacks core program includes six summer workshops running two and three weeks. Additionally the school offers outreach programs for Maine high school students and local residents. Among its programs are studio based workshops for teens, artist residencies for local/ regional residents, an annual lecture and performance series, a monograph series and symposiums and conferences.
Heartwood College of Art
123 York Street
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
Contact: Berri Kramer, President
Telephone: 985-0985 FAX: 985-6333
E-mail: hca@heartwoodcollegeofart.org Web Site: www.heartwoodcollegeofart.org
Heartwood is a small art college offering Associate and Bachelor’s degrees in Fine Art, Design & Crafts, and Photography. Community classes are offered year round with an extensive summer program for all ages. Typical summer courses include visual art, jewelry, ceramics, felting, photography, fiber arts, and fine arts. Heartwood has a small gallery with exhibits changing monthly. Recent exhibits have included African Masks, Quilt Arts from Maine , sculpture by Sumner Weinbaum and a brilliant exhibit of Beverly Hallam’s works. Heartwood hosts artists from around the world, including Tang Dongping, photographer from Beijing , and Edwin Sulca, master weaver from Peru
Hebron Academy
P.O. Box 307
Hebron, ME 04238
Contact: Bill Chase, Director of International Programs
Telephone: 966-2100 Fax: 966-1111
Email: WChase@hebronacademy.org Website: www.hebronacademy.org
Founded in 1804, coed , grades 6-12, boarding and day college preparatory school. Hebron Academy is an inclusive and rigorous academic program. Within this caring community students are assisted in learning values of tolerance, understanding and acceptance of self and others plus an appreciation of fine arts, physical and mental fitness, and our natural environment. Hebron hosts a substantial number of international students, and it has developed an English as a Second Language (ESL) program and a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) program to assist them in developing their English proficiency.
Heifer Project International - Northern Region
RR1, Box 101
Brooksville, ME 04617
Contact: Anne Bossi
Telephone: 326-0816
Web Site: www.heifer.org
Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, and founded in 1944, Heifer Project International is a faith-based, ecumenical private voluntary organization which has supported programs in more than 116 countries and helped four million people. It provides livestock (through micro credit in the form of more than 20 kinds of animals) and training in some 300 projects in 38 countries, helping hungry people feed themselves, earn income and care for the environment. There are currently several such projects in Maine.
Hidden Valley Camp
Freedom, ME 04941
Contact: Peter Kossen
Telephone: 342-5177
Email: summer@hiddenvalleycamp.com Website: www.hiddenvalleycamp.com
Hidden Valley is an international performing arts camp for children ages 8-13. It also features a herd of llamas, creative arts, water activities and trips in Maine’s outdoors. The camp’s staff and visiting performers come from six continents.
Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine
P.O. Box 4645
Augusta, ME 04330-1644
Contact: Sharon Nichols, Executive Director
Telephone: 993-2620 FAX: 993-2620
E-mail: hhrc@iuno.com Web Site: www.hhrc.org
Incorporated in 1985, the Center’s mission is "To foster public education about the Holocaust and issues of human rights which grow out of reflection on that historic event.” The Center sponsors in-service workshops for educators, Diversity Leadership Institutes for teenagers, educational tours of Poland, traveling photographic exhibits, programming for schools, religious and community groups. The Center published “The Spirit That Moves Us,” a two-volume resource guide teaching about diversity, prejudice, human rights and the Holocaust, for teachers of grades K-4 and 5-8; it also produced Maine Survivors Remember the Holocaust,” an Emmy-nominated documentary.
Husson College
One College Circle
Bangor, ME 04401
Contact: William Beardsley, President
Telephone: 941-7000 FAX: 941-7988
Website: www.husson.edu
Husson’s undergraduate and graduate programs in Business and Health-related professions attract a substantial number of international students, and approximately 100 from over 30 countries are currently enrolled. The college’s International Center for Language Studies offers a full-time intensive English program at the Bangor campus. Husson has formal relationships with Aomori University and Bunsai Gakuen University in Japan, and it is currently engaged in a project to offer an RN completion program to nurses from the Republic of Korea. Husson has sponsored the International Gas Symposium, and it offers an undergraduate program in International Business.
Immigration Law Group, LLC
57 Exchange Street
Portland, Maine 04101
207.871.0099 (phone)
207.871.0088 (fax)
email: info@immigration-group.com
www.immigration-group.com
Immigration Law Group, LLC is a full service immigration law firm, representing employers and individuals. Founded and directed by James O'Keefe, a Harvard Law graduate with over a decade of experience in the field of immigration law, ILG is devoted to helping clients navigate the tangled web that is US immigration law. We provide assistance with all nonimmigrant visas, green card cases, citizenship applications and J-1 waivers.
India Association of Maine
254 Park Avenue
Auburn, ME 04210-4114
Contact: Ashok Sharma
Telephone: 783-2946
E-mail: asharma@auburnschl.edu
The association is a non-profit organization, comprising some 50 members from families which have settled in southern and central Maine. There are several major get-togethers throughout the year, including Festival of Holi, Navratri and Diwali, the festival of lights. There is a summer picnic, some children learn to perform Indian dances, and the organization takes part in Portland’s Diversity Day.
Indochina Development Foundation
P.O. Box 468
Hallowell, ME 04347
Contact: Peter Thibeault, Executive Director
Telephone: 581-3806 FAX: 623-9895
Intercultural Press
374 U.S. Route On
P.O. Box 700
Yarmouth, ME 04096
Contact: Toby S. Frank, President
Telephone: 846-5168 FAX: 846-5181
E-mail: books@interculturalpress.com Web Site: www.interculturalpress.com
Intercultural Press, Inc., founded in 1980, is a veteran publisher of materials relating to the fields of intercultural relations and multiculturalism. This includes living and working in foreign countries, the impact of cultural differences on personal and professional relationships, and the challenges of interacting with people from unfamiliar cultures, whether in one’s own country or abroad. The Press markets to organizations, institutions, and individuals engaged in international education, development work, multinational business, and those dealing with diversity in a domestic context.
