Job Description

I know most of you haven´t a clue as to what I am doing down here, and for good reason because it wasn´t until my first Monday here that I really learned of my specific responsibilities and 'job description' so to speak. Let me first explain what CCIDD does, and then i´ll go into my
primary assignments for the upcoming year.

CCIDD (Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialgoue on Development) is a retreat center where groups come to do service work and/or learn about the economic, social, and political realities of Mexico and Central American countries as a result of globalization. The groups that come stay for 10 days to 2 weeks. They are mostly from the U.S. and Canada; some are from universities, others from high schools, still others from divinity schools or church groups. The groups that prefer a service-oriented itinerary (about 1/2) work more in the community with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Salvation Army. These groups still conduct social analyses and learn about current issues facing Mexico and its people; however, they do not delve nearly as deeply into these issues as groups, such as the group from Furman, who come especially to examine the econosociopolitical reality of our neighbors in the south. The retreats can be religious (ecumenical) or secular. If groups request a religious retreat, we lean heavily on liberation theology, and focus on the Christian response to globalization and neoliberalism. All that I´ve relayed in this paragraph can also be read on the CCIDD webpage, which we are currently trying to update. However, if you´re interested go to http://www.ccidd.org/. There you can find pictures and descriptions of my co-workers, pictures of CCIDD, which also happens to be my home since I live at my worksite, and a more thorough explanation of our mission and work here.

Alrighty, where do I fit into this picture? I am part of the 5 person program staff. We are in charge of working with the group leaders to create the itineraries, and then we are the primary leaders of the group activities when the groups come. So I will help transport the groups, translate for them, and help them complete their scheduled projects. I will also be responsible for leading some morning reflections (all groups have a reflection each morning) and for facilitating some of the social analysis activities. Besides these responsibilities, I fill in where I can - writing for our monthly newsletter, organizing the office, making copies, etc. Our first group arrives Dec. 29th, so until then, I am focusing on preparing the schedules for the 5 (yes 5!!) groups that come in February, and I am also getting to know some of the people that CCIDD works very closely with. For example, union leaders and workers; people involved in various social movements - especially within the Zapatista movement; and the youth of El Pregón, a progressive newspaper written mostly by women my age who use the paper to protest against unjust politics and laws and to fight for the rights of the indigenous people. So one of my most important tasks right now, and the one that I most enjoy, is going around the city, locating certain people, and just talking with them about their experiences. I´m sure I´ll be talking more about some of these very inspirational people that I have met or will meet.

So that´s my job in a nutshell. Please do look at CCIDD´s website - http://www.ccidd.org/ - it has many great resources about Mexico and Centrla America, and it gives a better sense of our work and my experiences here.