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Send to friendNEW TACTICS IN MEXICO
The New TacticsProject, in collaboration with Freedom House Mexico, recently concluded a two-day workshop in Mexico City on "New Tacticsin Mexico". Nine representatives of various organizations throughout Mexico participated in this workshop, inwhich several presentations were given: CVT’s Doug Johnson discussed the need for new tactics, as well as leading several sessions on the philosophy, method and realization of the tactical mapping process. Erika Bocanegra (Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Perú) and Miguel Angel de los Santos (Red Defensores Comunitarias de Chiapas) discussed the work of their organizations and how they have successfully applied new tactics. Kendra Zaharescu of Freedom House led an exercise on the application of new tactics inMexico, focusing specifically on the issue of violence against women and the work of participating organizations. On the last day of the workshop, CVT’s Scott Charlesworth led a discussion on the future of New Tacticsin Mexico. The discussion included such possibilities as the translation of New Tactics materials into Spanish, the organization of future regional events, and the creation of an interactive space for Mexican activists on the New Tacticswebsite.
NEW TACTICS CELEBRATES THE WORK OF ALEJANDRO CARRION-MENENDEZ
Alejandro has worked with us for the past year translating the New Tactics e-Newsletter, website and many other materials into Spanish. As he prepares to leave Minnesota for graduate school, we took the opportunity to speak with him about his valuable work here and his plans for the future. Read the interview here.
TACTICAL NOTEBOOKS: LATIN AMERICA AND ASIA
We are pleased to announce the release of a new tactical notebook from Mexico: "Asumiendo nuestra propia defensa" by Miguel Angel de los Santos. (Available in Spanish only)
The following Spanish-language notebooks were also released during the past six months: "Together we are Stronger" / "Juntos somos más fuertes" by Erica Bocanegra; "From Protest to Proposal" / "De la protesta a la propuesta" by Paulino Montejo Silvestre; "Popular Initiatives" / "Las iniciativas populares" by María Batch; and "Public Audiences" / "Audiencias Públicas" by Sofia Macher. These notebooks are currently available only in Spanish.
We also recently released a notebook from Bangladesh: "Engaging Key Stakeholders: Ensuring the right to HIV/AIDS education and health care services" by Syed Altaf Chowdhury and Roy Romesh Chandra. In this notebook, we learn about how the development agency CARE-Bangladesh involved key stakeholders, particularly a transport workers’ union, in the task of HIV/AIDS prevention inBangladesh. CARE-Bangladesh worked together with the Bangladesh Truck Driver’s Federation to implement a program of advocacy including health education and services through integrated partnership. Particularly important was the cultivation of a sense of ownership of the project on the part of the union, including the employment of paid peer educators and the use of union premises for outreach work and health services. The story of CARE-Bangladesh’s work provides important insights into engaging key stakeholders inadvocacy work that is socially acceptable and relevant to the lives and experience of target communities.
These first-person, in-depth case studies provide a detailed look at how a tactic was successfully implemented, including the challenges that were faced along the way. Click here for more information about adapting tactics to your own situation.
IN THE NEWSROOM: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP UPDATE; SUMMER INSTITUTE ON PEACEBUILDING
The third annual Skoll World Forum, held March 29-30 at Oxford University, "offered an unparalleled opportunity to network with and learn from leading thinkers and practitioners inthe field of social entrepreneurship." The winners of the 2006 awards for social entrepreneurship were announced at the Forum, and included the Benetech Initiative(more on Benetech’s human rights program). Further, Ashoka recently received a $3 million grant from the Skoll Foundation as part of a recent partnership to advance social entrepreneurship around the world. More at http://www.skoll.org and http://www.ashoka.org.
The Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT) is pleased to announce the Summer Institute on Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution (IPCR). IPCR is an intensive 3-week residential program intended to build the capacity of current and future professionals in a variety of fields to make a critical difference infurthering peaceful relations inthe world. Applications are still open for Jakarta, Indonesia: July 22 Â August 12, 2006(June 1 Deadline to Apply). More information at http://www.conflicttransformation.org.
More in the newsroom: Fund for Global Human Rights grant proposals; Fellowships for HIV/AIDS and Public Health Policy research in Africa
