Sample Delegation Program

This is a broad overview of past delegations that will give you an idea of what participants see and do on the STITCH delegation. Every delegation is a little different and often STITCH will change the schedule to take advantage of an event that is occuring during the delegation, new organizing in Guatemala or the schedule of an interesting leader in the area.

Saturday - Arrivals

Participants arrive in Guatemala City , where delegation staff will meet them at the airport. We will have an orientation session in the afternoon to prepare for the week ahead.

Sunday– Introduction to the Maquilas and Home Visits with Workers

We will start the day with a general orientation for the week and a basic introduction to the maquila sector in Guatemala . Then we will meet with a maquila organizer and former maquila worker. Participants will have a chance to learn about organizing strategies in this sector and the challenges workers face in organizing a union. In the afternoon, we will go to Villa Nueva outside of Guatemala City, to visit with maquila workers in their homes. In the evening we will travel to Antigua , the country's colonial capital and our base for the next several days.

Monday– Guatemala 's Current Political and Economic Situation

Participants will begin Spanish classes in the morning at the La Union Spanish School. After lunch, we will have free time to visit some of Antigua 's points of interest. Later on in the afternoon, we will learn about the current political and social context in Guatemala from activist Tania Palencia.

Tuesday - Free Trade from a Gender Perspective

Participants will study with their Spanish instructors in the morning. In the afternoon, we will meet with a local activist to hear more about how free trade agreements impact Guatemalan women and how they are organizing around these issues.

Wednesday- Women Building the Maquila Union Movement: SITRANB
Following morning Spanish classes, we will travel to Guatemala City to tour the inside of a garment maquiladora. Afterwards, we will go to the federation headquarters to meet with SITRANB, a new maquila union struggling against extreme harassment and repression as they push to sign their first contract. We will share a meal with these workers after our exchange, and thus have an opportunity for individual conversation.

Thursday - The Political Economy of the Banana Sector

After Spanish classes, we will meet with Bob Perillo of the labor solidarity organization US/LEAP, who will help us understand how current trade rules and increased international competition affect workers in the banana industry. In addition, Bob will lead a discussion on the role of international labor solidarity. We will have the rest of the afternoon free to enjoy Antigua 's markets, bookstores, and sights.

Friday - Into the Banana Republic

We will finish our Spanish studies and then travel to the tropical department of Izabal in central-eastern Guatemala .

Saturday – Work and Life Inside the Fincas

We will meet with leaders of the SITRABI banana union to learn about the history of this former United Fruit Company (and current Del Monte) domain, and the union's important role in banana plantation communities as they fight the “Race to the Bottom” in this sector. Women union leaders will then lead us on a tour of a unionized banana plantation. We will return to Guatemala City for a final debriefing in the evening and the conclusion to our program.

Sunday - Departures

STITCH will arrange transport to the airport for those participants who are leaving this day.