LE TOTEM- CENTER INC

CURRENT PROJECT
RENAISSANCE

MOTIVATION
A positive self image represents the corner stone of personal blooming, social succes, and economic preogress for all individuals. Nevetheless, to many compatriots living abroad, this image is considerably disintegrated fue to the negative reflect of Haiti's situation and their personal difficulties of reel integration in the foreign land.

DEFINITION
 RENAISSANCE is an initiative that consists of a psycho-sociological approach to social insertion of Haitian migrant in the foreign countries welcoming him. It aims for all Haitian people, of all social classes living abroad to conquest their dignity, their pride, and respect.

RENAISSANCE is an enterprise of reconstruction that foresees, before all, working to offers us all who are affected by the profound deterioration of the "Haitian image". It's an opportunity to re-examine, to re-prioritize and re-appropriate our lost or rejected socio-cultural references. 

GOALS
RENAISSANCE is willing to help express and determine what it represents to "Be". In spite of all contradictions, and internal fights tht continue to diminish the country as well as the Haitian people on the material and humane level. It is about rediscovering the common denominator to Haitian from inside or abroad. In fact, the Haitians living in the country and the ones living abroad are intimately linked to one another, in the fact that the image projected by the first involvesthe second without a doubt. Therefore, we all have to feel concerned about the rescue of the Haitian who is theatened to lose his or her sense of dignity, ethics, and respect to him or herself and others.

RENAISSANCE aims to second the Haitian migrant in their efforts to integrate themself in the forign land without losing their identity and while getting others to accept him in his differences.

RENAISSANCE nourrishes the wish to contribute to the rescue of the haitian youth going through the depths of marginalization because of the confusion of their ethical values. Very often, Haitians are in fact searching for their identity, which they have never recogniezd or which they have lost.

RENAISSANCE "project" for Haitian people is for them to "reconquest" themselves as well as to develop the notion of respect at the national and international levels. However, this attempt has to be done through the integration of Haitian values, in terms of education and while taking into account the norms that underline the harmonious functioning of the entire society worldwide.

RENAISSANCE wishes to ally all Haitians living abroad with those living in their home country, in the common task to reconstruct thehuman from socio-cultural materials.

STRATEGY & MEANS OF REALIZATION OF THE PROJECT
This program is planning to have a point of departure from New York, due to the density of the Haitian population living in this city and also to the variety of their socio-cultural origins. In addition, a junction will be made between New York, Washington and Miami Fla., as to reinforce the bonds of these communities. They will have to keepup with the task of detecting the specific needs of the different social groups in their respective environment. later, the program will extend itself progressively wherever there is a group of Haitians.

The approach is essentially psycho-sociological, and it does lie dowm pedagogy and other correlative disciplines. It will be adapted to the needs and to the profiles of the different publics aimed (pupils, students, parents, social clubs and associations..)

The strategy in view include a diversity of interventions going from seminars to indivudual and group counseling, as well as conferences-debates, workshops, multi-media support, artistic and cultural displays... In that way, the foundation's approach wishes to re-create abroad micro-events arousing a positive identification of Haitians to their culture, while rediscovering themselves a Haitian citizen's soul even though living abroad. This suppose reciprocal action of the Totem-Culture Foundation with centers, associations, clubs, and others foundations already functioning in foreign lands.

The project particularly aims to permit Haitians to discover the repressed or inhibited aspects of the Haitian culture. It will be opened to the collaboration of diffrerent sources while keeping a complete independance wherever its programs will be developed and applied.

Furthermore, this process will not be political, religious nor will it be attached to any kinds of discrimination to race, social class, or clan of any kind. This will express the foundation attention to give a place to all those who, conscious of the importance of theentreprise, would want to join in an bring their contribution in harmony an respect.

Training sessions are planned for instructors. They will also permit the installation of learning strctures and knowledge transmission from group to group. .)