By combining aspects of celebrating with opportunities to learn more about Basque culture, we might be able to hit upon a winning formula of how to more effectively transmit "Basqueness" to new generations.

Related links: GUREA Basque Cultural Literacy Program      Basque Continuity Challenge

Street dance during Jaialdi 2010		OSPATU Celebrate
Boise State Basque Studies Conference at Jaialdi 2010		HEZITU Educate
Herri Batza dancers at Jaialdi 2010		BETIKOTU Perpetuate

Individually and collectively, Basque organizations have done a good job of keeping celebrations going from year to year.  Celebrations are crucial for a Basque club/organization for many reasons, including the fact that without the “fun” component of our Basque festivities (e.g., picnics, meals, mus tournaments, etc.) we would be hard pressed to sustain our communities.  

Our various Basque communities have  successfully staged various events and activities, and the hope is that this revelry will continue (e.g., see our NABO calendar of events).  Each Basque club/ organization probably knows best what they need to do to have a good time; NABO therefore plays a limited role in that capacity.  It is with the next variable of our equation that NABO can be of most assistance in our joint shared goal of perpetuating our Basque heritage here in America.

As many of our Basque communities make the transition from a generation of European born Basques leaders to the generation of American born Basques, the crucial element will be how well we are able to educate young Basques about their heritage.  The European Basques, when they founded various Basque organizations, didn’t really plan for much education for the primary reason that they were already Basque—it was who they were.  It is instead the American-born generation of Basques that do not have this automatic connection to traditions.  It is these new generations that confront the question what does it mean to be Basque in a different way than their immigrant parents and grandparents.  But what will we teach our youth about what it means to be Basque?  NABO is aiming to provide a  response to this question by facilitating various projects.   

The challenge we have is bridging the gap between recreation & education.  We want learning to be fun, and we seek to define having fun as having an opportunity to learn.  If we can successfully maintain the combination of recreation & education, the sum will be the perpetuation of our Basque heritage.

Success in educating our young will also depend on the support of our educational members that includes the Center for Basque Studies (Reno, NV), Cenarrusa Foundation & Basque Museum (Boise, ID), the Basque Educational Organization (San Francisco, CA) and the Society of Basque Studies in America (New York).  For years these organizations have been moving forward with various educational programs that we Basque-Americans can better utilize.  The Center for Basque Studies, for example, initiated and continues its “Ikasi” program which is week-long workshop on Basque culture.  The Cenarrusa Center sponsors several workshops as well as does the Basque Educational Organization.  Meanwhile, the Society of Basque Studies publishes an annual journal.  We need to go back and forth on this bridge between the worlds of recreation and education.

The Autonomous Basque Government of Euskadi is also actively supporting efforts to educate.  Their annual Gaztemundu program offers young Basques an opportunity to travel to the Basque Country to learn about the world there, and also to participate in workshops about better educating youth in Basque dance, culture, etc.  There is also an endeavor underway to sustain a flow of Basque instructors who could come over for a few weeks or a couple of months to work with local Basque communities to teach things like Basque dance, Euskara, music, etc. 

Being Basque today is primarily a state of mind because it involves a choice that one seeks to self-identify as being Basque.  So in the months ahead, look for more information coming from NABO about how we can work together to create and sustain viable programs for the celebration and education of our youth.  Goazen elkarrekin aurrera!