Training Programs
Lambayeque Impact: Equality now
The Citizen Advocacy School – EIC
The Citizen Advocacy School – EIC provided a platform for the consolidation of leadership, fostering positive changes in localities, and promoting responsible and proactive citizenship. In its inaugural edition, themed "For Equality," the program contributed to the advancement of gender equity in the Lambayeque region. It brought visibility to and promoted positive changes in individual and collective behaviors, aiming to reduce inequalities between women and men.
Organized by Somos Ciudadanía and Friedrich Naumann Foundation - Andean Countries
December 4, 2023 - The Somos Ciudadanía Association and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Andean Countries successfully conducted the Citizen Advocacy School: For Equality, a training program for women and men aged 18 to 45 in the Lambayeque region. The program, serving as a space for learning, reflection, and action, employed hybrid methodologies, combining virtual and in-person sessions. Participants engaged in discussions, workshops, and activities that empowered them to be agents of change in their communities. The school took place from November 20 to December 2 of this year, attracting over 160 applicants and benefiting individuals from the 3 provinces of the Lambayeque region.
SKILLS STRENGTHENING
The school was structured around three thematic pillars: Freedom for responsible citizenship, gender equality for development, and communication for advocacy. Specialized sessions were led by Dewi Zamora, Jorge Cornejo, and Cynthia Oliva, with national and regional speakers including Marian Sara, Benjamin Távara, Alejandra Rivera, Iván Herrera, Deivid Sandoval, Martha Gonzales, Almendra Chingo, Daniel Olivares, and Óscar Veliz. Each with expertise in their respective fields, facilitated knowledge exchange, shared experiences, and reflections on the inequalities facing Lambayeque society, resulting in productive and practical learning.
CONTEST
Within the school, the first contest of citizen advocacy communication campaigns was held. Six groups, comprising participants and mentors from diverse disciplines such as communications, law, political science, psychology, economics, accounting, nursing, administration, among others, presented social media campaigns addressing the fight against gender inequality, violence, and structural discrimination against women in the region.
The works were presented to a jury during the program's closing ceremony on December 2 at the Aula Magna of the University Señor de Sipán. The event saw the participation of over 40 scholars, specialists, speakers, students, and university officials, as well as representatives from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation - Andean Countries and the Somos Ciudadanía Association.
FIRST PLACE
The communication campaign “ Rompiendo Moldes Masculinidades Saludables en Busca de la Igualdad (Breaking Molds: Healthy Masculinities in Pursuit of Equality)” secured the first position. The strategy aimed to promote positive masculinity for gender equality, advocating for awareness and guidance through the motto “Deconstruct to Construct.” The team consists of Pilar Castro, Magnolia Cabrera, Angie Matos, Zulamita Cortez, Salvador Martínez, Yesenia Guerrero, Alexia Piscoya, and Karla Senmache.
SECOND PLACE
The second position went to the communication campaign “(el Rol de la mujer profesional en espacios laborales y de liderazgo en la Región Lambayeque ) The Role of Professional Women in Work and Leadership Spaces in the Lambayeque Region” Aligned with SDG 5 “Gender Equality” and SDG 10 “Reduced Inequalities” the campaign aimed to promote equal professional and leadership opportunities for women in Lambayeque, seeking to raise awareness and encourage campaigns. The team comprises Amparo Arancibia, Ana Paola Herrera, Clinton Mendoza, John Saavedra, Marisol Seclen, and Shirley Suyón.
We are very pleased with the results of the School of Citizen Advocacy: For Equality,” stated Yennifer Gomez-Velasquez, representative of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation - Andean Countries, emphasizing that “participants gained knowledge and tools to contribute to the construction of a fairer and more equal society.
“The School was a very enriching experience,” commented Magnolia Cabrera. “Through this program, I have identified that one of the challenges for living in freedom is breaking the stereotypes and structural gender barriers that only promote inequality. Therefore, the best way to make transformative advocacy is through communication and our development spaces: work, schools, universities, family, among others.”
The School of Citizen Advocacy: For Equality was made possible through the cooperation of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) in the Andean Countries.