Columbia

Michelle Boyle Kathleen Lanicci EEX 4601 Dr. Reyes Behavioral Multicultural Resource Guide October 11, 2009

**__Colombia__**


 * __Geography__**

Colombia encompasses an area that is more than 1.1 million square kilometers and is located in the northwest corner of the South American continent. It is the only country in South America with both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines. It also borders five Latin American countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Colombia possesses a number of small islands in the Caribbean Sean and Pacific Ocean – all of which combined do not exceed sixty-five square kilometers. Colombia is divided into four geographic regions: the Andean highlands, Caribbean lowlands coastal region, Pacific lowlands coastal region, and eastern Colombia. Temperatures in Colombia range from very hot at sea level to relatively cold at higher elevations and vary little with the season.


 * __History__**

Colombia has made some major historical contributions to their government. In 1988 the first popular election of mayors took place. This gave power back to the people; previously, mayors were appointed by the central government. On July 4, 1991, Colombia adopted a new constitution that undertook a wide reform of the country's institutions. The goal was to establish a political and judicial model that would set a new course for the nation. The country of Colombia has had many humanitarian contributions. Some of these were in the medical community, the first refractive surgery keratomileusis was developed by Ignacio Barraquer in 1964 in Bogota. The year 1985 was very important to the medical community, Dr. Elkin Lucena performed the first successful In-vitro fertilization and Dr. Alberto Villegas performed the first heart transplant in Latin America. Also, scientists in Colombia developed the most promising research on malaria; this research has been donated to the World Health Organization. Children’s Movement for Peace in Colombia is a group of children who lost their parents, homes, schools and security to violent acts. They have been nominated three times for a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts: mediate conflict, conduct workshops for children and parents, and organize games, plays, arts and crafts, marches for peace and even national referenda calling for peace. The politics of Colombia take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Colombia is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of congress, the Senate of Colombia and the House of Representatives of Colombia. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Colombia’s present constitution, which was enacted on July 5, 1991, strengthened the administration of justice with the provision for introduction of an adversarial system which ultimately is to entirely replace the existing Napoleonic Code. The new constitution also brought about several other significant reforms – civil divorce, dual nationality, election of a vice president, and the election of departmental governors. It expanded citizens’ basic rights, including that of “tutela”. This provides for an immediate court action by an individual if he/she feels their constitutional rights are being violated. The people of Colombia feel that the military is not strong enough to protect them against the Paramilitary groups. Approximately 192 of Colombia’s 1,097 municipalities have no state security presence. The attitude of the Middle and Lower class citizens of Colombia is that they continue to have their civil and human rights violated. This is especially evident in Colombia’s small remote villages; they do not feel it is their obligation to act as informants and intelligence agents. They believe this tactic will result in retaliation against them from whichever armed group they are forced to betray. In addition, the government has the right to come into their village and detain them for up to seven days without charging them with a crime. They can be arrested for corruption based solely on the statement of a fellow citizen, even if that statement is obtained under duress. In the last twenty-five years, Colombia has outperformed all Latin American countries with the exception of Peru with a 4.5% economic growth rate. Colombia’s GDP is one of the most stable in the world and was the only Latin American country not to default or restructure its foreign debt during the 1980s. This success is the result of prudent fiscal management, a diversified economy, an open trade and investment regime, high investment rates, judicious foreign exchange management and conservative debt management. In 1999-2000, Colombia suffered its deepest recession in 50 years with an unemployment rate of 20%. A series of reforms and international financial support have helped the economy return to growth.
 * __Political__**
 * __Economic__**

(e.g. hand on someone’s shoulder) || Getting too personal || Explain to student that touching is not appropriate in the classroom, with friends at school, or with those outside their family. Explain to them that physical contact in the United States is usually between family members. ||
 * **Behavior** || **Possible Conflicts or**
 * Misunderstanding** || **Strategies for Dealing**
 * With Conflicts or Misunderstanding** ||
 * May arrive late to school || Student could be thought of as lazy || Explain that it is important to arrive early or on time for appointments, meetings, and school in the United States. Reward the student with something extra he/she really likes (computer, reading, etc.) upon arriving on time ||
 * Standing too close to another student or teacher || Student may be crowding or not respecting another’s personal space || Use pictures, movies, and re-enactment to point out the distance between people in the United States ||
 * Engaging in physical contact
 * Maintaining eye contact for a long time || Staring or leering || Let the student know that it is not necessary to maintain eye contact when he/she is finished talking with another student or to the teacher ||
 * May not show the same respect towards a female teacher as they would a male || Student could be disrespectful or impolite || Explain to the student that male and female are equals in the United States. They are both to be treated with the same amount of respect. ||
 * May not go to a teacher for help if they are being bullied etc. || Student could end up getting hurt, acting out or withdrawing. || Let the student know that they can always talk to the teacher or other school personnel if they feel like they are being bullied. They need to understand that in the United States we don’t punish innocent people and there will not be retaliation against them. ||
 * Student may talk off topic or ramble before answering a question (small talk) || Student could be perceived as not paying attention or not knowing the answer. || Explain to the student that small talk does have a place in our culture but it is not during lesson time. Being direct and to the point is important so every student has a chance to learn. Let them know that this is not perceived as being impatient or impolite. ||