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Lyn


This is a report that Val Liveoak, who is coordinator of the Latin American=20=
Working Group wrote up. I am using some of the report for you all and adding=
 some of my own comments as well.

In Nicaragua, ProNica, (an organization sponsored by SEYM) had sponsored AVP=
=20
work in the late 90s. I was unable to find a current contact with the previo=
us=20
AVP coordinator, and some of the work, especially in Matagalpa (northern=20
Nicaragua) seemed to depend on the presence of Kit and Ev Pilgrim, Friends w=
ho=20
have visited the country regularly. Kit went on the 2003 LAC team to Colombi=
a.=20
Ev became quite ill on this trip and says she doesn=C2=B4t think she can ret=
urn to=20
the country. I talked with Kit and Ev about FPT possibly providing followup=20=
for=20
the work they had been doing and they said they would be grateful if we coul=
d=20
take it on. I co-facilitated a Basic Workshop in Managua which they had plan=
ned,=20
along with one previously trained Nicaraguan facilitator.=20

The workshop was held in the office of a women=C2=B4s clinic and outreach pr=
ogram in=20
one of the poorer neighborhoods of Managua. The workshop participants were f=
rom=20
organizations including the women=C2=B4s group, a group of lesbian women, a=20=
group of=20
transgendered people, the YMCA=C2=B4s youth workers and the SOS Aldeas (a pr=
ogram of=20
orphanages or family homes for children). Remarkably, this mixed group did n=
ot=20
seem to have difficulties working together. The workshop went well, but beca=
use=20
of incomplete attendance, only eight people (of 13) completed the entire=20
workshop. All said they wanted more AVP, and needed it for both personal gro=
wth=20
and to help their communities. In the neighborhood where we met, there were=20
problems of gang and other criminal activities, and significant domestic=20
violence.=20

In Nicaragua, I (Val) also met with Lillian Hall, the=C2=A0 director of Quak=
er House and=20
representative of ProNica, who asked that FPT help reinvigorate the AVP work=
.=20
She has 18 years of experience in the country and a large network of contact=
s.=20
Two facilitators who work in other poor neighborhoods came to meet me, and s=
aid=20
they were hoping for more opportunities to continue AVP. (They said they wou=
ld=20
bring me a proposal, but did not as yet.)

Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D I think this would be very exciting to explore how F=
PT could help AVP get reinvigorated and be helpfil to ProNica. Thanks Lillia=
n!=C2=A0

In Costa Rica, the Friends of Peace Center, started by Quakers and financed=20=
to=20
some degree by the connecting Casa Ridgway, a Quaker hostel, also hoped to=20
revive an AVP program that has not been active for several (many?) years.=20
Previously trained facilitators are not active nor in contact with the curre=
nt=20
staff and Board of the Center. Few of the staff or Board members are Quakers=
,=20
although some key members attend the small Quaker meeting. The Center is=20
beginning a 10 month program of training Human Rights promoters, and want AV=
P to=20
be a part of their training.

Additionally there is a longstanding AVP program that is part of the work of=
=20
CEPPA, the Center for Peace Education, and completely unconnected to Quakers=
.=20
AVP is only one part of CEPPA=C2=B4s work, which also includes Creative Conf=
lict=20
Resolution, Mediation and other aspects. CEPPA has a contract with the Minis=
try=20
of Education to provide training in the 50 most at-risk high schools in the=20
country, as well as doing prison programs and working with groups of battere=
d=20
women. (I have had sporadic contact with CEPPA=C2=B4s Director, Celina Garci=
a, since=20
the early 90s.) CEPPA has trained AVPers and CCRers throughout Costa Rica an=
d=20
other parts of the region, including El Salvador and Colombia.=20

Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D I visited Casa Ridgeway many years ago and again I l=
ike the idea of FPT being able to work with other Quaker groups, especially=20=
since we are so small.



In Colombia, Cece and I met several times with the AVP team who developed a=20
lengthy and detailed presentation of their work and plans for the future. Th=
ey=20
hope to develop four regional programs=E2=80=94FPT has agreed to support the=
 Central=20
region which includes Bogot=C3=A1, and the Northern Coast region (the states=
 of=20
Cordoba, Sucre, Magdalena and Valledupar), where there has been, and continu=
es=20
to be significant armed conflict, paramilitary and guerrilla activity, drug=20
trafficking, and massive displacement. Work in the other two regions, the ar=
eas=20
around Medell=C3=ADn and Cal=C3=AD, have been supported by grants, solicited=
 by the AVP=20
team, from the World Council of Churches, the Women=C2=B4s Ecumenical Networ=
k for=20
Peace, and some orders of nuns, among other groups.=20

Cece and I also met with the Conscientious Objectors Collective, (the source=
 of=20
the analysis in the article on Colombia that I sent previously). We went to=20=
one=20
of their workshops for young men about their options regarding military serv=
ice,=20
but the youths did not show up due to scheduling snafus. As I have reported=20
before, this is a group of very committed young men and women, who are very=20
interested in the personal nonviolence that AVP offers and want to add train=
ing=20
on civil resistance to it. They use exercises from AVP and from other source=
s in=20
their work with students in five high schools, and one of their leaders is a=
=20
member of the AVP coordination team.



