VHF started this year full of plans and hopes to convene our Mexico and Guatemala grantee partners in person. Unfortunately, you can probably guess how events unfolded with COVID-19, bringing delays and then cancellations. However, in the short time that I have worked here at Vista Hermosa, I have been inspired by the resiliency of our partners to show up and be present to one another.
After a series of planning meetings, our partners suggested the theme of Leadership Creation for one of three sessions that they planned to do virtually. Each session begins with 20 minutes of self-care. In this time of turbulence and uncertainty, it has been important for us to take a few moments to reconnect ourselves to our body, spirit and mind. We each recognize that, in order to continue God’s work, we must hold strong in our connection to self and others.
Three organizations stepped forward to volunteer and contribute to the conversation. With power and confidence, they worked with one another to come up with an agenda and content to share with the group. The following video is a short summary of our time spent together.
I would like to emphasize how extremely difficult it was to break down two hours of conversation and engagement into five minutes. Each of our partners had something to contribute, and each of their words could have just as easily presented the essence of our retreat. I am constantly in awe of their desire to come forward and share their thoughts and expertise with each other.
story and video by Jesenia Hernandez, program assistant, VHF
for another story on our cohort model in Mexico, click here.