Peace and Justice Conference Center
Casa de Los Amigos
MEXICO

The Casa de Los Amigos is a Mexican Quaker organization the working for peace and justice in Mexico for more than 50 years. In 2008 EPIC contributed to some greatly needed repairs and improvements to their much used conference room.

More and more Mexican and international organizations are taking advantage of this wonderful resource in the middle of the Mexico City. The suggested donation for its use is the most "solidarios" in the city (siding scale according to ability to pay). Often these groups would otherwise have trouble finding space in Mexico City where they could afford to meet. Many groups working for human rights or in some area related to peace and justice use the conference room. Especially noteworthy in 2008 were 11 all-day human rights sensitivity training workshops given by Kinal Antzetik (land of women) for groups of 30-35 Mexico City police officers at a time!
During the summer of 2008 (June 1 through Aug, 31) the conference room was used 63 out of 92 days.

Mexican groups who have use the sala

• Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Francisco de Vittoria (3 days)
• Unitarian Universalists of Mexico City( 5 days)
• Well-attended workshops by Sin Fronteras for refugees living in Mexico City:"Rights and Obligations in Mexico," and "Human Rights and Refugees"( 2 days)
• All day human rights sensitivity training workshops by Kinal Antzetik (Land of Women) for groups of 30-35 Mexico City police officers at a time. ( 11 days)
• Elige, A.C., a youth-run reproductive health and rights network, held a School of Feminism in the Casa. 30 people in attendance.( 1 day)

Other groups who have use the sala

• Spearhead (4 days)
• Witness for Peace( 8 days)
• Sedepac Summer Project( 5 days)
• Latin American Mission ( 6 days)
• Global Kids( 3 days)
• Intervarsity Christian Fellowship( 4 days)

Reservations through the rest of the year have been great. Every single Mexican group listed above has returned and/or has a current reservation. Since the summer we have also hosted two groups of the Servicio Jesuita al Migrante. In this month Elige is here now and we have reservations for Kinal Antzetik, RMALC (the Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Comercio), and thre e days of events around the Second Conference and Workshops sessions on Migration and Human Rights, bringing guests throughout the Americas to strategize and share experiences in the Casa. In December the Mexican Feminist Congress will hold a three-day meeting here.

NEWS

In partnership with Casa de los Amigos, EPIC sponsored a weekend workshop, December 1 and 2, 2007, that brought together 28 representatives from 20 Mexican organizations, all of which are promoting peace, nonviolence, and the positive transformation of conflicts in Mexico. Participants were enthusiastic and have asked that there be other workshops. During the evaluation session, participants said that the importance of this event was the opportunity to share experiences, tools, and strategies among groups working for similar goals within Mexican society.