Train 80 Guatemalans in Civic Advocacy

After months of coordination, we have confirmed the date and location for Taller Viajero 2019! By request of the members of our community, we decided that this year we would travel to Puerto Barrios, Izabal, on the far eastern side of Guatemala to give that community a day-long intensive training in participative leadership. On July 27 we will gather with 40 community members that represent the cultural diversity of the region, including indigenous people of Q’echi and Garifuna groups and ladinos, to accompany them through a learning process based in the methodology of Art of Hosting. By the end of the day, our goal is to see that these Guatemalans feel confident in their capacity to facilitate complex conversations in their families, communities and workplaces such that all Guatemalans experience an increase of peace, justice, and understanding in their lives.

The plan for this training was made in collaboration with a graduate of ALG's leadership program, Karen Dubois, a leader from Izabal. Karen works at FUNDAECO which is an organization committed to environmental issues and human rights in the north-eastern region of Guatemala. We are very grateful for our alliance with this organization since they have built, over many years, collaborative networks among key actors in this region of the country. Through FUNDAECO, Karen is in charge of inviting community leaders to attend the Taller Viajero and finding the best possible space in the community to carry it out. This workshop is truly collaborative from its conception and planning, which is why a partnership with Karen is so key. She will connect us with community leaders who our team will meet with in order to hear from them what the needs of the community are. Together with these leaders we will build the central question on which we will design the training. It has to be a question that touches the real need of that community and therefore must arise from the community itself.

Staff members Flor Garcia Mencos and Lucy Estacuy will be joined by faculty member and expert María Mercedes Galvez as they travel eight hours the 26 of July to be ready for the training which starts early the morning of the 27. Puerto Barrios is a city in the department of Izabal, named after the massive lake that dominates the department. This region covers the eastern seaboard of Guatemala and for that reason is very hot most of the year. This training will give our team members the opportunity to connect with some of the graduates from ALG’s principal program, the Certificate in Leadership and Collaboration, which is always a delight. After the event, we’ll be sure to share some photos and testimonials from the day with you all. We are so grateful for your support! For live updates on our work, be sure to follow us on instagram @guatemalaliderazgo