Coming Up... El Salvador Trip

El Salvador: Brigadiers Crossing Borders

This August the Gandhi Brigade will be heading south--all the way to El Salvador! Eight of our Promotores (Peer Educators) will be spending ten days in the country to partner with 8 youth from 2 youth-serving Salvadoran NGOs--Quetzalcoatl and Centro Arte para la Paz--in an international youth media exchange.

To prepare for this role, GB youth have spent the last 4 months brushing up on their Spanish skills, making positive connections to the Salvadoran community here in Silver Spring, and mastering the activities from our curriculum. On-site, they will be using their facilitation and training skills to work together with their Salvadoran peers to produce 4 short documentary pieces about global youth issues and to action plan for future virtual media exchanges.

This initiative is both innovative and imperative. During a time where immigration politics have collided with racism and division in our communities, the Crossing Borders project provides a real way for youth to reach each out to one other across social, national, and class borders to begin to formulate positive solutions to current global youth issues that affect young people in the US, EL Salvador, and beyond.

Coordinating and nurturing this project has been a courageous one for the Gandhi Brigade and we need your help to make this experience possible. We are asking all of our friends to become partners in this project that will not only transform GB youth but is a small piece of transforming the systems and values that affect young people globally. Become a partner in solidarity by donating today. Our needs are great, but every little bit has a sincere value to us.

Tax-deductible donations can be sent to: Gandhi Brigade, 8661 Colesville Rd. Ste. D173, Silver Spring MD 20910.

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At Gandhi Brigade a Promotor/a is...

A Youth Media Promotor is skilled in project management and certified in media production. They lead their peers in media projects in which they share their technical expertise, produce socially responsible media, and promote advocacy around community issues.

Registration due April 18, 2009- Download Your Registration Form Here and send it to:

Hawa- hawa@gandhibrigade.org or drop it off at:

Gandhi Brigade Media Center,
City Place Mall, Level 4,
8661 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20901

Session I: Convert Ideas into Projects (Choose one training session)
- Tuesday, April 21, 2009
- Thursday, April 23, 2009

Session II: Convert Projects into Action (Choose one training session)
-Tuesday, April 28, 2009
-Thursday, April 30, 2009

A few special projects that are coming up (Please choose only one):
- Youth Media Festival
- Gandhi Brigade Promotional Video
- Retail Product Development Team
- Photography Business Team
- Youth Zine Project

OR,

if YOU have an exciting and original project IDEA, YOU can propose it!

Who is a Promotor/a?

A Promotor/a is a person that is trained to work in their home communities to educate their peers and fellow community members in a way that empowers them, raises their consciousness and increases their knowledge or capacity.

Guidelines & Expectations of a Promotor/a

• Certification (Must be certified in their project area for example, Video, Photo, Graphic Design etc.)
• Responsible for the creation of a project concept calendar and weekly lesson plans
• Communicate with adults from partner organizations like schools or non-profits
• Communicate with GB staff for support and plannig

This semester GB Promotors are leading five after-school projects where their peers and teens are producing media that is transforming our community!