ABLA 2016 Convention: 21st Century Challenges

Jonathan Acuña, Head of Curricular Development at CCCN, Costa Rica [left]

and Julio Prin, General Director at CVA, Venezuela [right]

ABLA 2016 Convention:

21^st Century Challenges

Houston, Texas

By Prof. Jonathan Acuña-Solano, M. Ed.

School of English

Faculty of Social Sciences

Universidad Latina de Costa Rica

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Post 284

          In spite of the fact that I don’t normally attend international conventions outside Costa Rica (my home country), at my workplace, Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano, I was given the chance to attend the ABLA Convention in Houston, TX from August 16 to 19 by the Academic and Executive Directors. And I must confess that it was until I got to participate in this convention that I understood why ABLA (the Association of Bi-National Centers of Latin America) exists and is there to let institutions like the one I work for share their best practices, experiences gained through the years, and the unique networking that a teaching professional can create in an event like this one.

           Participating at the ABLA 2016, 21^st Century Challenges, in Houston, Texas widened my perspective and comprehension of the role of binational centers (BNCs) across Latin America. It is through this unique experience that BNCs can share their best academic practices and social projection and programs. BNCs’ personnel from various countries in the region explained novelties in their language programs for adults and children, and how they managed to get to that point in their language programs’ development and social presence. Sessions on teaching training gave us participants food for thought on how we are currently measuring the impact of our teacher training programs and its ulterior impact in the short and long run. And when it comes to put the pieces together, language programs and teacher training, rationale is explained and shared, and collaboration is always offered to make this symbiosis work.

          Part of the deal when an ABLA Convention is attended is to get to know the colleagues of ours who do similar things to what we do in our home country’s BNC. While interacting with administrative and teaching professionals from these other binational centers across Latin America one gets to create friendship bonds with peers and partners who are behind the same or similar objectives in our fields of work. These bonds give room for cooperation to achieve academic goals, especially when one has already walked the road peers are beginning to trot on. Being there also means finding collaborative hands that can guide us towards success in the academic endeavors one is trying to attain. To sum up, part of all these friendship bonds that are create prepares all of us for the sharing of well-gained experiences that only through academic life they are treasured and then shared with people with similar ideals.

          Though these facts may sound convincing to people who work at BNCs in Latin America, is it really worth attending an ABLA Convention like the one hosted and organized by the Instituto Mexicano Norteamericano de Relaciones Culturales de Nuevo León (Monterrey, Mexico)? A resounding yes needs to be the answer to this question. ABLA needs to be the channel to share BNCs’ gained experiences in the implementation of language programs that do have an impact on the communities they serve. ABLA can be a bridge to find the right academic, administrative guidance coming from sister institutions that pursue the same objectives in the teaching of English as a foreign language. ABLA is the right place to network with peers and other academic authorities to get feedback on what one is intending to achieve because of their former experiences and gained knowledge in their academic and institutional lives. ABLA is a space for BNCs and their personnel to learn from one another to enrich their visions of one’s future.

          Though I am not the kind of instructor and curricular developer who gets to participate in a convention of this magnitude, ABLA was a great opportunity to get to know lots of other Latin American professionals who are interested in areas I am really fond of. I was offered helping hands coming from various countries in South America to strengthen the plans we have to create more solid English programs at our BNC with a healthy online component. I offered my expertise in blended education to help our sister institution in Venezuela and any other BNC that might need someone with expertise and studies in this area. To conclude, the friendship bonds created in this single participation of mine in this international event sponsored by the US Department of State will not fade out in time and won’t get tainted by the absence of contact with so many professionals who –no doubt- create a better future for the BNCs they represent and a brighter future to the communities they serve.