You would be working with Colombian social organisations on various projects, in accordance with your skills and what you feel comfortable with, as well as providing 'accompaniment', which involves providing an international presence to deter the army or paramilitaries from interfering with social activists.

This training is essential for anyone who is interested in volunteering in Colombia, although we are keen to emphasise that the focus is on the training being an orientation weekend with absolutely no commitment to travelling to Colombia. It is also a great way of learning about the culture of the country and the current political situation that Colombians are facing.

INTRODUCTORY TRAINING WEEKEND
FOR ACCOMPANIMENT AND SOLIDARITY WORK IN COLOMBIA
15th & 16th NOVEMBER 2008, BRISTOL

Espacio Bristol-Colombia is organising its second two-day introductory training weekend for people interested in travelling to Colombia as a volunteer to help with its solidarity and 'accompaniment' work there.

You would be working with Colombian social organisations on various projects, in accordance with your skills and what you feel comfortable with, as well as providing 'accompaniment', which involves providing an international presence to deter the army or paramilitaries from interfering with social activists.

This training is essential for anyone who is interested in volunteering in Colombia, although we are keen to emphasise that the focus is on the training being an orientation weekend with absolutely no commitment to travelling to Colombia. It is also a great way of learning about the culture of the country and the current political situation that Colombians are facing.

ABOUT ESPACIO
Espacio Bristol-Colombia is part of the Red de Hermandad y Solidaridad con Colombia (Network of Friendship and Solidarity with Colombia) which is a space for coordination between grassroots organisations in Colombia and between solidarity collectives in other countries in Europe and the Americas.
Groups in the Red de Hermandad work together around themes such as:-
• the impact of multinational corporations;
• human rights violations;
• the need for a negotiated solution to the social and armed conflict in the country.
• supporting "planes de vida" (life plans), local/regional level collective organisation around social and economic alternatives

WHY WE NEED YOU
International collectives who are part of the Red de Hermandad not only take action in their own countries in solidarity with groups working on these issues in Colombia, but also provide accompaniment to social organisations in Colombia
There are basically three types of solidarity and accompaniment work, depending on your experience. In practice, however, these are flexible and depend very much on what you want to do and feel comfortable with:

1. People who are in Colombia for the first time or who have less experience can either

(a) do several shorter periods of accompaniment and, in the process, learn about the work of various organisations and the reality in different parts of the country or
(b) work with one organisation but without being given huge amounts of responsibility.

2. People with more experience of accompaniment or political work are normally linked to one organisation during their time in Colombia, often (although not always) in rural areas.

3. People with specific areas of knowledge might be linked into relevant areas of the Red de Hermandad's activities. For example, a plumber might help displaced communities returning to their land with the installation of water and sanitation and an academic might help with a research project.
The training will be run by three people from Espacio who have just spent some time living in Colombia and working with social movements.
Content
• an introduction to Espacio, the Red de Hermandad and organisations within it
• an introduction to Colombia's historical and political context
• accompaniment with social organisations in Colombia
• cultural awareness
• safety and legal issues
• emotional issues when working in Colombia
• health, hygiene and vaccinations
• practical issues, such as how to get a Visa and what to pack

During the weekend, you will have plenty of opportunities to hear from people who have already provided accompaniment in Colombia. You will also have the chance to ask questions and chat with them informally.

There is absolutely no requirement to commit to going to Colombia just because you come on the training. If you decide not to go ahead with the accompaniment, we will fully respect your decision. If, however, after the training, you decide that you want to do accompaniment, we will arrange an informal interview with you to discuss it and, if we both think that its right for you then we will provide you with all the support we can.

NEXT STEPS
If you are interested in attending the training, or have any further questions, please email us at  espaciobristol@redcolombia.org
The training will take place in central Bristol from approximately 11am – 5pm on Saturday and then 10pm – 4pm on Sunday.
On Saturday evening we will eat together. Accommodation will be provided, where necessary. Please, note, however, that Espacio is an entirely volunteer-run group with little financial resources, and we are not in a position to subsidise travel costs. This is why we ask for a donation of £20 or more if you can afford it (£15 if you are on low income). The donation will help cover the costs of room hire, photocopying and printing costs for hand-outs and travel for people running the training. Please do get in touch if the value of the donation is preventing you from attending, as we are really interested in sharing Espacio's work with people would not want you to be put off by the cost.

So that we know a little about you before the training, please complete the short questionnaire below and send it back to us at  espaciobristol@redcolombia.org. Please note that the questionnaire is not an application form. All answers given will be kept in strict confidence and will not be shared with any third parties.

Name:
Citizenship if other than UK:
Date of birth:
Permanent address:
Dietary or Special Needs:
Would you like accommodation (it'll be in the homes of members of Espacio) in Bristol on:
* Friday 19th: Y/N
* Saturday 20th: Y/N

Level of Spanish (ability to communicate without difficulty in Spanish is essential before you travel):
Have you been to Colombia before? If so, please provide details.
Relevant experience (activist/social movement/campaigning involvement, other experiences of accompaniment etc.):
Any useful skills (e.g. photography, carpentry, research, art, counselling):
Qualifications and professional background (not essential but may be useful for visa letter):
Anything else you want to tell us?