ASTERO
Eighth World Congress of Basque Collectivities
Starting on December 18th, Basques representing 18 different countries will gather at the Hotel Londres in Donostia for the opening of the 8th World Congress of Basque Collectivities. This event, organized every 4 years by the Directorate for Relations with the Basque Community Abroad will run from December 18-21st and will include presentations from the various federations and delegations present, as well as roundtable discussions on topics that concern not only the directorate, but also Basque communities abroad. Some of these topics include discussing the programs provided by the Directorate to Basque communities, grants, Gaztemundu, etc. challenges and successes of our Basque clubs/organizations, and suggestions for additions or improvements ot the law that allows the Basque Government to provide the aforementioned programs to Basques abroad. The slogan for this year’s congress is “Eraldaroa.” This is a compound word that combines Eralda(tu) to change with Aro(a) which means time for, in a sense to mark a new era in the relations between Basque public institutions and the Basque communities abroad. Every country represented is allowed three voting delegates. In the case of the United States, our voting delegates are Edurne Arostegui, NABO Euskara Coordinator, Mayi Petracek, NABO treasurer, and Gloria Totoricaguena, delegate from the Cenarrusa Foundation for Basque Studies. Four more people were invited by the Basque Government to attend, these include Philippe Acheritogaray, NABO Vice-President; Kate Camino, NABO Secretary; Jean Flesher, NABO President; Tony Huarte, NABO Pilota Chair; and Jean Pierre Etchechury, Fresno delegate. The week promises to be a very productive one, and we’ll report more on the event in the coming weeks.
Gaztemundu 2023
This last Sunday, participants in Gaztemundu 2023 arrived at the Bilbao Airport eager to get started on their two-week adventure. This year, there were 15 spots available with 13 of those being filled with females and the last two by males, with fourteen coming from Argentina and and one from Chile. The group will spend the first week learning tips on how to manage Basque clubs/organizations while visiting the Basque Country. The second week, they will join in on the 8th World Congress in Donostia providing a much-needed youth perspective. Gaztemundu is an annual program provided by the Basque Government for youth between the ages of 18-35 in the diaspora. Unfortunately, youth in North America typically have exams during this time of year and so it makes it harder for them to participate. Nevertheless, we look forward to hearing from the group at the World Congress, and know that they will learn a lot from their experience in the Basque Country.
Participants in Gaztemundu 2023. Photo: Gorka Alvarez Aranburu