International Adoption Services Center
P.O. Box 56
Gardiner, ME 04345-005 6
Contact: Grace Brace, Executive Director
Telephone: 582-8842 FAX: 582-9027
E-mail: l053422617@compuserve.com Website: www.adoptioninternational.org
The Center works to provide secure and permanent homes for orphans born abroad through adoption by American citizens. Adoption home studies, counseling, education classes, placement of children, preparing reports and other paperwork for an adoption, travel preparation, and ongoing adoption support are all elements of our services to children and families. We encourage calls from Maine residents and also those living elsewhere in the United States.
International Christian Fellowship
Chestnut Street Methodist Church
P.O. Box 1975
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: Reverend Mutima Peter Telephone: 761-6610
Website: www.icfnl.comThe International Christian Fellowship conducts weekly meetings and other social events which provide opportunities for worship and support of Portland’s refugee community.
International Musical Arts Institute at Fryeburg Academy
Fryeburg, ME 04037 (summer)
1330 Beacon Street
Waban, MA 02468 (winter)
Contact: Eric Rosenblith, Artistic Director
Telephone: 935-7696 (summer), (617)965-4745 (winter)
Founded in 1997, the International Musical Arts Institute presents a four-week series of chamber music concerts at Fryeburg Academy during July. The Institute also offers music for Sunday church services, retirement homes and civic organizations and events. It comprises more than sixty musicians in residence, representing a wide spectrum of nationalities, including England, Poland, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Israel, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, Colombia, Spain and Finland.
Japan-America Society of Maine
P.O. Box 8461
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: David Fulenwider, President
Telephone: English: Lucy Sloan 207-771-0224; Japanese: Yaeko Collier, 207-774-6481FAX: 878-9440
Website: www.maine-japan.org
Founded in 1982, the Society is engaged in bringing the peoples of Japan and United States closer together in understanding, appreciation and cooperation. It is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan organization devoted to cultural, educational, business and public affairs. An all-volunteer association, JASM organizes cultural and educational activities throughout the year and co-sponsors Japan-related programs with other organizations and academic institutions. Information about all activities are available on the website.
Jewish Federation of Southern Maine
57 Ashmont Street
Portland, ME 04103
Contact: Marcy Pellegrino, Staff Associate, Community Relations Council
Telephone: 773-7254 FAX: 772-2234
The Federation’s objectives include coordinating, promoting and supporting the Jewish philanthropic, benevolent, educational, and communal activities in Southern Maine; fostering, developing and encouraging such agencies as will best promote the welfare of this community; cooperating with non-Jewish groups engaged in a similar effort to enrich the life of the community; strengthening the continuing relationship with the people of Israel and Jews throughout the world; and resettling refugees on an as-needed basis.
Killing Fields Survivors’ Society
23 Summer Street
Biddeford, ME 04005
Contact: Rotha Chan, President
Telephone: 874-7025 FAX: 874-7739
E-mail: rotha@cvbertours.com
The non-profit Society was formed in recognition and remembrance of the victims of the human tragedy that destroyed 20% of the Cambodian population between1975 and 1979. It seeks assurance that this Cambodian and global tragedy is not repeated and that those responsible are held accountable for their actions. With membership of survivors, their descendents, and committed members of the public, the Society’s goals are a Maine Day of Remembrance and creating a record of the victims of the Killing Fields. The Society’s public outreach includes a Day of Remembrance of Survivors on April 17 and workshops in schools.
Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership
P.O. Box 11281
Portland , ME 04104
Telephone: 207-347-6733
Fax: 207-347-6734
Email: info@konbitsante.org Website: www.konbitsante.org
Konbit Sante’s mission is to support the development of a sustainable health care system in Cap-Haitien , Haiti . Our aim is to build local capacity for Haitians to care for Haitians by improving the public health system rather than developing a secondary parallel system. We are a volunteer-driven organization, and our work involves teaching, forming supportive collaborations in a variety of health specialties, and hiring Haitian healthcare specialists and other professionals to supplement existing local staff. We also help improve medical infrastructure (computers, electricity, clean water). While the organization’s core work involves improving health care, the scope of our work is expanding based on the belief that the health of the community is influenced not only by the availability of quality health care, but also by other factors such as education, economic development/jobs, public infrastructure (such as water and sanitation), nutrition, and security.
Korean-American Friendship Association of Maine
49 Hillside Avenue
Cumberland, Maine 04021
Contact: Se-Ryun Chung, President
Telephone: 829-3932
Email: schung1@maine.rr.com
Kotlas-Waterville Area Sister City Connection
P.O. Box 1747
Waterville, ME 04903-1747
Contact: Gregor Smith, Newsletter Editor
Telephone: 872-7293
E-mail: gwsmith@colbv.edu Web Site: www.wtvl.net/kotlas
The Kotlas Connection strives to increase friendship and understanding between the peoples of Greater Waterville and Kotlas in Russia. It publishes a quarterly newsletter, organizes a day of workshops on Russia and Russian culture for middle school students, holds educational and cultural events in the Waterville area, and sponsors exchanges of people and ideas between Greater Waterville and Kotlas. It recently organized a high school exchange in which students explored environmental and economic issues affecting their communities respective river systems.
