Witness Venezuela’s Elections This December-6, 2015

Travel to Venezuela for the Elections! December-6, 2015

Delegation to Venezuela December 2 to 12, 2015

This December, witness one of the most important elections in the history of Venezuela, and of the hemisphere. On December 6, the people of Venezuela will exercise their right to vote in elections for deputies to the country’s National Assembly. Voters will decide whether to carry forward the Bolivarian Revolution by retaining a Chavista majority in the National Assembly or return the political intitative to the traditional elites represented by most of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD).

The stakes are high. Venezuela has been in the forefront of regional integration and independence from U.S. hegemony and push back against the neoliberal agenda over the past sixteen years and it has supported the building of a multipolar world. It has also been a leading force, since Chavez was elected president in December 1998, against the further propogation of those free trade agreements that would compromise the public nature of human services and diminish the sovereignty of participating nations in favor of transnational corporate interests.

Despite the current fall in petroleum prices, Venezuela has resisted austerity, declined to roll back progressive labor laws and the land reform, and increased social spending targeted to the most vulnerable sectors. For all of these reasons, this will be one of the most closely watched elections in the world. Come witness it from the inside and lend your solidarity to the people of Venezuela as they shape their own future, in the face of episodic attempts at extra constitutional regime change, escalating aggression from the US, which has proclaimed Venezuela as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” by executive order, as well as an “economic war” against the people waged by the country’s elite.

Participants in this delegation will learn about Venezuela’s electoral process and witness participatory democracy in action through meetings with community councils and other grassroots groups in Caracas and the neighboring states of Aragua and Miranda. The group will get a first-hand glimpse of the various areas of social transformation taking place in Venezuela, despite the economic challenges, including in education, healthcare, food sovereignty, and alternative media. The delegation will also include trips to touristic sites of interest.

Come see the real “threat” posed by Venezuela – as living proof that another world indeed is possible. As the Venezuelan people assert, “Venezuela is not a threat – we are hope!”

Some important articles:

Venezuela Takes Control of Its Border as Bogotá and Caracas Bring Their Cases to UNASUR

Venezuela Recognized by FAO for Halving Malnutrition

Revolution, Counter Revolution, and the Economic War in Venezuela: Part I

Revolution, Counter Revolution, and the Economic War in Venezuela: Part II

“THE COMMUNE OR NOTHING”: POPULAR POWER AND THE STATE IN VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA TO CONSIDER BAN ON TRANSGENIC SEED

VENEZUELA AND THE BATTLE AGAINST TRANSGENIC SEEDS

When: December 2 to 12, 2015

Tentative Itinerary: Start and end in Caracas; visits to the states of Miranda and Aragua.

Cost for Activities: $900. This will cover all lodging, all ground transportation, 2 meals per day, qualified trip leaders, and Spanish-English interpretation. Additional expenses during the trip will be minimal. Airfare not included. The passages roundtrip plane to Venezuela ( From US ) are between $ 479- $ 560 

To Learn more and hold a spot, email cbalbertolovera@gmail.com. Please be in touch as soon as possible, as space for this delegation is very limited. Please allow several days for responses.

Sponsored by the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of NY.
For more information see:

Check out these articles from past delegations:

Reflections on Venezuela: Food, Health, Democracy, and a Hope for a Better World

The Venezuelan Effort to Build a New Food and Agriculture System

What people are saying about our delegations:

Visiting Venezuela with the Bolivarian Circle of New York “Alberto Lovera” delegation was a great experience. I was able to enter into dialog with the process underway at cooperatives and communal councils and see for myself the enthusiasm of the Chavista base for participatory democracy, food security and protecting the social gains of the revolution while moving forward.

Frederick B. Mills

Professor of Philosophy

Bowie State University

The delegation gave me a fabulous window into one of the most exciting social experiments of our time, the Bolivarian revolution and the public policies committed to social Justice that it informs. It also wetted my appetite for more. I will soon be incorporating some of what I learned into my seminars, and I hope to be able to bring a contingent of students in the near future.

Claudia Chaufan

Associate Professor
 University of California San Francisco

“The Food Sovereignty delegation to Venezuela was interesting, informative and a lot of fun. We saw collective farms, factories, feeding centers and spent time with groups of people struggling for land reform and human dignity. We had lots of opportunities to see how people work together and how agriculture is changing in Venezuela. I loved the people we traveled with and created strong bonds with many of them. It’s the kind of trip that makes you want to return in a few years to see how much progress is being made. It further inspired me to work in the food democracy movement in the US and figure out ways to stay in solidarity with our Venezuelan sisters and brothers.”

Nancy Romer
General Coordinator
Brooklyn Food Coalition
http://www.BrooklynFoodCoalition.org

“Traveling with William and Christina gave me an insider perspective that I couldn’t have gotten otherwise. I highly recommend taking a trip on one of these delegations whether you are highly interested in food politics and socialism, or are new to the subject.”

Paula Crossfield
Founder and the Managing Editor of Civil Eats http://civileats.com/about/

“I traveled to both Venezuela and Bolivia with William Camacaro and Christina Schiavoni as the leaders of the trip. I can’t say enough about the quality of these trips and their leadership. I was astounded at the range of activities each trip provided: food centers for the elderly, African communities, women’s collectives, revolutionary centers, fishing industry in Venezuela, agricultural initiatives such as the production of quinoa in Bolivia, meetings with government officials, wonderful community cultural events (sometimes in our honor!), and more. Additionally, both William and Christina were very attentive to the people on the trips, addressed personal crises that arose, and helped in any way possible. There was never a sense that you were simply on your own in a foreign country, and had to fend for yourself. They were always available for questions, suggestions, and concrete help. IN SO DOING THE TRIP LEADERS CREATED A FAMILY-LIKE FEELING AMONG THE GROUP MEMBERS. I have been traveling on political/educational trips for decades, and can only say; the Bolivarian Circle’s trips are the bomb!”

Suzanne Ross, PhD, clinical psychologist and activist with the Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition, NYC

“The food sovereignty tours to Venezuela are an incredible eye opener. You can read about aspects of the country’s shift to a fairer food system but to see it first hand – and meet the people that are making the change happen – is totally inspiring.”

Simon Cunich
Australian Filmmaker
Creator of the documentary Growing Change http://www.simoncunich.com.au/

To understand the economic war against Venezuela is necessary to see “The Battle of Chile” by Patricio Guzman: