Paul y yo no teníamos ningún amigo en común.

El asistente de Paul me contactó por Facebook.

Al parecer teníamos un grupo en común.

¿Y quién es Paul Polak?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Polak

http://www.paulpolak.com/html/paul.html

¿Y qué pasó?

5 min después de aceptarlo pude ver ESTO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ximBX9yiCmU&feature=related

Y quedé... Plaop!

Y quise el libro ahora ya!

Out-Poverty en Amazon

Pero en este momento mis fondos, están destinados a imprimir 5 copias de mi tesis, en diseño gráfico... muuuchooo oooroooo!!!

Entonces le propuse algo que no puede rechazar:

Traducirle gratis el libro al español!

Dijo que le encantaba la idea, y de que lo iba a hablar con su editor.

Y me dio su mail directo.

Y como necesitaba decirle quién soy, le aproveché de contar TODO:

Dear Paul:
How awesome is it to live in the world in this moment? I still can't believe i'm sending this e-mail and it will reach you whatever the place of the world you're in!
I still can't believe i'm talking here with you asking you this.
We share something, we're believers of a better world.
That it's possible.

So, if we can help each other, let's go for it!
I introduce myself.
I'm Constanza Duarte, 24 still (adding one up the next 21st of June!);
from Viña del Mar ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi%C3%B1a_del_Mar )
Chile  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile )

I'm doing my thesis of Graphic Design in a unique school in the world.
http://www.arquitecturaucv.cl/ead.php?id=8

It's a school that has a strong basis on poetry. Poetry, words, observation.
Every student of my university knows has to draw, and more important, HAS to have a word about it.
It was my school, the one who started the student revolution of 1968.
In 1967 a group of philosophers, students and teachers with a bunch of French thinkers started a travel though America (the real america, wich includes everything, not just NORTH america). The result of that travel was "Amereida", a very odd book that talked about the necesity to conquer it all. In all aspects.
And to bring words before ACTION. Because if we divide those both, then, as Rimbaud said, the action has no worth at all.

The very first result of this was that they took over the school. And they changed the way the classes were imparted. So still to today, it is part of the currilum to assist to "Taller de América", a class that includes teachers and students to a real debate. Then, it was a school of architects, but then the careers of Graphic and Industrial Design were created.
The second step, was to create a... city.
And they did. This is the "Ciudad Abierta /Open city" a hugue portion of land, were most of my teachers have their homes. (The picture you see in the link is it)
Here you have a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udArv3Fzddo
As you can see, the constructions are unique because they separated their ideology from the obvious.
They wanted to stablish a difference.
To call it city, they had to start with what they thought every city has to have: places to share and a cementery. So you can go to the "anfiteatro", or the meeting centre, or the music room (wich is thought the most acoustic as possible). The first person to be buried there was a son of a teacher who drowned in the river that goes through the land. The second was Godofredo Iommi and his wife, one of the founders of this new school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-T8Aj_SdNQ (in spanish).
The sculptures are everywhere, because Claudio Girola (1923-1994)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxHWbfxDj2g was also part of this revolution.

So the remains of this revolution are all over the world. France went for it too, so in 1968 the education changed all over the world.

But what happened then?

There is a text of a translation of a class imparted by Godofredo Iommi in 1983, in "Taller de América". The text is called "Hoy me voy a ocupar de mi cólera" "Today i will occupy of my cholera" (cólera means also anger in spanish) , where he talks about the frustration that came afterwards. Our school was the exception of the revolution that they started.
 Because everyone else forgot about the WORDS, the basis of everything, before ACTION.
 (You can find this, and more texts, including Amereida, in http://www.amereida.ucv.cl  )

And 25 years later i share that frustration.
At the beggining of May 2008, my University, as a whole, wich has careers so different as Electronics, Physics, Religious Sciences, Biology, English, History, Law, etc... started a "PARO", wich means a STOP, to all activities because they were demanding better prices to transport for students (wich is a national problem). But when they got a solution to this demand, the "Federation of Students" (group that has a very small representation among the whole bunch of carers there are) stablished new demands, like freezing the scolarships rises, or more representation of the workers of the U (usually this groups have a comunist/socialist basis).
So... what happened later?
After 5 weeks of movilizations, and 1 week of TOMA (this is, the students ilegally took over the dependences of the university, and start LIVING inside of it) the movement stopped. The university stablished a set of possible solutions, and all the "chiefs" of the Students Councils made a election, whether to let the TOMA go on or not.
The final results where 29/12, that it should withdraw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btpr6JHW6ug

So how can that be possible? Those numbers talk for me.
The "TOMA" NEVER had a real backup.
So, how did they managed to stay in it?
The election of the 16 of May, was voted by... "aplausómetro"... wich means they clapped their hands, and whatever made more noise won.(And they were... LIVING INSIDE!)
We're talking about 16 May 2008.
In a University that has a web page for each student where they HAVE to download the ticket to pay each month, to oficialize their inscriptions, etc...

That's why in the video you can hear people shouting on the back that say "no a la votación" (no to to the election), because they were going to loose.

The consequence of this desition was a loss of US$320.000 extra for my University.
Because 1 day of the University Stopped ment a daily loss of US $80.000
The total loss of the PARO+TOMA for the university was more than US $ 1 MILLION , no winter holydays, classes after christmas (when they usually finish at begginigs of December, and 1 month extra of lease to every student that doesn't live in the region (wich is calculated as another US$ 1 million).

I'm talking about a country that has a minimal salary of US $400 .
So you can get an idea of the dissater this was.

The results: Free Student Transport card next year US$6 , and "Debate Tables".
So, no solution.... AT ALL!

