For more than 40 years, the (ISSA), in conjunction with other campus departments and organizations, has hosted International Festival Week at the University of Notre Dame. International Festival Week 2012, which will celebrate Notre Dame’s international community, will take place Feb. 25 through March 4 (Saturday through Sunday).

The following events are open to the public:

• At 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 (Saturday), the Filipino American Student Association will present Fiestang 2012: Dahil Tayo’y Pilipino (Because We Are Filipino) in the Stepan Center. This celebration of Filipino culture will include a dinner and performance. Tickets will cost $10 at the door.

• Join ISSA and the Graduate Student Union for the International Festival from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 29 (Wednesday) in the LaFortune Student Center Ballroom. In addition to sampling free desserts from around the world, attendees may enjoy a variety of international student performances and activities such as henna, origami and a sale of Nepalese handicrafts.

• Fischer O’Hara Grace Graduate Residences (FOG) and Rev. Martin Nguyen, C.S.C., will host a free dinner, tour of Nguyen’s art studio, and dessert on March 2 (Friday) as part of Fragments: Spiritual and Cultural Inspirations of a Vietnamese-American Artist. Dinner will take place at 6 p.m. in the FOG Community Center, followed by a 7 p.m. art studio tour in the Holy Cross Annex.

• The and the will present the 2012 Asian Film Festival on March 2 and 3 (Friday and Saturday). The festival will focus on contemporary Indian cinema. For a complete schedule as well as ticket information, click .

• ISSA and University Village Apartments will host the International Children’s Festival from 2 to 4 p.m. March 3 (Saturday). Children of all ages are invited to make international arts and crafts and play games at the University Village Community Center.

• The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will host the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble as part of its visiting artist series at 2 p.m. March 4 (Sunday) in the Leighton Concert Hall. The ensemble will perform Odissi, the oldest of India’s classical dance forms in a program titled “Sri yah – A Decade of Dance Making.” For ticket information, click .

For more information as well as a complete list of International Festival Week events, click .

Contact: McKenna Pencak, mpencak@nd.edu

Each year, (ISSA), in conjunction with other campus departments and organizations, hosts International Education Week (IEW) at the University of Notre Dame. IEW is a national event that is coordinated by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate and promote global exchange between the United States and other countries. This year, IEW will take place Nov. 14 to 18 (Monday to Friday).

The following IEW events are open to the public:

• On Nov. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m., ISSA will host the International Taste of South Bend in the LaFortune Student Center Ballroom. Attendees may sample a variety of international cuisines provided by local ethnic restaurants.

• The (FTT) and the will host “Provenance,” the latest play by Notre Dame Moreau Fellow , from Nov. 16 to 20.

• On Nov. 17, FTT will host “Latina Theatre Today: New Voices,” a one-day conference celebrating contemporary Latina theatre. The conference will begin at 1 p.m. in McKenna Hall Room 210.

• On Nov.17 at 6:30 p.m., artist Nandita Raman will speak on her award-winning black and white photographs of old Indian cinema halls in the Mestrovic Studio Gallery.

• The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will present the acclaimed Thai film, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” on Nov. 17 at 8 p.m.

• On Nov. 18, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will host an encore broadcast of “The Kitchen,” a live theatrical performance from London, at 7:30 p.m.

• Monday through Friday, ISSA will sponsor a sale of goods and handicrafts from the fair trade retailer Ten Thousand Villages, which provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Ten Thousand Villages will sell products in the atrium from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

• ISSA and Notre Dame International will host a supply drive for the American Red Cross, St. Joseph County Chapter’s Refugee Resettlement Program, which became an authorized refugee resettlement agency in 2010. The Refugee Resettlement Program is in need of toys for children aged one through 12, school supplies, and unopened toiletries. Donation collection boxes will be available Nov. 14 to 18 in Notre Dame International, located in 105 Main Building, and at the International Taste of South Bend on Nov. 16.

IEW co-sponsors are the Canadian Association of Notre Dame Youths (CANDY), the , DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, FTT, Hesburgh Library, , Notre Dame International, Snite Museum of Art, and Ten Thousand Villages.