Along with members of the AVP team, Cece and I met with the AFSC staff in=20
Bogot=C3=A1. AFSC is in the process of approving a 2+ year pilot program of=20=
work with=20
youth groups of sports fans (or fanatics), called Barras Bravas=E2=80=94the=20=
staff call=20
them =E2=80=9Cyouth identity groups=E2=80=9D. These groups have become infam=
ous for riots and=20
fights at soccer games, and encounter increasing police repression. The yout=
h=20
are typically at-risk for gang and other delinquent activities, but generall=
y=20
are not yet organized to undertake criminal activities, and the goal of the=20
project is to find ways to integrate them into their communities and redirec=
t=20
their activities into more socially useful ones through art, community=20
campaigns, income generating projects and so forth. They are excited about A=
VP=20
being part of their efforts, and hope to begin workshops in the fall. They=20
expect the project to be a model for other AFSC work with youth groups in=20
Colombia and internationally.

Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D Again I like the idea of FPT being able to work with=
 other Quaker groups. In addition, I had a long talk with a psychologist wor=
king with AFSC who had done her thesis work with excombatant youth. (As you=20=
may know almost fifty percent of the population is under the age of 19). She=
 found that many of the youth had joined the guerillas and paramilitaries to=
 escape family violence. That was a new connection for me.=C2=A0=20


The AVP team has been in contact with Justapaz, a Mennonite program, and pla=
ns=20
for Alba and me to co-facilitate a workshop with staff in late July or early=
=20
August.

Cece and I and a member of the AVP team met with and later co-facilitated a=20
Basic workshop with staff and participants of Taller de Vida, a program work=
ing=20
with youth who are =E2=80=9Cdesvinculados=E2=80=9D (minors who have left gue=
rrilla or=20
paramilitary groups) and youth from poor neighborhoods who are at risk of=20
joining armed groups. The workshop was very interesting, and the participati=
on=20
was much higher than we expected, because, we think, the young people have=20
already been involved in extensive work with TdeV. The major problem we=20
encountered was with role-plays which several of the small groups wanted to=20=
turn=20
into dramatic (and sometimes very abstract) productions, drawing on the thea=
ter=20
work with which they are familiar. The young people were very excited by the=
=20
things they learned about nonviolence and very interested in continuing with=
=20
AVP.=20

Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D This was a very exciting weekend for me. When I look=
ed ar these young people, I would have never suspected some of them were ex=20=
combatants. They seemed like normal teenagers. However, it was very evident=20=
they had seen more than most teens. When asked about causes of violence, the=
y came up with the most sophosticated answers I had ever heard even from adu=
lts. Thye also talked about resiliency and focusing on stengths. I was able=20=
to do a couple of interviews with some of the youth as well, which=C2=A0I ho=
pe to get typed up later.

The countryside is absolutely magnificent. We were at a YMCA camp in the mou=
ntains. Very lush with fruit and flowers. What a paradise this could be. Als=
o many of the people are so physically beautiful and fit. You can=C2=B4t kee=
p your eyes off them.


Cece and I also worked extensively with Alba Arrieta, the AVP coordinator, o=
n=20
planning the upcoming workshops based on HROC. Although we have been frustra=
ted=20
at not being able to bring African facilitators to lead the workshops, we us=
ed=20
the manual to develop two demonstration workshops which we plan to offer in=20=
July=20
in the North Coast and in Bogot=C3=A1. We anticipate the participants in the=
se=20
workshops will include displaced people, AVP facilitators, psychologists and=
=20
social workers and others, and expect to get a lot of feedback about whether=
 the=20
HROC-style approach is needed and of use in the Colombian context.=20

Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D I will be going back in July for the sample trauma h=
ealing workshops. We are looking for another title for the workshop.

=C2=A0In addition I went to Meeting for Worship here in Bogota amd plan to g=
o back in July. Will back in Tampa soon. Thanks again for all your support.

Paz.

