Bridge Selected as Partner for Chilean Ministry of Educations Prestigious English Opens Doors Program

Denver, CO (PRWEB) November 26, 2010

The Ministry of Education in Chile, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Program, has asked Denver-based TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) training center Bridge to recruit volunteers for Chiles English Opens Doors Program. With a Spanish/English language training center in Santiago, Chile and over two decades of experience in the language, travel and education fields, Bridge is uniquely qualified to recruit teachers up to the standards of this prestigious program.

The English Opens Doors Program National Volunteer Center takes very seriously its privileged role as facilitator to ambassadors of the English language. Therefore, EODP-NVC and partner institution, Bridge, must adhere to strict guidelines with regard to the eligibility of each prospective volunteer, said a representative of the Ministry of Education in Chile (MINEDUC).

Native English speakers with a minimum of a bachelors degree are needed to fill volunteer service initiatives in all twelve regions of Chile. Bridge recruits volunteers for the four southernmost regions, comprising the Lakes Region and wild and pristine Chilean Patagonia.

The Chilean government emphasizes the importance of the English language as a key to the countrys development and success in todays global world. The Chilean Ministry of Education created English Opens Doors to bring volunteers into underserved classrooms, helping students and local teachers improve their English language skills and practice with native speakers.

The EODP-NVC is looking forward to another successful year in 2011, in which Chilean primary and secondary students may continue to benefit from having contact with a native English speaking volunteer, said a representative of MINEDUC. In exchange, this opportunity provides new developments in global outreach through volunteering and language learning, thus opening the door to cross-cultural exchanges and experiences for both Chileans and volunteers.

Volunteers co-teach with Chilean English teachers and live with local host families, becoming an integral part of the community and experiencing the culture on a much deeper level than an average tourist and, in turn, exposing students in Chile to customs, languages, and viewpoints different from their own.

My students were fascinated with anything and everything about US culture, from music, to baseball, to simply passing a dollar and some change around the room. Many of them had seen tourists and backpackers passing through town, but for most of them I was the first foreigner they really interacted with, said Sarah Athanas, an EODP volunteer participant in 2008.

According to MINEDUC, The volunteers main responsibilities are: to focus on improving the students speaking and listening skills; to motivate the students to take an interest in learning English; and to share their culture with the students, thus broadening their worldview.

The program includes an in-depth orientation and training in Santiago, and Bridge participants also receive a 120-hour TEFL Online teacher-training course and certification, designed to prepare them for the particular challenges of teaching English as a foreign language overseas. Volunteers may also participate in two weeks of free Spanish language classes at the BridgeChile language center in Santiago prior to their service initiative to facilitate their communication with students and community members during the program.

To learn more about the English Opens Doors Program contact Matt Clark at BridgeTEFL: mclark(at)bridge(dot)edu.

About BridgeTEFL:

A division of Bridge, BridgeTEFL is the largest provider of TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) courses in the United States, training over 3,000 teachers annually.

About Bridge:

Founded in 1983, Bridge Linguatec, Inc d/b/a/Bridge is a world leader in language, education and travel. An international company with headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and affiliate centers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Qatar, Bridge offers a wide spectrum of language related products and services, including language training and immersion programs, teacher training and development courses, language testing, translation and interpretation services, and cross-cultural travel programs including international service learning, language study and teaching English abroad.

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Bridge Selected as Partner for Chilean Ministry of Educations Prestigious English Opens Doors Program

Chilean Singer/Actor Antonio Prieto Dies at 85

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 16, 2011

Chilean singer/actor Antonio Prieto passed away a victim of cardiac arrest 9:45 p.m., July 14, 2011, at the age of 85 at a private clinic in Santiago, Chile. Prieto was known in Latin America as The Romantic of the Romantics. As the Frank Sinatra of Latin America, he was said to have a voice that made people fall in love. During his 50-year career Prieto recorded over 1000 songs, acted in more than 33 films and had the first variety television show in all of South America, which aired in Chile, Argentina, Spain and Mexico. In the 1950s, he was brought to the US by friends Fernando Lamas and Esther Williams with a contract to make 10 films. In 1965 he performed at the legendary Hollywood Bowl and in 1995 a 20 Greatest Hits CD of his work was released.

Born Juan Antonio Espinoza Prieto on May 26, 1926, in Northern Chile, he was considered by critics as an icon of the Latin Bolero genre and first became a star in the 1950s. His charm and versatility made him one of the most popular singers of his time. Prietos singing of such songs as La Barca and El Reloj by Mexican composer Roberto Cantoral gained him international fame. In 1961 his greatest hit, La Novia, was translated into several languages and played at millions of weddings across the Latin world. The song was later known as The Wedding in the United States and United Kingdom, where it also achieved great success. Although the song was about a man who is watching the love of his life get married to someone else, in his real life Prieto married the woman of his dreams, who passed away over a decade ago.

Early on in his career Prieto studied with Marcel Marceau and applied that showmanship to his work. Although he has acted in over 33 films, he is best known internationally for the prominent role of Don Miguel Rojo, the eldest of the three bandit Rojo brothers in Sergio Leones A Fistful of Dollars along side Clint Eastwood. He also appeared in the international 1963 release of The Sword of Zorro among others.

