Professional Workshops

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Join us for workshops on migration, women and poverty, public health and green municipal agendas. Led by the Institute’s program directors and their skilled teams, the workshops offer content-rich, hands-on sessions for mid-career professionals.

Lee Tablewski
Program Director

You'll hear the latest research and opinions from public, private and academic experts working in the region. But that’s not all. We’ll host social events, too, so you can meet the vibrant people who live and work in our border region.

At the Institute of the Americas, we conduct our workshops in Spanish and they are designed especially for Latin American participants. You’ll meet journalists, legislators, non-profit leaders, academics, researchers, government officials and company executives from countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Almost 150 professionals from Latin American and Caribbean countries participated in nine workshops during 2009 on subjects such as science journalism, public health, pandemics, freedom of expression, investigative journalism, the geopolitics of energy and climate change.

The Institute’s intensive workshops serve as effective catalysts for professional growth and social change.

“We’re happy when our visitors go home with doubts about certitudes they believed when they arrived here,” said Lee Tablewski, director of the Institute’s professional workshops.  “They take away a vision of new possibilities from other places that will enrich their work and professional friendships that will create new collaborations.”

Women: From Poverty to Power

This workshop is designed for women from government, business, education, and non-governmental organizations, for indigenous and non-indigenous women with promise who have taken on increasing responsibilities. The respected faculty of thinkers and doers in development will advise participants on taking their ideas and confidence to the next level, provide coaching and feedback on an individual basis to build and sustain results. The ideas will focus on micro and small business, social enterprise and innovative government programs.

Think Green/Act Local: Implementing a Green Municipal Agenda

Municipal governments and non-governmental organizations are becoming the true drivers of green actions. For city leaders and activists, successful experiences are producing significant results in both in poor and more affluent communities. This hands-on workshop will cover a wide variety of subjects including municipal public-private-partnerships, refurbishment of buildings, sustainable energy technology and green transportation. The focus will be on practical plans for creating sustainable communities.

Migration and Public Policy: The Prospects for Immigration Reform

As the United States once again turns its attention to the question of immigration, this timely workshop looks at the many points of view on the contentious issue. With Arizona becoming the first state in the nation to pass its own immigration law, the workshop will focus on concerns expressed by Latin Americans about the impact of the US political debate on migration enforcement and future policy. The workshop will examine immigration as a dynamic force in national and international politics, as well as the role of recession, remittances, labor flows and assimilation and the impact on both sending and receiving countries. A private tour of a US-Mexico border is included in the workshop.