Centro Educativo Internacional Henry George ... Managua, Nicaragua ceihgceihg.org

NOTICIAS, December 2011

CEIHG Graduates 45th Comprender La Economía Course
"Georgist Community Fund" Grows and Celebrates Its First Year
CEIHG Construction Nearing Completion

CEIHG Graduates 45th Comprender La Economía Course

The Centro Henry George graduated its 45th intensive "Comprender la Economía" (CE) political economy course on December 14th. This course, which began in the end of October, continued the CE course's recent trend toward higher enrollment, and it had an exceptional retention rate and high proportion of superior-level graduates. Three weeks of publicity and registration, instead of the usual two, were necessary in order to compensate for extensive rains and pre-election distractions in the Capital. The course also was extended various times due to the actual election and various holidays. Towards the end of the course, 35 of the 40 graduates signed the CEIHG's demonstrative petition supporting LVT in Nicaragua. At the graduation ceremony, many of the 28 superior-level graduating students voiced their intention to register as members with the Georgist Community Fund. . . . Click here for complete "Comprender La Economía" Course Statistics, 2000-2011.

CE XLV Course Graduates.   >>>  Related photos 

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"Georgist Community Fund" Grows and Celebrates Its First Year

The Georgist Community Fund (Fondo Comunitario Georgista en español), an international association of professed georgists facilitated by the Henry George International Education Center, grew to 41 members as of December 2011. The GCF was inspired by the need for an international membership organization that could provide a functional community for all students in all countries who study Henry George's Progress and Poverty throughout the world. Before the GCF, students graduated from a georgist program of study might find it difficult to find a way to express their support for the georgist proposal of economic justice. The GCF's easy membership requirements provide a way for all people who have studied P&P to unite with others in a georgist "movement" by maintaining and expanding the accumulative effect of georgist educational activities throughout the world.

One of the key activities of the GCF is to provide a way for all its members to participate in the practice and demonstration of the principle of land rent collection and equal distribution within a community. Throughout the year, members can voluntarily contribute their "net positive land rent" to the GCF "Common Fund," and at the end of the year, all may participate in the distribution of that fund. There is no requirement to make a contribution to the fund, and participation in the distribution only requires minimal participation in a couple of georgist-related activities every three months.

At the end of December of 2011, the GCF had its first annual "citizen's dividend" distribution of the "Common Land Rent Fund" in the CEIHG in Managua. A total of 81 people participated, including GCF members, non-member CE graduates, and their guests. Five international georgists, GCF members and non-members, attended the celebration via Skype connections. Out of the 41 total GCF members, about 25 attended and 19 were able to stay long enough to receive their dividends during the event. All members, Nicaraguan and International, were later informed that they might receive their share during the month of January 2012, unclaimed dividends being reinvested in the GCF "Common Fund" for 2012. The event was sponsored by the CEIHG and included a dinner, a HG theme contest, raffles, and prizes. The culminating raffle prize for the GCF members was a videocamera, donated by the CEIHG Director. Despite the various limitations inherent in Nicaraguan, such as problems with late night transportation, it is hoped that events like these will continue to motivate the growing GCF community in Nicaragua to participate more and encourage others to join the growing tide of GCF members in Nicaragua.

Internationally, the GCF had only attracted some minor attention among the established georgist community of activists and educators, but the recent growth of membership and the turnout for the GCF rent distribution celebration has inspired more inquiries and a few new memberships are in process as of the end of the year.

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CEIHG Facility Construction Nearing Completion

The CEIHG added a front hospitality and café area to its facilities and plans to complete construction of three interior rooms and offices on its second and third levels. The rooms will be used for office space as well as a guest room for visiting international georgists. Pending outside improvements include the outfitting of the café area and public bathrooms; a spiral staircase to join the front balcony to the café area; new gates to facilitate entry of vehicles and foot traffic; overall finishing and painting of the building and front walls; and the formation of a green environment made up of native fruit trees and ornamental plants.

The CEIHG hopes to be acceptably operational by April 2012 to begin offering educational classes and seminars designed to attract Nicaraguan and international students interested in economic justice, sustainable development, and rational inquiry into alternative paradigms of human understanding and progress. It is hoped that the Nicaragua Spanish Schools language and cultural immersion program, which shares the CEIHG facility, will be able to help support CEIHG activities, as well as expose language students to the concepts of Henry George.

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