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DALIA CIDZIKAITĖ, Editor, Draugas Lithuanians living abroad have always fared well in promulgating and promoting their cultural activities. Therefore, I have no doubt that the XIV Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival scheduled to take place June 28-July 1 in Boston will be exquisitely planned and very successful.  I am also sure that anothe , somewhat smaller Lithuanian-American cultural event scheduled for 2012 will meet with equal success -- the performance February 4th of the Lithuanian folk art ensemble “Dainava” in an arts, literature, and choral music event co-sponsored by the General Consulate of the Lithuanian Republic in Chicago and psychological and spiritual aid societies.  The title is “Maybe I exist not for myself" in honor of Lithuanian Independence Day.  And of course there will follow myriad traditional galas, celebrations, anniversaries, fairs, individual dance groups, choirs, concerts ...

 But Lithuanians living abroad seem to have less success in the political, public and social arenas, and find it even more difficult to venture beyond the confines of Lithuanian activities.  However, a couple of public organizations have been founded or revived in this past year.  Two of them – the Public Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian-American community, which renewed its activities in 2007, and the Campaign to Preserve Lithuanian Citizenship, joined forces to do battle for dual citizenship.  This issue faded somewhat this year as a new citizenship law came into force, but becomes relevant once again in 2012 when elections to the Lithuanian Parliament are scheduled to be held.
 
So in 2012, both the US and Lithuania will be caught up in election fever.  Lithuania’s parliamentary elections will be held in October.  For Lithuanians living abroad, and specifically for those with Lithuanian citizenship, it will be a good opportunity for them not only to do their duty and take responsibility for a new parliament which will determine the future composition of the government and the country's vision, but also to show that they can be another political voice under Lithuania skies.
 
A photo recently published by The New York Times of the first democratic elections held in Egypt caught my eye.  The photo featured an Egyptian on a donkey riding to a village polling station with a single table and a chair.  The Egyptian’s son, presumably too young to vote, is sitting on the donkey with him.  Apparently, the father wants to show him what a free and democratic election looks like.  Lithuanians living abroad don’t have to travel on donkeys to get to polling places, and if Lithuanian politicians get their way, we will soon be able to vote without leaving home – via the Internet.  So why we are so little concerned with hard-won democratic system in Lithuania?
 
For those interested in closer relations with the other Baltic countries - Latvia and Estonia - do not pass up the opportunity to attend the twenty-third AABS conference (Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Conference) being held at the University of Illinois at Chicago April 26-28, 2011.  This year’s theme is “Global Baltics: the next 20 years."  Over 200 scholars are expected to attend, traveling from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Russia, Sweden, the United States and anywhere else where there are people interested in the political, social and economic situation in the Baltics, their history, culture, literature and language, business, etc. The three ambassadors to the US from the Baltic countries have already agreed to participate, as has one member of the Latvian Saema.
 
Three major global events will take place in Chicago in 2012.  The G8 (the eight largest world economic countries) meets May 15-22.  There will be a NATO Summit May 20-21, in which Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite promises to participate.  And several days before that, Nobel laureates from around the world will gather in Chicago for their 12th annual meeting.  This event will be chaired by the former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and former Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni.
 
Lithuanian-Americans have long gravitated to their own professional societies.  In 2011, a new group was formed in Chicago, the Chicago Lithuanian Professionals Group, whose goal, one would hope, is to bring together young Lithuanians and those of Lithuanian descent early in their careers. I wish them success in focusing not only on their personal careers, but also on how to become more active players in Lithuanian society.
 
Some new ideas and prodding to social action came from the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington, DC, which has been under the leadership of Žygimantas Pavilionis for over a year now.  Recent events include a charity benefit to help Camp Neringa rebuild a bridge destroyed by Hurricane Irene and round-table discussions between the Lithuanian and Jewish communities that focus on how to improve Lithuanian-Jewish relations.  On December 11, 2011, the embassy hosted the first joint project emerging from this informal working group for the local Lithuanian and Jewish communities.  The "Chanuka/Kucios” celebration allowed younger members of the communities to acquaint each other with their traditions and customs.  Let's hope that the “Sunflower project” bears more ripe fruit like this.
 
I would also like to see more bridge-building among the different waves of immigrants that came to the United States from Lithuania, particularly at larger gatherings. When asked what could be done to bring these divergent waves together, former General Consul in Chicago, Arvydas Daunoravicius, would always refuse to discriminate among the various waves or groups and referred to them all as Lithuanians living abroad.  Unfortunately, this approach does not eliminate the problem.  It should come as no surprise that students involved in the “Immigrant Connect Chicago” project, in which “Draugas” has played a part for the past two years, when asked to write about Lithuanians, wrote about what stood out to them - the different Lithuanian-American immigrant waves, their distinctive features and how they keep their distance from one another. Outsiders notice this.  Why don’t we?
 
It is hard to tell what fate awaits the program announced by the Lithuanian government, “Global Lithuania,” an attempt to get Lithuanians living abroad involved in public life in the years 2011-2019.  This project, which began to be discussed in July 2010, seems to have lost its way in the halls of bureaucracyor is gathering dust in a drawer as it has not yet been implemented. Although various non-governmental organizations, in Lithuania and among Lithuanians living abroad, as well as the World Lithuanian Community, have expressed considerable criticism of the “Global Lithuania" program, it is still the only official document created by the Lithuanian government that attempts to describe and define the relationship with the 1.3 million Lithuanians and those of Lithuanian descent living outside of Lithuania, 300,000 of whom who are citizens of the Republic of Lithuania.
 
For Catholics, both in Lithuania and abroad, this is the year of Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis.  Lithuanian journalist Tom Viluckas asks seriously whether it will be possible to blow off the dust from the Blessed Matulaitis.  After all, he writes, “there is the danger of limiting ourselves to celebratory events and pious actions, without accomplishing anything.”  So another wish is that we honor Blessed Matulaitis not only this year but that we also look to him for deeper meaning and a closer connection in the future.
 
Throughout his life, Blessed Matulaitis followed the slogan, “Overcome evil with goodness.” Many charities and clubs established by Lithuanians in the US operate under this slogan as well: the “Child's Gate to Learning,” the Lithuanian Children's Club "Saulete,",the Daughters of Lithuania Society in Los Angeles, Children's Hope, and the Chicago women's club “Alatėja.”  This year, the Lithuanian-American community of Philadelphia reached out to those in need through the Lithuanian project, “Children's Dreams.”  The Lithuanian Club of St. Petersburg, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary and is reinvigorated, surprised Lithuanian soldiers serving in Afghanistan with Christmas gifts.
 
As the U.S. economy continues to limp along, social empathy, spiritual, moral and financial assistance to one’s neighbor will be particularly important in the coming year.  Last year, several Lithuanians from Chicago and its suburbs took their own lives.  Their loss demonstrates the vulnerability of our Lithuanian community, and our inability to recognize and give support in time to someone who needs our help.
 
Now turning attention to my own garden, the newspaper “Draugas,” my wish for the New Year is that in the future it would not be the newspaper that seeks out readers, but readers who seek out our newspaper.  Until that wish comes true, I will take heart in what I have at hand: a strong and loyal team, conscientious and pleasant colleagues, old readers and new ones.
 
We all have another year of political, social and cultural challenges ahead of us. Are we going to be passive, and often complaining, observers, or will we become active participants and use our voices.  It’s up to each of us.
 
On behalf of the Editorial Board of Draugas and myself, our best wishes for an interesting and promising 2012.