L/A Arts
721 Lisbon Street
Lewiston, ME 04240
Contact: Richard Willing, Executive Director
Telephone: 800-639-2919 FAX: 782-8192
E-mail: mail@laarts.org Web Site: www.laarts.org
L/A Arts is a community-based local arts agency, established in 1973, which presents various performances series in the Lewiston Auburn area of professional performing arts events in dance, music and family entertainment from around the world. L/A Arts also offers a summer theatre program for local youths. Its annual All Maine Invitational, a 6 week art exhibit culminating in an auctioning of each of the pieces, celebrates the work of Maine visual artists, and it collaborates with the Lewiston Auburn schools in a nationally-acclaimed program which brings artists into the schools to provide hands-on arts in education experiences for the cities' young people. L/A Arts also conducts a teacher training program designed to help teachers incorporate the arts into all areas of the curriculum.
Language Access for New Americans (LANA) at United Way of Greater Portland
400 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Project Director, Dolgormaa (Dolly) Hersom
Telephone: 874-1000 ext 311 FAX: 874-1007
Language Access for New Americans (LANA) strives to improve access to services in Maine for refugees and immigrants with limited English skills by increasing the number and improving the quality of interpreting and translation services. Portland is home to over 50 languages and is a place of ever increasing diversity. To reduce language barriers, LANA provides basic and advanced interpreter trainings and maintains a growing database of qualified interpreters who speak over 30 languages. LANA works with local non-profit organizations and businesses to educate them on working through linguistic and cultural barriers to open Portland to all of those who are staring new lives in the area.
Latino Health and Community Service Inc.
169 Ocean St. 204/205
South Portland Maine 04106
Contact: John Connors, Executive Director
Telephone: 347-7359
E-mail: jconn10471@aol.com Website: www.lulac.org
LULAC, founded in 1999, is a community alliance of Portland’s rapidly growing Latino population. The organization emphasizes voter registration, education advocacy, programs for the elderly, immigration rights, Latino news, Spanish reading and writing for adults, stay in school programs, Head Start, Hispanic Heritage Festivals, cultural events and sporting events as scholarship fund-raisers. The public is invited to attend its monthly meetings.
Let Cuba Live
P0 Box 245
Brunswick, ME 04011
Contact: Stan Loftier
Telephone: 725-1330 FAX: 373-0862
Website: www.letcubalive.org
By direct action, education and legislative efforts, the organization works to end the embargo and normalize relations with Cuba . It also promotes discussion of life in Cuba in order to learn from Cuban society. It is an all-volunteer, all grassroots organization with neither paid staff nor Board of Directors. It meets with interested groups to present slides and videos, and to discuss Cuban history, U.S. Cuban Relations, Cuban health care systems, economic development, and tourism, labor unions and religion.
Maine Education Department Bilingual Education / English as a Second Language Office
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0025
Contact: Dr. Barney Berube
Telephone: 624-6788 FAX: 624-6789
E-mail: barney.berube@state.me.us Website: www.state.me.us
Maine’s Bilingual/ESL education provides support to schools that enroll children for whom English is anew or second language. That support includes technical assistance and advisement, professional development, access to available state and federal funding support, and coordination with several agencies whose targeted customers are children new to America or who are language minorities. Assistance frequently includes areas of civil rights as well as cultural diversity.
Maine Labor Department Division of Migrant & Immigrant Services
185 Lancaster Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Juan Perez-Febles, Director
Telephone: 772-7619 FAX: 822-0221
E-mail: coe.economou@state.me.us Website: www.state.me.us/labor
The Division monitors workforce activities to identify pockets of migrant and immigrant workers throughout Maine, assisting these workers in procuring the employment and social services available to them, by coordinating with employers, other employees, labor unions, non-profit organizations, as well as federal and state agencies. The Division assures that U.S. workers are hired in accordance with the 50% regulation in the logging and agricultural industries, and aids employers in the hiring of foreign workers in the absence of qualified, available U.S. workers.
Maine-Aomori Prefecture, Japan, Sister State
Contact: Mike Kiernan
Telephone: 442-7907 FAX: 442-7908
Maine-Jilin Province, China, Sister State
62 Bowdoin Street
Portland, ME 04102
Contact: Fred Richardson
Telephone: 772-7161 FAX: 879-7914
Maine-Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, Sister State
18 Brentwood Road
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Contact: Steve Simonds, PresidentTelephone: 767-2819 FAX: 799-9734
E-mail: ssimonds@maine.rr.com
Maine has enjoyed a partnership with the state of Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil for over 30 years. Citizens from all walks of life in Maine and Rio Grande do Norte give their time, expertise and commitment to projects designed to improve the lives of people through cooperative social and economic development activities. Projects have dealt with a wide variety of subjects including health, education, natural resources and eco-tourism, student and faculty exchanges, family life and cultural exchanges.
Maine College of Art
97 Spring Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Christine Vincent, President
Telephone: 775-5098 FAX: 775-5087
E-mail: cvincent@meca.edu Web Site: www.meca.edu
Maine College of Art (MECA) offers courses relating to Asia with Professor Gan, specialist in Chinese Art History, Chinese culture, Japanese Art History, and Chini brush painting. MECA also has a student and faculty exchange program with Hanoi Fine Arts College, which was inaugurated in 1998 with support of Indochina Arts Partnership.
Maine Community College System
323 State Street
Augusta, ME 04330
Contact: Alice Kirkpatrick, Director of Public Affairs
Maine Community College System
3 Adams Street
South Portland, ME 04106
767-0116, ext. 4
Telephone: 767-0116 ext. 3 FAX: 767-0137
E-mail: info@mccs.me.edu Web Site: www.mccs.me.edu
MCCS is Maine’s comprehensive two year college system. Its public mission is to prepare Maine citizens for employment and/or transfer to four year college, and to create an educated and skilled workforce for Maine employers. Over 300 one and two year programs are available in a wide array of career studies as well as liberal arts. As part of its economic development mission, the Community colleges also offer customized training for business and industry, including specialized training for expanding firms though its Quality Centers Program. Maine's seven Community Colleges are located in Wells, South Portland, Auburn, Fairfield, Bangor, Presque Isle and Calais. Eight off-campus centers and online courses provide additional access for Maine citizens.