Prieto was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2002 and lost his voice a few years later. Following his diagnosis he began compiling his artistic legacy. He commenced putting in order his hundreds of musical recordings, the films in which he performed and homemade tapes made with friends like Joao Gilberto and Alberto Cortez. He also began work on an autobiography, which was completed by journalist Gonzalo Rojas, and took part in compiling his 100 greatest hits. He has lived away from the public spotlight for the last few years.

Antonio Prieto will be buried Saturday, July 16, in the city of Vina del Mar, Chile, where he lived with his family before becoming ill. He is survived by four children and 13 grandchildren. His friendship will especially be missed by his son-in-law, bass virtuoso and film composer Stanley Clarke. Prieto will live forever in his music and his family and fans memories of his powerful presence.

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Chilean Singer/Actor Antonio Prieto Dies at 85

Easton, PA (PRWEB) September 24, 2012 A veritable institution in their homeland, Chilean music ensemble Inti-Illimani will perform the first installment of the U.S. tour La Maquina del Tiempo (Time Machine) 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3 in the Williams Center for the Arts at Lafayette College (http://www.lafayette.edu). The concert is preceded by a 7 p.m. conversation with members of Inti-Illimani about their four decades of music, of which 15 were spent in exile in Italy during the regime of Augusto Pinochet. Tickets are $ 18 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (610) 330-5009 weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. Now in their 45th year, the groups Latin-infused music is a whirlwind of Andean folk tunes, tangos from Argentina, Brazilian sambas and love songs from Mexico performed on more than 30 instruments. The Los Angeles Times writes: Few Latin American acts can rival this Chilean group in terms of the sheer beauty of sound. Much like a Zen affirmation, Inti-Illimanis music floats within your soul, filling it with calmness and hope. During its October U.S. tour, Inti-Illimani revisits earlier bodies of work, while also introducing American audiences to new compositions, fresh arrangements of established repertory and several new songs more recently created by Chilean poets and lyricists and guest composers. The group was started in 1967 by students at Santiagos Technical University who began performing traditional folk music, something few did back then. When Pinochet came to power in 1973 during a military coup, the group was forced into exile for using its music to express the need for social change. They continued to record in Italy and tour and their outspoken opposition to the Pinochet regime earned them a powerful reputation around the globe as unofficial ambassadors of Chilean music. In addition to performing with a number of famous political figures like Pete Seeger and Mikis Theodorakis, they were included on the famous 1988 Amnesty International Tour, along with Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Bruce Springsteen. They returned to their homeland in 1988. The tour is made possible by a Southern Exposure Grant through the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. During their time at Lafayette, Inti-Illimani will meet with students and faculty about the role of music and the arts in political activism in South America and around the globe. In addition, related public events with Inti-Illimani include: Monday, Oct. 1 Chilean Ensemble Inti-Illimanis U.S. Tour "Time Machine" Comes to Lafayette College

Easton, PA (PRWEB) September 24, 2012

A veritable institution in their homeland, Chilean music ensemble Inti-Illimani will perform the first installment of the U.S. tour La Maquina del Tiempo (Time Machine) 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3 in the Williams Center for the Arts at Lafayette College (http://www.lafayette.edu).

The concert is preceded by a 7 p.m. conversation with members of Inti-Illimani about their four decades of music, of which 15 were spent in exile in Italy during the regime of Augusto Pinochet.

Tickets are $ 18 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (610) 330-5009 weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. and 4-5 p.m.

Now in their 45th year, the groups Latin-infused music is a whirlwind of Andean folk tunes, tangos from Argentina, Brazilian sambas and love songs from Mexico performed on more than 30 instruments. The Los Angeles Times writes: Few Latin American acts can rival this Chilean group in terms of the sheer beauty of sound. Much like a Zen affirmation, Inti-Illimanis music floats within your soul, filling it with calmness and hope.

During its October U.S. tour, Inti-Illimani revisits earlier bodies of work, while also introducing American audiences to new compositions, fresh arrangements of established repertory and several new songs more recently created by Chilean poets and lyricists and guest composers.

The group was started in 1967 by students at Santiagos Technical University who began performing traditional folk music, something few did back then. When Pinochet came to power in 1973 during a military coup, the group was forced into exile for using its music to express the need for social change. They continued to record in Italy and tour and their outspoken opposition to the Pinochet regime earned them a powerful reputation around the globe as unofficial ambassadors of Chilean music. In addition to performing with a number of famous political figures like Pete Seeger and Mikis Theodorakis, they were included on the famous 1988 Amnesty International Tour, along with Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Bruce Springsteen. They returned to their homeland in 1988.

The tour is made possible by a Southern Exposure Grant through the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.

During their time at Lafayette, Inti-Illimani will meet with students and faculty about the role of music and the arts in political activism in South America and around the globe. In addition, related public events with Inti-Illimani include:

Monday, Oct. 1

Chilean Ensemble Inti-Illimanis U.S. Tour "Time Machine" Comes to Lafayette College