This campaign is to provide immediate, supplementary economic support to our partners who are affected by the closure of the Casa program. Simply put: we owe it to our friends to be there for them now, just as they have been here for us ever since we arrived in Córdoba over a decade ago. 

This is not an attempt to continue the program. This is also not a long term economic solution. I had no part in the decision to close the program and this is not a response to the program closing. It is, however, a response to how that decision was made and the subsequent consequences. The people affected most by this decision had no part in the conversation- they were not given a seat at the table. We cannot change that but we can offer an alternative approach to collaboration, partnership and cura personalis.
-this paragraph was added to provide additional context- 


When I first got the email about Casa being closed I read it, sighed, and continued to look through my inbox. The decision was out of my hands- I had no say- it was inevitable. I felt nothing. 
 
How can it be that something that has been a central part of my life for over 8 years, that has connected me with some of the people I love most intensely in the world, a program that has taught me things about myself and the world that I could not have imagined, a space I helped cultivate and poured years of my life into, how could it be that something this central to my orientation to the world closes, and I feel absolutely nothing? Over the last few weeks I have been reflecting on that very question.

I have realized that it is because I have been conditioned to feel powerless to institutions. Every day I read about a government who makes selfish, hateful decisions, I take them in, and I keep scrolling. I have been conditioned to step aside when forces bigger than me do things that I disagree with.

It is no secret that institutions are flawed. If institutions were just, people would not live in abandoned trash dumps, at the bus terminal, or underneath bridges. The fact is that institutions are imperfect. With the demands to make money, remain competitive, advance careers, and please stakeholders institutions are bound to act in immoral ways. I have gotten so used to it that my default reaction is to do absolutely nothing.

When I learned more about the finality of this decision and the lack of communication to our partners in Argentina, my indifference turned to anger. Was LMU really going to bail out on all the promises made? How could they have the nerve to do that to all the people depending on the work they agreed to? Don’t they know that the Argentine economy is in a very precarious place and that people are depending on our partnership? How could they let the team invest so much in preparation for a new semester, just to abandon course one day to the next? What about the CCs that had committed a year of their lives to this?

Then I began to realize something. I was forgetting all that I learned in Córdoba.

When the young folks from Villa Suarez realized there were people starving they didn’t complain about the government- they emptied their pockets, filled a cooler with food, and walked around the city passing out food.

When completely shunned by the city our friends in Nuestro Hogar 3 protested on the highway until they received water and electricity.

When the government cut half of the contracts with the carrerros in an attempt to split them up, they decided to share the work and money in order to take care of each other.

When LMU could not figure out a way to get cash into Argentina the UCC fronted expenses and allowed our program to use its facilities with nothing in exchange.

(I am pretty sure this site has a word limit so I will stop there)

In Córdoba it doesn’t take long to realize that institutions do not always work. However, they DO NOT get the last say.

I created this page because I am tired of letting institutions make decisions for me. This is not directed at any individual at LMU and is not meant to be hateful- in fact, my hope is that this is empowering and can be an avenue for expression. In the process of mourning Casa I have realized that the one thing I do not want to happen is to let institutions have the final word. I need to do something because if not, my silence has shown a nod of support for how this went down.

Be it of sadness, of love, of gratitude, of hope, of frustration, of embarrassment, pride, friendship or scorn, I invite you to share your thoughts and let your voice be heard.

Additionally, I feel it is important to address this directly. Many folks in Argentina depended on the support of this upcoming semester- this had been promised to them by LMU. It was not our decision to close the program, but the people making this decision do not know the people this affects- we do. They are my friends and they are yours too. We were welcomed into the community as people and that is all we are to them. In many ways, the institution was always irrelevant, and now it has failed- but that’s ok. This program has always been much greater than any institution and so instead of making excuses for that institution let's fill the gap on our own.

The proceeds from this page will go to fulfilling every obligation Casa had for the coming semester- including but not limited to:

·      The praxis site donations (same ones we have made every semester)

·      Belen (the best cook in the world)

·      Professors (tenure is not a thing in Argentina, they all have 3 plus jobs)

·      Staff (Martin- being a tío is not cheap)

The goal is to fill the gap! You might not be rich, but by living in the US we all have access to wealth- I invite you to go outside your comfort zone and to give what you can.

I also encourage you to write a few words to show your support for our compañeros in whatever way you wish. 

Throughout the years a theme has continued to come up: 'I feel helpless, I wish there was more I could do'- Well, this is your chance!
 
Abrazos,

Jake