Lucky me, my school never gets involved in this isssues. (The mechanics school didn't also)
Because we know better.
But it was a total of 700 students v/s 13.000.

Lucky me, because my school is the only one (i believe in the whole country) that has a trimestral system (everyone else has semesters).
Lucky me, because i retired last year for personal issues and returned this one to finish my thesis (i will graduate in 2 weeks!).

And more lucky me.
I know how to end this, for good.

As you say, in your fourth point "Think and act Big", i had already started when you contacted me.
I strongly believe in the power of communication to solve problems.
And the biggest problem of this movement was that they proposed PETITIONS WITHOUT SOLUTIONS.
Why?
Because they wanted to change a Law.
The lawyers, just can't support an ilegal action.
Because they wanted money to freeze the scolarship raise (that only this year was of 14%)
The engineers have never supported a cause they know this method is harmdoing of not only every parent wallet, but the University one.
Because they wanted to be listened.
The graphic designers have never been part of this (the banners they used made me sick and ashamed).

I'm talking about the biggest schools in my U.
So, how could they even start it?
The first movement had the backup of the most unethical and unfair election i've ever seen.
The votes count by federation.
This means, the vote from "Religious Science" has the same value than "Law School" (here i'm talking of about 500 students of difference, if not more) in it's vote.
And my career, doesn't even have a vote, because it's part of the Arquitecture vote.

So, the students against, where many more than the "on favour" from a beggining.

All the things i'm talking, i just discovered the last month.
This is the first year, i'm here from 2002, that i've seen a Student Council that works in my school.
Because we know the teachers, it's just not neccesary to have a council to have things done.
This is an example of the commited we're to WORK toguether:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKeIgSV1fqM

At the Open city, je.

So what about the big ACTION i'm starting to create?
1º I want efficient Information to every student. Not only in time issues, but Real Debates, televised, trancripted, published.
The election of the 19th of may was of... 5 hours!!! . I was... starving!
2º Electronic vote, and a card to acredit your part of the university, so you can use and create benefits.
 (The card, we don't have that yet, though many Universities in Chile do...
The electronic vote is debate in many universities, but i've thought of a method that could be the most transparent as possible.
I live in a country that has most of it's banks on internet... )
3º Interaction, to create SOLUTIONS!
(And work groups, and get students to know each other).

This, altoguether is part of my project "Por la e-democracia PUCV 2.0"
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15504112881&ref=ts

The point 3, that would be the most challenging ... it's already resolved. (I had already applied the point #7: if it already exists don't invent it?)
I'm working with Daniel Undurraga (chilean)  and Oskar Hjerstonsson (sweedish), (27, both), the creators of http://www.needish.com
This is the only chilean tech firm that has an office in Silicon Valley.
Quite impressive.
How have they've done it? Chasing every oportunity, knocking every door, always being themselves.
2 engineers with a great idea.
A place where you can publish your need, and others can see it and help you.
There are more than 1000 enterprises signed up.
Because there will be (they're changing the site all the time, and it's evolving to something more social than just publishing) the possibility to, for example, if you get toguether 5 people who want to buy the same brand or model, of car, get them toguether and negociate a better price... with the distributor.

And, lucky me, they're just developing the "group" function.
So Daniel offered me, to get the 13,000 students on the needish net, for FREE, in their own servers, in not more than 3 weeks (when the group function is online).
For that i have to convince my whole University, and specially the teachers (the rulers are mostly 50+ in age).

But, as you can see, this thing just started the 19th of May.
In the group you can see more than 40 people with me, already.
My blog went from 40 visits in TOTAL in April, to, en 10 days rise up to 1000.
This has already been discussed in teachers council, of the business school, a friend who is son of one told me (school where the principal is part of)
The Needish boys invited me to a Webconference 8 hours away in bus (in Concepción, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concepci%C3%B3n%2C_Chile ), last weekend.

It is amazing to realize, that it was brought toguether by a... 22 year old.
http://www.webprendedor.com
The quality of the exponents was... incredible.
And it is growing, everyday.

So, as you can see, your words have really got into me. I carry them, because they give me HOPE.
That actions with a PLAN and measurable impact HAVE results.

I knew this already, because of my school, but it's not a market or business school. It's an idea school.
And you're an example to me.

A basis to carry to this people (the ones who started the PARO)  who want urgent solutions, to their problems (that are real) but don't know HOW.
Because it's proven: THAT method... DOESN'T WORK!

So, as you say, where others fail, Paul has the proven and REAL solution.
And i'd love to send the message to most people as possible.
But my level of English is rare in this country.
I thank everyday the GIFT of having been able to study at St'Margaret's British School for Girls, a private british-chilean school.
I cursed the IB english course, but i never got the degree (it was a bit expensive) and i already had the First Certificate approved, when i was 16 (Oxford).

And, as you've seen, there's no great problem to me, to write or translate.
So, gladly, i'd do that work for you, in order to get a copy and study it deeply, because, as i said before, i'm working on my thesis.
And i have to print the copies... (it's about wine labels... ehm, well, whatever) .
And because i'm graphic... hmmm... lot's of ink. Lot's of $.

And i'm still... just a student living with her parents (my family and friends is whole another interesting world i'd love to share, any-other time)
So, that's it!
Lot's of Fun and information for a while!

Atentamente,
Constanza Catalina Duarte Peña
AKA: Cakecosas (search the more than 4000 links in google that send you through my web personality)

Adiós!

PD: And i hope, i will have the honour to do this.
I would just need a pdf.

Thanks for your time!

Eso!

Saludoooos!

PD: Desde el Edificio Telefónica http://www.blogpower.cl

Yeah!