“Who are my people?” This question lies at the core of every organizer’s journey, propelling their quest to create an inclusive framework of organizing that resonates with the people. This often starts with finding the right words. 

It all began two years ago when I was teaching public narrative alongside Marshall Ganz at the Leadership, Storytelling, and Action course at Harvard Kennedy School. During one of our sessions with Teaching Fellows and Marshall, we delved into the concept of agency, and its fascinating definition illuminated my understanding of organizing practices. Yet, a burning dilemma emerged—while I comprehended “agency,” I struggled to find a single Arabic word that could effectively convey its meaning to other Arab organizers. “Qudra” or “Emkaneya” came to mind, but they only scratched the surface of ability, lacking the profound depth of agency. Seeking answers, I delved into AlQuran Al Kareem, unearthing countless stories encapsulating the spirit of agency, but no single word could capture its essence. Reem Khashman, Resource Center Coordinator

On International Translation Day,  organizers from different parts of the world  discussed the challenges they faced while translating the organizing framework, and the opportunities that linguistics opened for adaptation and innovation with their people. It’s not just about mechanically translating words; it’s about understanding our constituencies and how we can organize them effectively. 

This event was an initiative of our Resource center which currently showcases resources for organizing in 17 different languages, a testament to the work accomplished by leaders across our network!

Speakers bios:

Carlos Quintero:

Carlos Quintero holds a Law degree from ITAM, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard, and is a specialist in Organization, Narrative, and Community Leadership.

He edited “¡Sí se Puede! Strategies for Organizing and Changing the World”, the new book by Marshall Ganz published by Grano de Sal publishing house directly in Spanish, for which he wrote the foreword.

He currently heads Ensamble, an organization he founded to tackle the political issue of loneliness and isolation by nurturing organized and purpose-driven communities. His efforts are focused in the eastern part of Mexico City.

Before Ensamble, in his professional career, he was a social activist, defense attorney, and public servant for a decade until he discovered that the key to solving Mexico’s problems is for many of us to take responsibility for what belongs to everyone.

In the public sector, he worked, among other places, in the Legal Counsel of the Presidency of the Republic, where he designed and promoted Daily Justice, the most significant reform in 100 years to democratize justice.

He is a PADI rescue diver, studies comedy, and narrative psychology.

Hauka Sano:

Haruka is an organizer at the Climate Organizer Program (KIKOOP: KIKO Organizer Program) at NPO Community Organizing Japan. Having participated in student organizing around race and gender during college, Haruka has grown passionate about climate justice, another issue of imbalance of power, in which the next generations and people in the Global South are disproportionately affected. She is learning every day in order to design community organizing trainings and provide coaching to people who want to build Japan’s climate movement.

Rahaf Abo Doha:

Rahaf began community organizing in 2013 as a leader in the “Safe Houses” campaign and a leader in the “No Honor in Crime” campaign. Driven by her passion for liberating education and the belief in creating learning spaces devoid of experts, relying instead on people’s experiences, Rahaf joined the Ahel team in 2017 to develop a popular education approach to complement the campaigns supported by Ahel Foundation. Over the past five years, Rahaf has worked in the Learning and Education department at Ahel, leading public storytelling workshops and community organizing training.

She studied leadership and community organizing in the Harvard University Executive Education Program in 2013. She also joined the teaching team for the Leadership and Public Narrative online course at Harvard University in 2019. She currently organizes and manages organizing and public narrative learning courses at the Ahel.

From 2011 to 2017, Rahaf worked in the youth sector and was involved in numerous strategic research projects in Jordan on various topics, such as women’s political participation, civil liberties, and freedom of expression in the context of civil spaces in Jordan. She also conducted research on education in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps in collaboration with the Norwegian government, as well as research related to women’s participation in the labor market and women’s rights in social security.

Rahaf studied at the University of Jordan and obtained a degree in English language and literature in 2012. She is active in the cultural and artistic field in Jordan and is one of the founders of the Majdal Folk Arts and Contemporary Dance Group. She is also involved with various artistic networks in Jordan, such as Al Balad Theater.

Amna Tufail:

Amna Tufail is a Program Associate at CSIDC. She holds a masters degree in Educational Psychology and Human Development from the University of Minnesota in the US. She has an interest in conducting research and designing pedagogies at the intersection of education and social change. She is also a Visiting Faculty at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi.

Elena Stella:

Elena Stella is a talented translator hailing from Ivrea, Piemonte, Italia, specializing in converting the intricacies of English, Russian, and Spanish into the eloquence of Italian. With a passion for language that has propelled her career, Elena has spent over a year as a dedicated translator at OLI – Adriano Olivetti Leadership Institute. Her journey into the world of language began as an intern in the realm of human resources at Manpower, an experience that further honed her skills. Elena’s linguistic prowess was first recognized during her three-month internship at Informagiovani Torino, where she deftly translated Italian content into English, contributing to the informative tapestry of Torino’s vibrant city life and university scene.

Elena’s academic journey has been a rich tapestry of learning, with a Master’s degree in Interpretation and Translation from the Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma – UNINT, and a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistic Mediation from SSML Vittoria. Her linguistic journey began at Liceo Classico e Linguistico “Carlo Botta,” where she cultivated her love for languages. With her deep-rooted passion for translation and her versatile language skills, Elena Stella is poised to continue making meaningful contributions to the world of language and communication. Currently Stella is working on translating some of Marshall Ganz work from English to Italian.