Maine Council for Social Studies
R1, Box 1162
South China, ME 04358
Contact: Gail Perry, China Middle School
Telephone: 445-2065 FAX: 445-3235
Web Site: www.memun.org/MCSS
The Maine Council for the Social Studies (MCSS) is the professional organization for educators and others interested in elementary and secondary school social studies. It has a membership of over 100 educators statewide, and it is the state affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies. Its newsletter is a valuable source of information on resources and opportunities in the social studies field, and it conducts an annual conference for educators.
Maine Families with Children from Asia
26 Hadfield Road
Minot, ME 04258
Contact: Colleen Quint
Telephone: 784-7726 FAX: 784-7718
E-mail: cquint@abacus.bates.edu Website: www.mefca.org
MeFCA is a nonprofit organization which serves as a resource for families who have adopted from Asia, or are waiting to adopt. It is a supportive network of families whose children come from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, India and other Asian countries. Events sponsored throughout the year include language and culture classes, potluck dinners and picnics, and an annual adoption day. Workshops and panel discussions explore the unique racial, cultural and medical issues that adoptive families face in Maine, and a newsletter, membership directory, and resource packet for adoptive families are produced.
Maine Foreign Affairs Education Fund
P.O. Box 8424
1 Pleasant Street
Portland, ME 04104-8424
Contact: Dan Kolbert
Telephone:879-7019 ext. 2
The Maine Foreign Affairs Education Fund focuses on the costs, benefits and content of United States foreign policy by bringing people from other countries to Maine and on sharing the experiences of Mainers who hove spent time in other lands. In addition to funding educational work by other Maine groups, the Fund sponsors its own projects, including conferences on international economics for laypeople, a theatre presentation from Nicaragua, and discussions of the Middle East situation surrounding the Gulf War. On-going projects include Let Cuba Live and anti-sweatshop organizing.
Maine Friends of Tibet
15 Jacques Lane
Windham, ME 04062
Contact: Rebecca Wing & Terry Fralich, Co-founders
Telephone:892-6394
E-mail: rebecca.wina@mei2000.com
Founded in 1993, Maine Friends of Tibet is a volunteer organization that supports the preservation of Tibetan culture and the liberation of Tibet from Chinese occupation. The organization raises funds for Tibetan orphans living in India, The Gift of Sight program, The Siddartha School in Ladakh, and The Jamyang Choling Institute for Buddhist Woman. Maine Friends of Tibet collaborates with Maine Buddhist organizations to help bring Tibetan Buddhist teachers to the state.
Maine Geographic Alliance
University of Maine at Farmington
Roberts Learning Center
270 Maine Street
Farmington, ME 04938
Contact: Cathleen McAnneny
Telephone: 778-7443 FAX: 778-7418
E-mail: McAnneny@maine.edu
The Maine Geographic Alliance (MGA) was established in 1991 with the support of the National Geographic Society. MGA is a network of K-12 teachers, university professors, professional geographers and citizens who are working to improve the geographic education of Maine students. Housed at the University of Maine at Farmington, the Alliance sponsors workshops in geography education, summer institutes far teachers, and the statewide celebration of Geography Awareness Week each November. It also links with the National Geographic Society for professional development opportunities for teacher consultants across the nation.
Maine Historical Society
485 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Richard D’Abate, Executive Director
Telephone: 774-1822 FAX: 775-4301
E-mail: post@mainehistorv.org Web Site: www.mainehistory.org
The country’s third oldest historical society, the Maine Historical Society is located in downtown Portland’s cultural corridor and includes Wadsworth-Longfellow House the childhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Society’s collections include 150,000 books of family and regional history, two million manuscripts, 3,500 maps and atlases, 70,000 photographs, and 100,000 architectural and engineered drawings. Exhibitions and programming drawn from the Society’s collections are viewed at the Maine History Gallery, and there is also a new 120-seat community lecture hall.
Maine International Film Festival
10 Railroad Square
Waterville, ME 04901
Contact: Joan Phillips-Sandy. Festival Director
Telephone: 861-8138 FAX: 872-5502
E-mail: info@miff.org Web Site: www.miff.org
The Maine International Film Festival is a ten day event held each year in July. Features over 50 films, representing the best of American independent, Maine-made, and international cinema. Venues include the Waterville Opera House and railroad square cinema. Q+A’s with filmmakers, late-night lunacy, Maine student Film and Video Awards screening, special events and more!
Maine International Trade Center
Portland Office: 511 Congress Street -Portland, ME 04101-3428 (P. 207- 541-7400 FAX: 541-7420)
Bangor Office: One Cumberland Place (Suite 300) - Bangor, ME 04401 (P. 207-990-3161, F. 942-3548)
Lewiston Office: 95 Park Street, Suite 411 - Lewiston, ME 04240 (P. 207-753-0542, F. 207-786-4412)
Contact: Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President
E-mail: info@mitc.com Web Site: www.mitc.com
The Maine International Trade Center is Maine’s one-stop shop for international business assistance, its mission being to expand Maine’s economy through increased international trade in goods, services and related activities. With offices in Portland and Bangor, the Center provides trade leads, technical and marketing assistance, trade show opportunities, and workshops and seminars designed to help Maine businesses grow. The Center also organizes trade missions to foreign markets, including Brazil, Argentina, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Canada, and it sponsors the International Relations Committee, a monthly meeting of representatives of Maine’s Sister City, Sister State, and international cultural affairs organizations.
