Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Crispaz Volunteer

Hello friends!

After a long hiatus, I am now going to get back into the swing of updating my blog and sharing the many rich experiences this life rewards me with any and all who wish to listen.

Having finished my allotted grant period, I have been blessed with the opportunity to be sponsored by Crispaz (Christians for Peace in El Salvador), a non-governmental organization that has been working in El Salvador for years on various peacebuilding and international solidarity building initiatives.

Thanks to Crispaz´s support, I will be able to continue the work I have begun in El Salvador.

For any new readers, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2010 with majors in International Peace Studies and Anthropology. I have spent time doing peacebuilding work both in Uganda and El Salvador, where I am currently collaborating with Fundación Quetzalcoatl, Ideas y Acciónes Para la Paz.

In El Salvador, I volunteer teaching environmental education to youth in a violence prevention and job skills training program. Additionally, I work with a community-based youth group on a variety of peacebuilding initiatives to strengthen community unity and prevent the integration of the community´s youth into the ever-present gangs. Finally, I accompany female youth in the country´s only juvenile detention center for women, teaching poetry and learning from their wealth of wisdom and experience.

I will do my best to update this blog once a month at the very least, so stay tuned!