2003 Trainings and Exchanges

STITCH coordinated numerous training exchanges throughout 2003 in the banana and maquila sectors of Guatemala and Honduras. We hosted trainers from within Central America and from the United States to meet the training needs of individual unions. Below is a brief summary of our training activities in 2003.

SITRACOR (Sindicato de Trabajadores de Corazón Apparel), La Lima, Honduras

1. Responsibilities of the Executive Committee and Stewards (March 1)
This training was led by Marina Gutierrez, coordinator of the IGTLF in Honduras, with support from STITCH staff and guest presentations by German Zepeda and Iris Munguia, long-time leaders of the Coordination of Honduran Banana Unions (COSIBAH), who spoke about the importance of leadership responsibilities.

2. One-on-One Conversations using the Anger-Hope-Action Model (May 10)
During this training, union stewards and leaders learned the basics of the anger-hope-action model used during affiliation campaigns in the U.S. With support from STITCH staff, Nelson Nuñez of COSIBAH led the training, emphasizing how to use this method during house-visits. Participants practiced their technique during role plays and signed up to do house visits with unaffiliated workers following the training.

3. Internal Communication Strategies: Member Action Teams (August 4)
STITCH brought Roxana Guevara, of AFSCME California (Los Angeles) to Honduras as the trainer for this workshop to present the Member Action Team (MAT) communication technique. During the training, current issues facing the union were used as scenarios in small group work to put MAT into practice. Participants left with specific ideas on how to utilize their communication structure to get their message to the membership.

4. Union Finances (November 8)
This workshop was led jointly by STITCH staff and the organizing team of the Honduran IGTLF. We posed questions to the group on why this topic was so important and discussed who was responsible for different aspects of union finances, emphasizing that ultimately all members shared this task. Participants practiced writing an annual budget and recording incoming and outgoing expenses in a budget.

5. Parliamentary Procedure (December 13)
Nelson Nuñez of COSIBAH led this training on parliamentary procedures, drawing on the banana unions’ experience in leading meetings with affiliates. Nelson emphasized both formal proceedings and the importance of recognizing all members’ right to speak in turn during union meetings. The workshop was followed by a holiday party supported in part by STITCH, where union members celebrated their achievements during the past year and workshop participants were recognized with a diploma for their efforts.

Youth Group from SITRABI (Sindicato de Trabajadores de Bananeros de Izabal), Morales, Guatemala

1. Initial Evaluation (May 15-16)
Raul Nájera and Paco Sanchez from the youth collective HIJOS (Hijos y Hijas por la Identidad y Justicia, contra el Olvido y el Silencio) led this workshop along with most in this series. The workshop was based on the “Triple Auto-diagnostico” methodology in which participants examine their historical context, current context, and current individual and community practices through various participatory activities. Based on these discussions, participants formulated proposals for “improved practices” and constructed a list of needs that served to identify topics for the remaining trainings.

2. Youth Leadership (July 3-4)
Also led by Raul and Paco of HIJOS, this workshop covered what it means to be a youth leader, and participants discussed what qualities a leader should possess and what qualities are defects in community leaders and should be avoided. The facilitators emphasized the role of leaders in changing people’s awareness and practices within their community.

3. Historical Memory (August 4)
The theme centered on recent Guatemalan history, specifically the armed conflict, and on the union’s role in that history, with the goal of increasing the youth’s commitment and awareness of the union’s contributions in their communities. Selfa Sandoval Carranza, the unions’ secretary of organization, spoke to the group about what SITRABI experienced during this period. We closed the workshop with a discussion on what structural conditions and political actors from this era continue to the present, and on how the youth could work to change this situation.

4. Gender Construction (October 6-7)
Led by Miriam Cardona, a long-time activist in the Guatemalan women’s movement, this workshop focused on how gender is constructed and how gender roles can thus be changed. We analyzed different roles and recognition for men and women’s productive, reproductive, and community work, and we discussed why women’s contributions are valued less. Participants prepared role plays about an example from their lives when they did something outside of the prescribed gender norms. The workshop ended with a list of commitments by participants to changing gender inequalities within their own youth group and within the larger union structure.