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Cristosal's Global School of Human Rights

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Community Photos

A moving day visiting the place where Archbishop Romero lived and died serving his people.
Overlooking San Salvador
The church where Msr. Romero was assassinated.
Volcano from guest house
Lake
Church of The Rosary
Oscar Romero
The view from the library at the Institute for Human Rights
Stopping for ice cream
Simultaneous translation in the Centro Historico

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About

The Global School equips human rights leaders with knowledge and tools for action.

Through human rights seminars in El Salvador, we create an intercultural space where religious, student and professional leaders from around the world learn together how to advocate for human rights. Our seminars include participative workshops led by experts in the field, visits to historic sites and local communities, and meetings with civil leaders. All of the content is informed by original research, innovative human rights programming and years of experience in human rights education in the Salvadoran context.

Website
www.cristosal.org
Founded
2000
Headquarters

Colonia Escalón
San Salvador
San Salvador
El Salvador

Reviews

Jackie
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Seminar: Making the Case for Asylum
Oct 29, 2018

I attended the Salvadoran Asylum Program in 2017 as an immigration paralegal and learn so much from the program's presenters as well as the other participants given most were immigration attorneys. It was a thought-provoking and meaningful experience. I learned about asylum cases and the country's history from different perspectives. I felt very safe with the housing and transportation that were provided. I would love to do another program!

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priya
Age:
39
Female
Washington D.C.
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Seminar: Making the Case for Asylum
Oct 28, 2018

I attended the Global School's course: Making the Case for Asylum: Understanding Salvadoran country conditions and the international human rights law framework in February 2018 and it was a life-changing experience. We attended seminars, met with human rights activists, visited the local courts and gained an understanding of how the local courts worked, and went on local excursions. I developed a network of friends and fellow human rights workers, and gained an understanding of the challenges in local communities. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to understand more about the refugee crisis in El Salvador.

What would you improve about this program?
I would like an option to be able to book a solo room for sleeping, as well as more evening activities.
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Jennifer
Age:
1
Female
Los Angeles
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Seminar: The Central American Refugee Crisis
Oct 16, 2018

This trip was recommended by my dean and turned out to be one of the best experiences of seminary for me. Our days with Cristosol included classes taught by experts in their fields of human rights and forced migration, field trips to eye-opening, meaningful places, and fellowship that gave us time to have fun and learn more about local culture. I appreciated that we were alongside Salvadoran professionals who were learning about their own civil war for the first time, as it was not taught in school or mentioned outside of family stories. A highlight for me was visiting a village of 700+ displaced families who hosted us to an afternoon of conversation and friendship. Their ability to create a new life out of nothing speaks to the courage, strength, and faith of the people of El Salvador. I returned to Los Angeles, transformed forever with a spark that has turned into ministry among immigrants, and women and children. Would love to go back for part two of the program!

What would you improve about this program?
If Joseph would dance more!
A moving day visiting the place where Archbishop Romero lived and died serving his people.
Barbara
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Seminar: The Central American Refugee Crisis
Oct 7, 2018

I have taken two courses with Cristosal. Both courses were enriched by the participation of Salvadorans learning with us. This refugee-focused course was an interesting combination of lecture, site visits, and interviews with people in various roles working with refugees. I came away with an in-depth understanding of the complexities of this issue which has helped me to be an informed advocate for the undocumented in this country. The cohort of participants added greatly to my learning.

Matt
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Seminar: Human Rights, Reconciliation and Faith
Oct 1, 2018

The Cristosal seminar I was part of simply changed my life. During my time there, we visited sites to learn about El Salvador’s rich and difficult history and spiritual leaders like Monsignor Oscar Romero. Cristosal also offered important training on human rights and the intersection of human rights and faith. We discussed ways to help oppressed groups identify their power and walk with them to accomplish their goals. They made time to take us to some amazing restaurants and the guest house we stayed in is run by one of the most wonderful, hospitable people on earth.