Cece

----------MB_8CA9DD365B79F9F_ECC_AD7_FWM-D42.sysops.aol.com
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"

Lyn<br>
<br>
<br>
This is a report that Val Liveoak, who is coordinator of the Latin American=20=
Working Group wrote up. I am using some of the report for you all and adding=
 some of my own comments as well.<br>
<br>
In Nicaragua, ProNica, (an organization sponsored by SEYM) had sponsored AVP=
 <br>
work in the late 90s. I was unable to find a current contact with the previo=
us <br>
AVP coordinator, and some of the work, especially in Matagalpa (northern <br=
>
Nicaragua) seemed to depend on the presence of Kit and Ev Pilgrim, Friends w=
ho <br>
have visited the country regularly. Kit went on the 2003 LAC team to Colombi=
a. <br>
Ev became quite ill on this trip and says she doesn=C2=B4t think she can ret=
urn to <br>
the country. I talked with Kit and Ev about FPT possibly providing followup=20=
for <br>
the work they had been doing and they said they would be grateful if we coul=
d <br>
take it on. I co-facilitated a Basic Workshop in Managua which they had plan=
ned, <br>
along with one previously trained Nicaraguan facilitator. <br>
<br>
The workshop was held in the office of a women=C2=B4s clinic and outreach pr=
ogram in <br>
one of the poorer neighborhoods of Managua. The workshop participants were f=
rom <br>
organizations including the women=C2=B4s group, a group of lesbian women, a=20=
group of <br>
transgendered people, the YMCA=C2=B4s youth workers and the SOS Aldeas (a pr=
ogram of <br>
orphanages or family homes for children). Remarkably, this mixed group did n=
ot <br>
seem to have difficulties working together. The workshop went well, but beca=
use <br>
of incomplete attendance, only eight people (of 13) completed the entire <br=
>
workshop. All said they wanted more AVP, and needed it for both personal gro=
wth <br>
and to help their communities. In the neighborhood where we met, there were=20=
<br>
problems of gang and other criminal activities, and significant domestic <br=
>
violence. <br>
<br>
In Nicaragua, I (Val) also met with Lillian Hall, the&nbsp; director of Quak=
er House and <br>
representative of ProNica, who asked that FPT help reinvigorate the AVP work=
. <br>
She has 18 years of experience in the country and a large network of contact=
s. <br>
Two facilitators who work in other poor neighborhoods came to meet me, and s=
aid <br>
they were hoping for more opportunities to continue AVP. (They said they wou=
ld <br>
bring me a proposal, but did not as yet.)<br>
<br>
Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D I think this would be very exciting to explore how F=
PT could help AVP get reinvigorated and be helpfil to ProNica. Thanks Lillia=
n!&nbsp;<br>
<br>
In Costa Rica, the Friends of Peace Center, started by Quakers and financed=20=
to <br>
some degree by the connecting Casa Ridgway, a Quaker hostel, also hoped to <=
br>
revive an AVP program that has not been active for several (many?) years. <b=
r>
Previously trained facilitators are not active nor in contact with the curre=
nt <br>
staff and Board of the Center. Few of the staff or Board members are Quakers=
, <br>
although some key members attend the small Quaker meeting. The Center is <br=
>
beginning a 10 month program of training Human Rights promoters, and want AV=
P to <br>
be a part of their training.<br>
<br>
Additionally there is a longstanding AVP program that is part of the work of=
 <br>
CEPPA, the Center for Peace Education, and completely unconnected to Quakers=
. <br>
AVP is only one part of CEPPA=C2=B4s work, which also includes Creative Conf=
lict <br>
Resolution, Mediation and other aspects. CEPPA has a contract with the Minis=
try <br>
of Education to provide training in the 50 most at-risk high schools in the=20=
<br>
country, as well as doing prison programs and working with groups of battere=
d <br>
women. (I have had sporadic contact with CEPPA=C2=B4s Director, Celina Garci=
a, since <br>
the early 90s.) CEPPA has trained AVPers and CCRers throughout Costa Rica an=
d <br>
other parts of the region, including El Salvador and Colombia. <br>
<br>
Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D I visited Casa Ridgeway many years ago and again I l=
ike the idea of FPT being able to work with other Quaker groups, especially=20=
since we are so small.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
In Colombia, Cece and I met several times with the AVP team who developed a=20=
<br>
lengthy and detailed presentation of their work and plans for the future. Th=
ey <br>
hope to develop four regional programs=E2=80=94FPT has agreed to support the=
 Central <br>
region which includes Bogot=C3=A1, and the Northern Coast region (the states=
 of <br>
Cordoba, Sucre, Magdalena and Valledupar), where there has been, and continu=
es <br>
to be significant armed conflict, paramilitary and guerrilla activity, drug=20=
<br>
trafficking, and massive displacement. Work in the other two regions, the ar=
eas <br>
around Medell=C3=ADn and Cal=C3=AD, have been supported by grants, solicited=
 by the AVP <br>
team, from the World Council of Churches, the Women=C2=B4s Ecumenical Networ=
k for <br>
Peace, and some orders of nuns, among other groups. <br>
<br>
Cece and I also met with the Conscientious Objectors Collective, (the source=
 of <br>
the analysis in the article on Colombia that I sent previously). We went to=20=