For more than 40 years, the (ISSA) at the University of Notre Dame has hosted International Festival Week, a celebration of international heritage and culture. International Festival Week 2011 will take place from March 25 through April 2. Highlights include:

Asian Film Festival & Conference – On March 25 and 26 (Friday and Saturday), the and will present the 2011 Asian Film Festival and Conference. This year’s film festival will showcase recent animated films from Japan, as well as pay tribute to internationally acclaimed director Satoshi Kon, who passed away in 2010. For more information, visit the .

International Festival: A Sweet World – Join ISSA on March 29 (Tuesday) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the LaFortune Ballroom to sample desserts from around the world. In addition to indulging on sweet treats, attendees may participate in various international activities, including acupuncture, henna, a sale of Nepalese handicrafts, and performances by campus groups.

Latin Expressions 2011 – On April 1 (Friday) at 7 p.m., Latin history and culture will come to life at the South Bend Century Center for “Orígenes: Regresando a Nuestras Raíces,” a one-night-only spectacular of dance, song and ritmo presented by La Alianza. Tickets will be available at the door or the LaFortune Student Center box office during International Festival Week.

International Children’s Festival – ISSA and University Village Apartments will host the International Children’s Festival on April 2 (Saturday) from 2 to 4 p.m. Children of all ages are invited to make international arts and crafts, get their faces painted and play games at the University Village Community Center.

Other International Festival Week events include an international breakfast, Spanish Mass, red-hot chili pepper eating contest, International Street Food Festival, and tour of the Snite Museum of Art’s Meso-American exhibits. For a complete schedule of events, please visit . All events are open to the public.

International Festival Week is presented by ISSA and co-sponsored by The Career Center, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Fischer O’Hara-Grace Graduate Residences, Kellogg Institute, La Alianza, Snite Museum of Art, and University Village and Cripe Street Apartments.

ISSA was established in 1969 to advise and support the international student community at the University of Notre Dame.

Contact: McKenna Pencak, mpencak@nd.edu

What do Asian dancers, Salvadoran papusas and a documentary about South African street soccer have in common? Each will be part of (IEW), presented by International Student Services and Activities (ISSA) at the University of Notre Dame. Events are open to the public and will be held Nov. 15 to 19 (Monday to Friday).

IEW is a national event coordinated by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate and promote global exchange between the United States and other countries.

• ISSA will kick-off IEW on Monday at 5:30 p.m. with a free dessert reception followed by a screening of the documentary film “Streetball” at 6:30 p.m. in Geddes Hall. The film follows eight South African homeless men – former convicts, gangsters, orphans and recovering drug and alcohol addicts – who win the chance to represent their home country at the Homeless World Cup finals in Australia and Italy. After years of neglect, abuse and rejection by society, these players seize the opportunity for a better future and defy the odds. Mike Mastrocinque, associate producer and operations manager of the non-profit From Us With Love (FUWL) that produced the film, will host a question and answer session after the screening.

• Local international restaurants will showcase their cuisines at the International Taste of South Bend in the LaFortune Student Center Ballroom on Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend this event.

• The Asian Association of Notre Dame will present Asian Allure, celebrating various cultures with song, dance and other performances on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. Admission is $7.

Monday through Friday, ISSA will sponsor a sale of goods and handicrafts from the fair trade retailer Ten Thousand Villages, which provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Ten Thousand Villages will sell products in the Hesburgh Library Atrium from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Ten Thousand Villages, which is a non-profit program of the Mennonite Central Committee, works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed, providing sustainable income that pays for food, education, health care and housing.

In addition, ISSA will host an International Cooking Class on Thursday and a Late Night Salsa Nightclub in conjunction with Legends of Notre Dame on Friday for Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students.
All IEW events will support the St. Joseph County chapter of the American Red Cross, which became an authorized refugee resettlement agency in 2010. Between Oct. 1, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2011, the local Red Cross chapter expects to resettle 80 displaced refugees from around the world. Many of these refugees, who have been displaced from their home countries due to persecution for religion, race, nationality or political opinion, arrive in the United States with only the clothes on their backs. As a result, the Refugee Resettlement Program is in need of everyday household items to provide the refugees, including furnishings, linens and unused, unopened toiletries. ISSA will host donation collection boxes at all IEW events.

IEW co-sponsors include the Center for Social Concerns, Graduate Student Union, Legends of Notre Dame, and the Office of International 91��Ƶ.

Contact: McKenna Pencak, mpencak@nd.edu