The
Maine Irish Children’s Program (MICP)
P.O. Box 3122
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: Susan Schuyler, President
Telephone: 282-3939
E-mail: schuyler@int-usa.net
MICP is an organization dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution to the sectarian troubles in Northern Ireland through the personal interaction of families in Maine with children from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Each summer 24-32 children from the two Northern Irish traditions are brought from Belfast to southern Maine for five weeks to live with volunteer host families and to participate in group events enabling the children to get to know one another. Throughout the year, a series of integrated cross-community group events for the children and their families are organized in Northern Ireland.
Maine Khmer Council
14 Baxter Boulevard
Portland, Me. 04101
Contact: Shawna Ohm, President
Telephone: 773-4753 Ext. 267 FAX: 774-6471
E-mail: shawna@porthouse.org
The Maine Khmer Council supports the Cambodian community and represents its interests. It works closely with the community on current issues, preserves Khmer culture, such a s dance and music, and serves as a role model for the younger generation. The council also promotes Khmer culture through public events such as the annual New Years celebration.
Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Old Port Technology Center
164 Middle Street (Unit 5)
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Nicholas Karvonides, Senior Project Manager
Telephone: 780-9700 ext. 2 FAX: 780-9705
E-mail: nicholask@mainemep.org Web Site: www.mainemep.org
The partnership is a statewide non-profit economic development corporation sponsored by the U.S. department of Commerce. Maine’s MEP maintains a full-time international development initiative which includes export marketing and business development, foreign technology transfer and commercialization, international joint ventures, strategic alliances and direct investment. MEP has undertaken international development projects for Maine manufacturers throughout Latin America, Europe, Africa and Canada.
Maine Maritime Academy
Office of Public Affairs
Castine, ME 04420
Contact: Janice B. Zenter, Associate for Public Affairs
Telephone: 326-2256 FAX: 326-2218
E-mail: jzenter@bell.mma.edu Web Site: www.mainemaritime.edu
The Academy is a college specializing in ocean and marine programs, and its international degree programs are offered by the Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics. The annual spring training cruise includes foreign ports of call, such as Bermuda, Gibraltar, Russia, Poland, Spain, Iceland, Germany and Ireland. International students and faculty represent India, Liberia, Iran, Kuwait, Canada, China, Russia and Singapore. Educational and cultural exchange programs are available to undergraduates in England, Russia, Estonia, and Turkey. Faculty and students offer Maine high school groups a seminar on International Business and Logistics careers and career preparation.
Maine Maritime Museum
43 Washington Street
Bath, ME 04530
Contact: Thomas R. Wilcox, Jr., Director
Telephone: 4.43-1316 FAX: 443-1665
E-mail: maritime@bathmaine.com Web Site: www.bathmaine.com
Maine Medical Center International Clinic
22 Bramhall Street
Portland, ME 04102
Contact: Nathaniel W. James, IV, M.D., Director of International Clinic
Telephone: 871-4323 FAX: 871-6308
E-mail: iamesn@mail.mmc.org
The Maine Medical Center International Clinic has provided health services to more than 3,000 refugees and immigrants since 1991, and it serves some 200 new refugees and immigrants who arrive in the Greater Portland area each year. Specific services include routine health screening upon arrival in the United States, assistance with medical and mental health problems, coordination of ongoing primary health care, referral to specialists and overseas travel preparation. Interpreters are provided. Services are coordinated with state and local service providers such as the Maine Tuberculosis Control Program and school system.
Maine State Chamber of Commerce
7 Community Drive
Augusta, ME 04330-9412
Contact: Joyce LaRoche, Vice President of Membership and Marketing
Telephone: 623-4568, ext. 23 FAX: 622-7723
E-mail: jlaroche@mainechamber.org
Website: www.mainechamber.org
As The Voice of Maine Business, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce advocates on behalf of a network of 5,000 member companies before the Legislature and the state's regulatory agencies and through educational and networking events to ensure that the state's business environment continues to thrive by lowering the cost of doing business in Maine. Its advocacy efforts focus on six key themes: tax reform, health care, workers' compensation, economic development, education, and government spending/budget.
Maine Summer Dramatic Institute
18 Downshire Hill
Hampstead, London NW31NT
Contact: Elyssa East
Telephone: 828-6870 FAX: 828-6870
MSDI is a non-profit, summer theater education program for talented high school students, who are provided a six-week introduction to acting, the theater, and the writings of William Shakespeare. The program is designed to change students’ lives by increasing their self-confidence, encouraging them to take risks, and providing them with the opportunity to show what they have learned to a large and supportive audience. The educational program culminates in an event called Shakespeare in Deering Oaks Park, on outdoor Shakespeare festival featuring student actors, Portland's largest free summer cultural event.
Maine Veterans for Peace and Justice Center of Southern Maine
1 Pleasant Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Tom Sturtevant
Telephone: 377-2370
Maine Veterans f or Peace, an affiliate of the national Veterans for Peace, consists of military veterans of all eras engaged in education and humanitarian activities. Obliged to those who have died in battle believing their sacrifice would advance the cause of peace, the organization works with others to restore to government the Constitutional values which veterans served to preserve and protect; increase public awareness of the human costs of war; eliminate weapons of mass destruction; restrain government from intervening in the internal affairs of other nations; and abolish war as on instrument of international policy.
Maine Witness for Peace
35 Old Powerhouse Road
Falmouth, ME 04105-1615
Contact: Ellen Wells, Member, New England Steering Committee
Telephone: 781-2604 FAX: 781-3205
E-mail: evpw@aol.com
Witness for Peace, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has five regional districts and an active Maine chapter. It is a grassroots, faith-based, politically independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the principle of non-violence. Its mission is to change those United States economic and foreign policies which contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to promote just alternatives. It undertakes advocacy campaigns and nonviolent actions, and accompanies people seeking justice.
