2018 Latin America & the Caribbean Workshops
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Climate Change Refugees and Latin America: Grassroots Voices & Community Identities
This workshop will explore the dynamic of migration due to climate change. Speakers from grassroots organizations working in Haiti and Nicaragua will discuss what work is being done on the frontlines of climate change. We will consider how public policy advocates might work to slow climate change and offer relief for those displaced by its impacts.
From Sanctuary to Solidarity: The many ways congregations can create welcoming communities
Co-sponsored with Domestic U.S. section. Visit that page for description.
Is Development Possible without Economic Rights: Una Mirada al Modelo Exclusivo
This panel will discuss the dominant economic model in Central America and how it perpetuates poverty and inequality, promotes the political capture of government institutions, and excludes labor, indigenous and Hondurans in general from any reaping any benefits.
U.S. Role in Driving Displacement & Deportations to Mexico & Central America
Current harsh U.S. immigration enforcement threatens to increase deportations to Mexico and Central America. At the same time, U.S. foreign policy has played a historic role in supporting militarized policies that have created the very conditions pushing people to flee. And it continues turning a blind eye to ongoing human rights violations and impunity in the region. Panelists will discuss the transnational impacts of current U.S. policies leading to the deportations of families, individuals, and children to the region and the U.S. responsibility in supporting foreign policies that have led to further displacement and out-migration. This workshop provides tools to talk about these issues, build welcoming communities, and advocate for U.S. immigration and foreign policies that that protect human rights and respect our neighbors.
Who Makes Our Stuff? The Workers that Fight for Justice in the Global Economy
In Latin America and the Caribbean, defending your rights at work can cost you your life. This workshop will highlight how workers in the Americas are standing up to corporations that exploit, harm and impoverish people in the name of profit. We will examine U.S. policy, violence against worker rights activists, and the root causes of the current migration crisis. Meet Honduran trade unionist, Tomas Membreño, and learn how U.S. consumers can support melon workers in Honduras, who harvest the fruit that ends up on our supermarket shelves
Justice Threats to Unaccompanied Minors
This workshop will highlight the intersection between the juvenile justice system and anti-immigration efforts. We will discuss pending federal legislation that unfairly targets and identifies unaccompanied minors and their US sponsors for criminal behavior and deportation. Furthermore, we will highlight state responses, favorable and alarming, that target young people who are seeking protections in the US, including the collateral damage to youth and families who are wrongly accused of being gang-affiliated. Finally, we will discuss more appropriate responses to youth who are fleeing violence and looking to the US for asylum and protection, such as strengthening families, preventing youth isolation and vulnerability through culturally based healing, and building comprehensive community supports.