Dear MASCP Friends,

In March of this year, El Salvador became the first country to ban metallic mining, because of its destructive impact on the country’s fragile environment and water resources.

The Madison Arcatao Sister City Project (MASCP) is proud to welcome Zulma Tobar, Salvadoran Coordinator of our parent organization, US El
Salvador Sister Cities, and Cintia Gonzalez, lead organizer from our Salvadoran sistering partner, the Association for the Development of El Salvador (CRIPDES).

These two international environmental and human rights activists will be in Madison on October 2-3 to share community organizing strategies and lessons learned from their long struggle against mining and for
environmental justice across borders. There will be several opportunities to interact and learn from them. Everyone is warmly invited to participate:

LACIS (Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies) sponsored Brown Bag presentation, “Community Organizing that leads to National Change” by Cintia and Zulma.

Speakers:

• Cintia González: Association for the Development of El Salvador, CRIPDES.
• Zulma Tobar: US-El Salvador Sister Cities.
• Rebecca Kemble: activist and Alder 18th District, Madison
• Al Gedicks: activist and Professor-UW, Eau Claire

Moderated by Norm Stockwell of the Progressive Magazine

Dinner and interactive workshop using popular education strategies. There is no charge. Sign up and /or suggest a local community organizer for us to reach out to. New and experienced organizers are encouraged to come and learn together! Click the Register for Workshop button to learn more.

Host Alan Ruff will be speaking with Pedro Cabeza, head organizer with CRIPDES, the powerful Salvadoran civil society organization and with US El Salvador Sister Cities national leader, Leigh Hardy, about social mobilization around environmental issues and the role of popular education in that work.