We are writing to you on behalf of the Chilean Cultural Association of Davis (ChileCAD) in regards to previous letters you have published, reflecting confusion between our association and the recently created Association of Chilean Students at UC Davis. ChileCAD was founded in 2003, also as a UC Davis student organization that soon grew to include non-student residents in the areas of Davis, Sacramento, Bay Area and even Chile.
Even though today ChileCAD collaborates actively with the newly created Association of Chilean Students at UC Davis, these two organizations are separate entities. ChileCAD has carried out extensive work in the region to promote and keep Chile as a source of different cultural manifestations. ChileCAD also carries out fundraising activities to support the education of children living in isolated zones of Chile.
As such, ChileCAD expresses concerns regarding the current Education Movement in Chile, which has become internationally known and debated. ChileCAD supports the efforts and the movement of the Chilean students to strive for a better and more inclusive education for everyone and hopes to continue to play a role from California. ChileCAD condemns the increasing abusive use of state dissuasive violence against students, which are the leading force of this movement. ChileCAD also condemns the violence and destructive methods used by a few people that, with a separate agenda, only damage the goals of the Student Education Movement supported by the majority of peaceful Chileans.
ChileCAD will do its best to foster academic and social debate about the education, to continue to contribute to the improvement of education in Chile and to regard this as a long standing goal, a state-task, that must be part of the agenda of any government, regardless of its political affiliation.
As we said earlier, our members are Chileans, studying, living and working here in this region; however we also count on the support of many non-Chileans, close friends of Chile, that participate incessantly to achieve the ChileCAD goals. ChileCAD has much at stake in advancing the public policy agendas that will lead to a much stronger, openly accessible and more equitable public system of education in Chile.
ChileCAD Board of Directors
