Volunteers from Dallas, Houston, Austin and Baton Rouge met in Houston over the weekend of September 16 and 17. The weekend featured several introspective sessions, workshops, a training session and a toxic tour.

AID volunteers from Austin, Baton Rouge, Dallas and Houston met for a regional retreat at the University of Houston over the weekend of September 16 and 17, 2006. 

The sessions started on Saturday morning with introductions and a stirring rendition of "Is Liye," a song that signifies the spirit of fighting for an equitable world. Ravi Kuchimanchi then led a session on "Sangharsh, Nirman, Seva: AID's Core Principles." 

Next, volunteers used AID newsletters, as well as major American newspapers to practise critical writing and reading skills.  Aravinda emphasized that how we write affects how fairly and accurately we represent development and the people working for change.  

The afternoon session saw Betsy Raasch-Gilman from “Training For Change” deliver a workshop where volunteers introspected on forces contributing to or obstructing sustainable and just development. This was followed by a role playing exercise where a group of corrupt officials were pitted against four groups of citizens who chose a range of options to fight corruption. 

Volunteers then formed a circle to discuss the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and Right to Information (RTI) Act, learning more about how people are utilizing these acts and what role AID can play to support them.  

This was then followed by a Toxic Tour, where volunteers from TEJAS, a Houston-based advocacy group, led a tour of heavily polluted neighborhoods in the city’s oil corridor. Volunteers saw the starkest example of industrial apathy at the Caesar Chavez High School which was built in the "designated high risk" areas of three oil companies and where flammable pipes ran under the football ground.  The toxic tour helped us understand directly how people are fighting for environmental Justice, and how poor and minority communities face the brunt of the problem, whether in the US or in India The retreat ended on this somber and reflective mood.

The day and half had provided an opportunity for volunteers to connect with each other and with AID's spirit and philosophy.