Medical Care Development
11 Parkwood Drive
Augusta, ME 04330
Contact: John A. LaCasse, President
Telephone: 622-7566 FAX: 622-3616
Web Site: www.mcd.org
Medical Core Development, a not-for-profit company, was formed in 1966 to improve health care in Maine, and in 1987 it expanded to address health care delivery problems in the developing world. Health systems development assistance has been provided to over 30 countries, with Maine-based experts planning and developing public health systems, emergency medical services, water and sanitation programs, hospital and health center planning, school health, child survival, and pharmaceutical distribution systems.
Meridian Arts DAB: The Rhythm Inlet
PO Box 308
Belgrade Road
Mt. Vernon, ME 04352
Contact: Jeff Hanna and Barbara Gail
Telephone:293-2239
Email: rhythm@tel.net
Meridian Arts is a non-profit, fair trade retail store of crafts, generating jobs with fair wages, good working conditions, and sustainable operations, for some of the world’s most disadvantaged people. It is affiliated with the Fair Trade Federation in the United States and the International Fair Trade Federation. Crafts from nearly 50 developing countries are represented, and Rhythm Inlet, a neighboring retail store, has a large collection of world ethnic percussion instruments from approximately two dozen cultures.
Mid-Coast Forum on Foreign Relations
P.O. Box 370
Rockport, ME 04856-0370
Contact: Ursula McAllister, Secretary
Telephone: 236-4298
Email: sumac@midcoast.com
The Mid-Coast Forum was organized in the fall of 1983 by area residents with a special interest in the United States’ role in foreign affairs. Membership is by invitation and limited to 65 regular and 60 associate members to encourage a vigorous and informal exchange of views with guest foreign policy experts. Local high school students with a special foreign affairs interest are invited to the Forum’s monthly meetings. Each spring since 1989, the Forum has played host to a dozen international journalists who are Nieman fellows at Harvard, together with their families, for a weekend of discussion and relaxation.
Mid-Maine Global Forum
259 Main Street
Waterville, ME 04901
Contact: Linda Cotter, Chair
Telephone: 873-3491
The Mid-Maine Global Forum serves as a resource group for the mid-Maine region, and its mission is to expand understanding of international issues through lecture, study and discussion. It sponsors programs and study opportunities which are open to the public, which it hopes will increase international understanding and international peace. Many of the Forum’s visiting speakers also spend time in local schools. Those wishing to join or to be included on the mailing list should contact the Forum directly.
Mt. Ararat Middle School-One, Aomori, Japan, Sister School
Mt. Ararat Middle School
P.O. Box 475
Topsham, ME 04086
Contact: Betty Manchester, Principal
Telephone: 729-2950 FAX: 729-2964
Museum of African Tribal Art
122 Spring Street (#1)
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Oscar Mokeme, Director/Curator
Telephone:871-7188
The museum is dedicated to educating, preserving and increasing public awareness and appreciation of African tribal art and culture. On display is a world-class collection of tribal masks and artifacts entitled The House of the Ancestors, masks and artifacts which represent over 1,000 years of sub-Saharan African history. The museum is located in the middle of Portland’s Art District, is open six days a week (Tuesday through Sunday), and admission is free.
Muslim Council of Maine
P.O. Box 8467
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: M-Basin Hamada, Executive Officer and Council Spokesperson
Telephone: 761-8174
Nature Conservancy, Maine Chapter
Fort Andross
14 Maine Street, Suite 401
Brunswick, ME 04011
Contact: Mike Tetreault, Executive Director
Telephone: 729-5181
Web Site: www.nature.org
The Nature Conservancy in Maine is a non-profit, member-supported organization whose mission is to preserve plants, animals, and natural communities that represent life’s diversity by protecting the lands and water they need to survive. Working in partnership with private landowners, businesses, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and other non-profit organizations, the Conservancy has created the state’s largest private nature sanctuary system, helping to conserve one out of every three acres ever protected in Maine. Its international conservation efforts include financial support as well as staff and trustee outreach to a number of the 30+ nations in which The Nature Conservancy works, including Australia, Mexico, The Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Brazil and Chile. Directors of both the Conservancy's Canada and Africa programs work from offices in Maine.
Old Orchard Beach-Miamian, France, Sister City
Superintendent of Schools
Jameson Hill Road
Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064
Contact: Jay Barter, Superintendent of Schools
Telephone: 934-5751
Osher Map Library
University of Southern Maine
P.O. Box 9300
314 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04104-9300
Contact: Yolanda Theunissen, Curator
Toll free: 1- 800-4876 ext 4850
Telephone: 780-4850 FAX: 780-5310
E-mail: oval@usm.maine.edu Web Site: www.usm.maine.edu
Exhibits at the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education of the University of Southern Maine feature original, mainly pre-1800 maps, atlases and globes from the Osher and Smith Cartographic collections. A recent exhibit demonstrated what maps of Africa reveal about European knowledge of the continent from the 16th century to the present day. Reference service, educational programs and group tours are available by appointment.
Partners of the Americas
18 Brentwood Road
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Contact: Steve Simonds, Secretary
Telephone: 767-2819 FAX: 799-9734
E-mail: ssimonds@maine.rr.com
Partners of the Americas is a private, voluntary technical-assistance organization linking the citizens of 45 U.S. states with those of 31 Latin American and Caribbean countries in partnerships. Maine is matched with Rio Grande do Norte, a state in northeastern Brazil. Partnership committees are composed entirely of volunteers who work with their counterparts - North or South - to carry out projects based on the principles of self-help and mutual benefit. Partners program areas include health, education, cultural exchanges, family life education, sustainable development, women in development, trade and tourism.