The church where Msr. Romero was assassinated.
Overlooking San Salvador
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Programs

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Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Joseph Russ

Program
Seminar: The Central American Refugee Crisis
Job Title
Global School Recruitment Officer
Joseph Russ

Joseph grew up in Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California, studying religion and doing interfaith organizing and activism (and ballroom dance in his free time). Two years ago, he moved to El Salvador to work for Cristosal's Global School of Human Rights, and he's been here ever since. When he's not working on human rights education, he goes salsa dancing on the weekend, takes theology classes at the Universidad Centroamérica and hangs out with his cat Lily at home.

What is your favorite travel memory?

While in Belize, I went on a tour of a cave that had been the site of ancient Mayan human sacrifices, Actun Tunichil Muknal, or "Cave of the Crystal Maiden." After hiking to the mouth of the cave, we had to swim through the flooded entrance, scramble through the twisting tunnels and scale the wall climbing up to the main chamber. It felt like something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.

Finally, at the end of a long, tight passage, we came across "the Crystal Maiden" herself: a skeleton that had been preserved by sparkling mineral deposits coating the bones. The shadowy illumination of our flashlights reflected off the scintillating minerals in an eerily beautiful way.

Throughout the trip, our guide shared with us the fascinating yet sparse information we know about the ancient culture that would ritually kill not only people, but any object (ceramics bowls, statues, etc.). Seeing the physical location and learning the little known about this mysterious place was enthralling.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Working with Cristosal's Global School of Human Rights has inspired me to be a better advocate for change. I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing people who are on the front lines of the struggle for human rights, from researchers and lawyers to activists and community leaders. Not only have I listened to the inspiring stories of people who have lived some difficult realities, but I've had conversations with experts addressing the root causes and lasting impacts of violence.

Never have I been more committed to, aware of, or equipped to confront injustice before. It's my dream to share that commitment, understanding and skill-set with everyone who participates in the Global School.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

One of our participants was a law student studying immigration law and joined us on our Making the Case for Asylum Seminar to learn to better advocate on behalf of clients seeking asylum. She later wrote back, telling us about her first hearing with a Salvadoran client and what a success it was.

Not only did her experience with the Global School help prepare her for the hearing, but she was able to work with people she met on the trip to strengthen her case, getting an expert affidavit from another one of our participants. Seeing the ways people work together after the seminars and hearing examples of concrete actions and success stories is truly beautiful.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Human Rights and Resistance.

It focuses on what any and all of us can do when we work together as a community. To organize, we don't need a degree or a title. Anyone can get informed and get involved.

Especially at a time when our most basic human rights are under attack, developing skills to get organized and make a difference are essential! Understanding what we're fighting for and why, as well as sharing best practices for organizing, is vital to making the world a better place.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

The two biggest things that make us unique are: 1. our intercultural approach to human rights education and 2. the fact that we base all of our content on our original work and research.

There are lots of organizations that do human rights education throughout the world, but El Salvador is a unique setting, as it has faced some of the most grievous human rights violations in the world throughout its history. This gives rise to tragic stories of violence and suffering, but also inspiring stories of hope and resistance. By joining an intercultural group not just from El Salvador, but from around the world, you can learn from new perspectives and share from your own experience, creating a unique learning environment unlike anything else.

Secondly, when we share information and experience with our participants, it’s because we have first hand experience doing this work. Cristosal–along with several organizations in El Salvador–is constantly studying violence and displacement and developing new strategies for responding to this violence. By participating in the Global School, participants get to learn about the cutting edge of human rights work from the same people who are innovating in this work every day.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Clear goals. If we know what you want, we can construct a plan to get there. Because success looks different to everyone, it might require different things. For our program to be successful, we want to reach and inspire more people to take more actions to promote and defend human rights. We need to innovate constantly to improve our seminars and reach new potential participants and organizations. We know what it takes because we've clearly established our objectives. It may take some experimentation and flexibility, but we have a clear direction we're going in.