From October 5-11, PEJ's administrative team and program leads united to work towards common goals in Medellín
L-R clockwise, Vincent Insalaco, Development Associate; Laura Rubio Krohne, Projects Coordinator; Cynthia Tai, Founder and Executive Director; Jesseca De La Pena, Human Resources Manager; Alisa Goloshchapova, Ukraine Project Coordinator; Akingbolahan Adeniran, Legal and Program Director, Horn of Africa; Maria Lucia Mosquera, Executive Assistant; and Adam Silver, Operations Director
From October 5 to October 11, 2024, PEJ’s administrative team and program leads met in Medellin, Colombia. With support from The Better Org., PEJ engaged in strategic analysis and planning around its vision, values, and approach.
The city of Medellin was an inspired choice. Colombia boasts a rich culture and an even richer history – and it has many lessons to impart about how societies can grapple with the aftermath of injustice. Moreover, PEJ’s administrative team includes 3 Colombian nationals who hosted the event.
PEJ works to stop atrocity crimes and gross human rights violations and lays the groundwork for redress and restorative justice when they have occurred. Medellin used to be synonymous with brutal drug cartels and lawless violence. Over the past decades, it has emerged as a beacon of hope – making huge strides toward stability, growth, and the rule of law. As such, Medellin provided a firsthand example of how a society can rebuild and regrow after violence and trauma, allowing us to witness “transitional justice in action,” in the words of Horn of Africa Legal and Program Director Akingbolahan Adeniran.
L-R, Vincent Insalaco, Development Associate; Maria Lucia Mosquera, Executive Assistant; Cynthia Tai, Founder and Executive Director
PEJ is a fully remote organization. Team members hail from 4 continents and 26 different countries. Given this, opportunities to work in person as a whole team are rare and precious. The retreat allowed staff to build interpersonal connections and understand each others’ viewpoints and personalities while creating cross-cultural understanding. It bolstered mutual understanding among and between diverse people and programs.
In an environment as fast-paced and dynamic as PEJ, where every individual plays a crucial role in collective success, these face-to-face interactions are vital. They ensure a shared vision and equip us to build toward it. As PEJ’s team explored Medellin, known as the “city of eternal spring,” it also explored new ways to grow with purpose and cohesion – and to work toward a world in which the human rights of all people are protected in all places and at all times. We look forward to implementing the plans we made in Medellin in the year ahead and showing the world what is possible when we unite for justice.
L-R Laura Rubio Krohne, Projects Coordinator; Akingbolahan Adeniran, Legal and Program Director, Horn of Africa; Alisa Goloshchapova, Ukraine Project Coordinator; Nicolas Sussman Herann, Climate Justice Project Director; Pascal Turlan, Legal and Program Director, Ukraine; Becky Priest Santavicca, Communications Editor and Fundraising Advisor; Vincent Insalaco, Development Associate; Maria Lucia Mosquera, Executive Assistant; and Jesseca De La Pena, Human Resources Manager
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