Pax Christi Maine
242 Ludlow Street
Portland, ME 04102
Contact: William H. Slavic
Telephone: 773-6562 FAX: 773-6562
National Website: www.paxchristiusa.org
Pax Christi Maine works toward a world that reflects the peace of Christ by witnessing to the call of Christian non-violence - in personal lives, through education and in action to transform the structures of society. Pox Christi rejects war and all violence and domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice, and respect for creation and works toward a more peaceful, just and sustain- able world. It specifically works to end needless arms expenditures, U.S. imperialism (especially in Central America), the exploitation of the global economy, media disinformation, and manipulation of the public.
Peace Action Maine
P.O. Box 3842
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: Scott Miller
Telephone: 772-0680 FAX: 828-8620
E-mail: peaceactionme@telnet Web Site: www.peaceactionme.org
Peace Action Maine is the largest grassroots peace organization in Maine and part of a network of 28 state Peace Action chapters around the United States. Originally called the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) when it was founded in 1957, Peace Action concentrates on nuclear abolition, opposition to U.S. arms sales around the world, diversity within the peace movement, and conflict resolution.
Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine
170 Park Street
Bangor, ME 04401
Contact: laze Petersons
Telephone: 942-9343
The Center supports and links individuals and groups concerned with peace, social justice and environmental issues, and it promotes cooperation, expands awareness, explores connections and encourages community involvement in working toward a peaceful and just society. The Center provides a meeting place for groups, a monthly calendar of activities in Eastern Maine, a library of alternative periodicals and books, regular film and educational programs, speakers on peace and justice topics and activities designed to heighten awareness of and promote change in U.S. foreign policy. The Center has provided special education and activities around encouraging peaceful resolutions to conflicts in Iraq and Kosovo.
Peace through Interamerican Community Action (PICA)
170 Park Street
Bangor, ME 04401
Contact: Bjorn Skorpen Claeson, Organizer
Telephone: 947-4203 FAX: 947-4203
E-mail: info@pica.ws Web Site: www.pica.ws
Rooted in the Central America Solidarity Movement of the mid-1980s, PICA is a nonprofit membership -based organization in the greater Bangor, Maine, area which stands in solidarity with all people of this hemisphere who reject repression of human rights, state-sponsored terror, economic and social injustice, and environmental violence. PICA maintains the Hope Line, a human rights alert response network, and its programs include the Bangor-Corasque, El Salvador, Sister City Project and the Bangor Clean Clothes Campaign (both described elsewhere in the directory).
People for Educational Advancement and Community Enhancement (PEACE) International
RR1 Box 118A
Trenton, ME 04605
Contact: Arthur Dole, President
Telephone: 667-9237
E-mail: mdole@antiochcollege Web Site: www.peaceint.org
People for Educational Advancement and Community Enhancement (PEACE) International is a secular, nonprofit tox-exempt organization founded in 1994 to stimulate sustainable development and education in Latin America. Three projects in El Salvador are being pursued: The Center of Education for Rural development (CEDRO), The National Forest of Reconciliation, and Universidad Monsenor Oscar Arnulfo Romero (UMOAR). These private, nonprofit, non-denominational and nonpartisan organizations represent constructive Salvadorian responses to help in the peace process after the devastating civil war.
Penobscot School
28 Gay Street
Rockland, ME 04841
Contact: David Clough, Executive Director - davidc@languagelearning.org
Telephone: 594-1084 FAX: 594-1067
E-mail: Penobscot@languagelearning.org Website: www.languagelearning.org
Penobscot School is a center for language learning and international exchange. Founded in 1986 as a non-profit organization, the school offers foreign language courses to Maine residents and English immersion programs to adults from around the world. Weekly courses are offered in Arabic, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Philosophy, Russian and Spanish in fall and spring semesters. Language immersion weekends provide non-stop practice in the chosen language in a relaxed, safe and focused environment.
Physicians for Social Responsibility/Maine
P.O. Box 1771
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: Raina Rippel, Director
Telephone: 772-6714 FAX: 828-8620
E-mail: psr-maine@yahoo.com
PSR/Maine is committed to eliminating weapons of mass destruction, preserving a sustainable environment and reducing violence and its causes. Programs include climate change and clean air advocacy, providing health professionals with training in domestic violence awareness, and a nuclear disarmament campaign.
Portland-Shinagawa, Japan, Sister City
107 Mackworth Street
Portland,ME 04103
Contact: Esther Clenott
Telephone: 775-0905 FAX: 871-8982
Portland has had a Sister City relationship with Shinagawa, Japan, since 1984. Sponsored by the governments of each city, the program promotes adult cultural, business, and governmental exchanges, as well as teacher, sports and student exchanges. Since its inception, the cities have initiated high school students’ reciprocal home stay visits, middle school sports exchanges every fourth summer for baseball, soccer, basketball and softball, and professional cultural and educational programs. Portland teachers travel to Shinagawa at the end of their school year to help with the teaching of English
Portland High School's International Club
284 Cumberland Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Julie Criscitello Wise / Christine Braceras
Telephone: 874-8250
Portland High School’s International Club combines the talents of American and international students in performances which are shared with local schools, and its International Club draws on the school’s multicultural student body for events such as the recent Cultural Heritage and Fashion Show and its International Club draws on the school’s multicultural student body for events such as the recent Cultural Heritage and Fashion Show.
Portland Museum of Art
7 Congress Square
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Vanessa Nesvig
Telephone: 775-6148 Email vnesvig@portlandmuseum.org
The mission of the Portland Museum of Art is to be a vital cultural center for the visual arts that significantly enhances, enlivens, enriches, and impacts the lives of broad and diverse audiences through collections, exhibitions, and educational programs that celebrate quality examples of Maine, American and world art. The museum maintains an active system of educational programs that addresses both school children and the general public.
