Christian Alexander Rodriguez Mendez

My name is Christian Alexander Rodriguez Mendez and I am a social worker in El Salvador. I have spent most of my life being a volunteer, working with the youth in my community and trying to contribute to positive social transformation. I now realize that, in the beginning, I had a very high motivation to help but no understanding of how to do it constructively. Today, after these 10 weeks of learning, I have discovered how to act as a peace ambassador and my motivation is renewed and stronger.

"Today, after these 10 weeks of learning, I have discovered how to act as a peace ambassador and my motivation is renewed and stronger."

Christian Alexander Rodriguez Mendez Participant in the qualification course at the Academy for Conflict Transformation 2019

I work with Seprojoven, an organization engaging youth and children in leisure activities to prevent violence related to gang activity. We work with the “Football 3” methodology, which is an alternative way of playing football in which the rules are not set from the start, but are defined by the players themselves. The winners are not those scoring higher, but those who manage to respect the rules and agreements previously set by the group.

The impact of our organization is very difficult to measure and our resources are limited, but we have realized that our contribution is essential for the communities where we work. Our last project was one of our most beautiful events. The number of people attending was much higher than we expected, and our success was being able to initiate a dialogue between the youth (17 – 25 years old) and the older generation (40 – 50 years old).

In the course, one of my biggest learnings has been the realization that there is not only one way to transform society, but many different possibilities. There are infinite ways of envisioning the change we want, and the key is to choose our focus and tools. The course has taught me how to design projects and set goals and objectives. It has given me a deeper understanding of the theoretical background behind our projects and added coherence to the way I work.

The technical language and the very cold climate was sometimes difficult, but I can promise: one gets used to it and learns from every day in the experience!

I am thankful for all the things that had to come together in life in order to allow me to be here and shape my future in this way. My objective is now to give this gratitude back to society through my actions. In my family, I am the first member to obtain education and to come to Europe. I do not only feel thankful for myself, but very fortunate for my whole family, community and country.