one <br>
of their workshops for young men about their options regarding military serv=
ice, <br>
but the youths did not show up due to scheduling snafus. As I have reported=20=
<br>
before, this is a group of very committed young men and women, who are very=20=
<br>
interested in the personal nonviolence that AVP offers and want to add train=
ing <br>
on civil resistance to it. They use exercises from AVP and from other source=
s in <br>
their work with students in five high schools, and one of their leaders is a=
 <br>
member of the AVP coordination team.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Along with members of the AVP team, Cece and I met with the AFSC staff in <b=
r>
Bogot=C3=A1. AFSC is in the process of approving a 2+ year pilot program of=20=
work with <br>
youth groups of sports fans (or fanatics), called Barras Bravas=E2=80=94the=20=
staff call <br>
them =E2=80=9Cyouth identity groups=E2=80=9D. These groups have become infam=
ous for riots and <br>
fights at soccer games, and encounter increasing police repression. The yout=
h <br>
are typically at-risk for gang and other delinquent activities, but generall=
y <br>
are not yet organized to undertake criminal activities, and the goal of the=20=
<br>
project is to find ways to integrate them into their communities and redirec=
t <br>
their activities into more socially useful ones through art, community <br>
campaigns, income generating projects and so forth. They are excited about A=
VP <br>
being part of their efforts, and hope to begin workshops in the fall. They <=
br>
expect the project to be a model for other AFSC work with youth groups in <b=
r>
Colombia and internationally.<br>
<br>
Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D Again I like the idea of FPT being able to work with=
 other Quaker groups. In addition, I had a long talk with a psychologist wor=
king with AFSC who had done her thesis work with excombatant youth. (As you=20=
may know almost fifty percent of the population is under the age of 19). She=
 found that many of the youth had joined the guerillas and paramilitaries to=
 escape family violence. That was a new connection for me.&nbsp; <br>
<br>
<br>
The AVP team has been in contact with Justapaz, a Mennonite program, and pla=
ns <br>
for Alba and me to co-facilitate a workshop with staff in late July or early=
 <br>
August.<br>
<br>
Cece and I and a member of the AVP team met with and later co-facilitated a=20=
<br>
Basic workshop with staff and participants of Taller de Vida, a program work=
ing <br>
with youth who are =E2=80=9Cdesvinculados=E2=80=9D (minors who have left gue=
rrilla or <br>
paramilitary groups) and youth from poor neighborhoods who are at risk of <b=
r>
joining armed groups. The workshop was very interesting, and the participati=
on <br>
was much higher than we expected, because, we think, the young people have <=
br>
already been involved in extensive work with TdeV. The major problem we <br>
encountered was with role-plays which several of the small groups wanted to=20=
turn <br>
into dramatic (and sometimes very abstract) productions, drawing on the thea=
ter <br>
work with which they are familiar. The young people were very excited by the=
 <br>
things they learned about nonviolence and very interested in continuing with=
 <br>
AVP. <br>
<br>
Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D This was a very exciting weekend for me. When I look=
ed ar these young people, I would have never suspected some of them were ex=20=
combatants. They seemed like normal teenagers. However, it was very evident=20=
they had seen more than most teens. When asked about causes of violence, the=
y came up with the most sophosticated answers I had ever heard even from adu=
lts. Thye also talked about resiliency and focusing on stengths. I was able=20=
to do a couple of interviews with some of the youth as well, which&nbsp;I ho=
pe to get typed up later.<br>
<br>
The countryside is absolutely magnificent. We were at a YMCA camp in the mou=
ntains. Very lush with fruit and flowers. What a paradise this could be. Als=
o many of the people are so physically beautiful and fit. You can=C2=B4t kee=
p your eyes off them.<br>
<br>
<br>
Cece and I also worked extensively with Alba Arrieta, the AVP coordinator, o=
n <br>
planning the upcoming workshops based on HROC. Although we have been frustra=
ted <br>
at not being able to bring African facilitators to lead the workshops, we us=
ed <br>
the manual to develop two demonstration workshops which we plan to offer in=20=
July <br>
in the North Coast and in Bogot=C3=A1. We anticipate the participants in the=
se <br>
workshops will include displaced people, AVP facilitators, psychologists and=
 <br>
social workers and others, and expect to get a lot of feedback about whether=
 the <br>
HROC-style approach is needed and of use in the Colombian context. <br>
<br>
Cece=C2=B4s comments=3D I will be going back in July for the sample trauma h=
ealing workshops. We are looking for another title for the workshop.<br>
<br>
&nbsp;In addition I went to Meeting for Worship here in Bogota amd plan to g=
o back in July. Will back in Tampa soon. Thanks again for all your support.<=
br>
<br>
Paz.<br>
<br>
Cece<br>
<div id=3D'u8CA9DD36579A2FD-ECC-57B' class=3D'aol_ad_footer'><FONT style=3D"=
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