In the breathtakingly beautiful surroundings of Oaxaca, Mexico, I began this year attending a culturally rich, sensitive, and stimulating immigration advocacy training. Sponsored by Ollin Tlahtoalli, a Spanish and Culture Center, and the nonprofit MANOS: Migrantes Apoyados, No Olvidados, the dynamic training packs a lot into two intense weeks, focusing on enhancing intercultural awareness through learning opportunities with community leaders, human rights defenders, lawyers, and language teachers. I made a connection to the place called Oaxaca, to people who call Oaxaca home, and to fellow immigration advocates in the U.S.

Ollin and MANOS recently announced that they are accepting applications for the ninth immigration advocate training, which will be August 7-18, 2023. The training will include seminars, excursions to two Zapotec communities, and 20 hours of language classes in Spanish or Zapotec.

I can’t recommend this training highly enough. You will come away with a heightened awareness of the migrant's journey and an enhanced feeling of connectedness - to migrants and to other advocates, as well as to neighboring lands, communities, and cultures.

All profits from this training go to support the work of MANOS to offer free legal services to Oaxacan migrants, to families of "disappeared" migrants, and to refugees.