Portland Public Schools Multilingual & Multicultural Program
150 Ocean Avenue
Portland, ME 04103
Contact: Grayce Studley, Director
Telephone: 874-8135 FAX: 756-8421
The Multilingual and Multicultural Program of Portland Public Schools responds to the academic and linguistic needs of immigrants and refugees who settle in Portland seeking to complete their secondary education. The program is responsible f or the English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and eventual academic mainstreaming of some 700 students from 45 language groups. It has a staff of 50, is a national model, with over 200 replication sites across the country, and receives major federal grants. Schools involved are Hall and Reiche Elementary, King Middle, and Portland High.
Portland Stage Company
P.O. Box 1458
Portland, ME 04104
Contact: Ted Strickland, Managing Director
Telephone: 774-1043 FAX: 774-0576
E-mail: portstage@aol.com
Portland Stage Company initiated ‘From Away’ in 1996 to explore international voices in the theatre. Through a unique collaboration with the celebrated International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, selected playwrights from around the world take part in a four-day residency at Portland Stage Company. The residency culminates in a special evening of stage readings. In post-reading discussions with the playwrights, the audience is given the opportunity to explore these new plays, theatre traditions in other countries, and the impulse to write for the stage outside of the United States.
Public Health Research Group
120 Exchange Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact: Ron Deprez, President
Dawn Lovelace- Ad. Assistant
Telephone: 761-7093 FAX: 871-7105
E-mail: rdeprez@phrg.com Web Site: www.phrg.com
PHRG is an independent healthcare research and consulting firm. PHRG provides value to clients through information that leads to substantive changes in health policy, health services and/or the health status of populations. PHRG conducts focused studies of populations and delivery systems, health care policies and provider behavior, and exposure and health risks. These studies provide information for strategic planning, legislative and policy changes, the design and implementation of surveillance systems, education of consumers and providers and marketing. We Work with clients to identify a populations healthcare needs and design and monitor the delivery of high quality health care services to meet these tailored needs. Clients who benefit from our services include provider organizations, insurers, public health organizations, governments, labor unions and employers.
Rotary International
Rotary International Foundation
1 Rotary Center
1560 Sherman Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
Telephone: (847)866-3000
National Website: www.rotary.org
Rotary conducts three types of international youth exchanges through the nonprofit Rotary International: high school students, Ambassadorial Scholarships for college students funded by the Rotary Foundation, and group study exchanges organized at the District level. Information on all Rotary exchange programs is available through local Rotary Clubs, and the Rotary Foundation provides information on Ambassadorial Scholarships. Each Rotary Club is part of a Rotary District, and Maine is divided among three Districts which include parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as well as New Brunswick and Quebec.
Saint Joseph’s College
Continuing & Professional Studies
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084
Contact: Krista Rodin, Dean
Telephone: (207)893-7801
The college’s Division of Continuing and Professional Studies has affiliated with foreign medical schools. It provides a Master in Health Service Administration degree program to 100 medical students in affiliation with St. Matthews University School of Medicine in San Pedro, Belize, and with the Kigezi International School of Medicine in Cambridge, England. The students take courses on-site during their preclinical years, and then via distance education they undertake their clinical rotation in hospitals~ becoming equipped to organize, manage and deal with the financial complexities of health care services.
Samantha Smith Foundation
P.O. Box 140
Boothbay, ME 04537
Contact: Jane Smith
Telephone: (207)724-2042
E-mail: jtempest@aol.com
In 1985, after 13-year-old Samantha Smith’s death, the Foundation was started by her mother and friends, and it organized summer youth camp exchanges with the countries of the Soviet Union until 1996. After the breakup of the Soviet Union it also organized some of the first business internships f or young adults from Russia as well as camp exchanges with Estonia and Lithuania. In 1996 the foundation discontinued organizing its own exchanges and continued to operate as a limited grant-making organization for carefully selected youth programs n the same spirit of international education, understanding and cooperation.
Scarborough-Scarborough, England, UK, Sister City
P.O. Box 360
Scarborough, ME 04070-0360
Contact: Volande Norton, Town Clerk
Telephone: (207)883-7778 FAX: (207)883-7779
Scarborough-Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, Sister City
P.O. Box 360
Scarborough, ME 04070-0360
Contact: Volande Norton, Town Clerk
Telephone: (207)883-7778 FAX: (207)883-7779
Seeds of Peace International Camp
183 Powhatan Road 370 Lexington Avenue (1409)
Otisfield, ME 04270 (summer) New York, NY 10017 (winter)
Telephone: (207)627-7202 Telephone: (212)573-8040
Fax: (207)627-3121 Fax: (212)573-8047
Contact: Aaron Miller, President
E-mail: sopnyc@aol.com Web Site: www.seedsofpeace.org
Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace works to secure lasting peace in the Middle East by bringing together Arab and Israeli teenagers, aged 13 to 15, before their fear, mistrust and inherited prejudices have permanently shaped their vision of their enemy. By nurturing lasting friendships, trust and teamwork, the program makes it possible f or these Arab and Israeli youngsters to become the seeds from which an enduring peace will grow. To date, more than 1,000 Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Moroccan, Tunisian, and Qatari teenagers have graduated from Seeds of Peace.
SERVAS - Maine Representative
16 Mill Street, Unit #1
Springvale, ME 04083
Contact: Beatrice S. Wehmeyer
Telephone: (207)490-7113
SERVAS is an international network of hosts and travelers building peace and understanding by providing opportunities f or personal contact between people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. By participating in visits, hosts and travelers share their lives, interests, and concerns about social and international issues. United States SERVAS is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, and it is represented at the United Nations. The international mutual service movement was created in Denmark in 1948 by an international group of students.
Sister Cities International - Maine Representative
270 Spurwink Road
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Contact: Arthur Clark
Telephone: (207)799-1691 FAX: (207)799-1691
Sister Cities International is the premier organization for citizen diplomacy in the United States, representing the sister cities program of some 1,200 U.S. cities and their 2,100 partners in 123