Do you want to become a PBI Mexico volunteer?

Peace Brigades International (PBI) Mexico Project is looking for volunteers to join the team in the field.

Volunteers in PBI come from different countries and background. All of them share a strong commitment towards non-violence and the believe in the capability of all people to contribute to make this world a fairer and peaceful place. 

PBI volunteers commit themselves to a minimum of a year of volunteer work in Mexico in one of the two different Working Field Teams: Chihuahua City, which serves the North of Mexico and Mexico City, which serves the Center and South of the country. PBI volunteers live and work together in an office-house, they participate in all PBI work activities (physical accompaniment, advocacy, communication/display, security and protection training) and this includes administrative tasks and internal communication linked to the organization performance.

Those arriving to Mexico with PBI will have the opportunity to be part the team involved in the exploratory processes that have the objective to expand PBI’s work in Mexico opening new accompaniment processes to Human Rights Defenders.

Selection and training process:

If interested to be part of PBI Mexico Project:

1. Complete and send the request form together with three references forms ( from the associative, solidarity, NGO, labour or academic field) to formacion@pbi-mexico.org, before 10th of April 2022.  We will carry a pre-selection process based on the requests received.
2. There will be an online interview after the pre-selection process.
3. Based on the interview, the selected candidates will be invited to participate in one of the two weeks of training. Candidates will have to complete self-training workbooks and prepare a group activity before the training weeks. Only those who have completed the exercises successfully will be able to attend to the training week.
4. There will be a final selection process of candidates during the training week based in the criteria described hereunder and the project needs.  Please note the training week is part of the selection process and it is NOT guaranteed to receive a formal invitation to be part of the Working Field Teams.
5. New PBI volunteers will join PBI Mexico every 2-3 months. Particularly, we are looking for candidates with the availability to enter the project during the month of July or August 2022. People interested to join should have flexible availability to join the team.
6. Once in Mexico, new PBI volunteers will have an orientation period in Mexico City with the Ciudad de Mexico (CDMX) Coordination Office and thereafter an orientation period with the Working Field Team.
7. PBI might decide whether the person is suitable to participate in PBI’s team at any point of this process.
8. Three months after starting in the Working Field Team, there will be a performance assessment.

What are the requirements to become a PBI Mexico volunteer?

• Strong and rigorous personal reflection about the motivations to work in Mexico with PBI.
• High fluency in Spanish: speaking, writing, and reading (C1/C2 level or equivalent). Unfortunately, we cannot make exemptions to the language requirement.
• Previous work experience in social movements or NGOs for human rights, international cooperation, social work, and / or with grassroots, social or community organizations, especially in Latin America.
• A minimum commitment of one year of volunteer work in PBI Mexico.
• Understanding of and commitment to the mandate of PBI Mexico.
• Commitment to work according to the principles of non-partisanship and non-violence.
• Availability and ability to do thematic work on all axes (advocacy, support, communication and security) and administrative tasks.
• Experience of teamwork and living in a group, especially in stressful situations.
• Computer skills at the user level: word processors, email, and databases.
• Availability and ability to comply with safety regulations to work in a context of conflict and pandemic.
• Knowledge and application of gender and differential perspective.

We will also value…

• Knowledge of the current Mexican context and its history.
• Speech management and ability to speak with different actors (government and civil society), to develop campaigns and knowledge in communication and advocacy.
• Availability to live and work in a team with an open attitude to other perspectives and experiences, capacity to develop a team and support each other.
• Experience in conflict resolution and / or ability to deal with conflicts in a positive and mature way.
• Previous knowledge of Mexico / Latin America, human rights / international law, repression, contexts of violence, social movements and / or previous work with NGOs.
• Capacity for political analysis.
• Consensus work experience (knowledge of the tools and processes used for consensus) or skill and interest in training.
• Discretion and capability to handle sensitive information.
• Cultural sensitivity.
• Good stress management and able to prioritize.
• A minimum age of 25 years (see note below on anti-age discrimination policy)

Due to the characteristics of the work to be carried out, it is important to bear in mind that those who are part of the Working Field Team have the ability to adapt to various contexts delimited by the political and social situation of the country together with the mandate and principles of PBI in Mexico; have the ability to communicate and interact positively with others; have a good level of self-awareness that includes personal strategies for managing stress.

Training and selection process calendar:

• Application and referrals: February 28th – April 10th
• Pre-selection based on applications received
• Interviews
• Delivering self-training workbooks
• Training Week to be held in the month of June 2022

What PBI offers you:

• A specialized training process, based on the experience of more than 40 years of international accompaniment.
• Life and work experience in an international organization that accompanies Human Rights Defenders in Mexico.
• Life experience and teamwork, with an intense human experience.
• Specialized training to be able to carry out international accompaniments.
• Group psychosocial support during your stay in PBI Mexico with a professional psychologist and the opportunity to have remote individual support.
• Coverage of the following expenses: round trip to your country of residence, all work and stay travel expenses (accommodation, meals, medical insurance), monthly financial support of 250 euros per month for personal expenses and a repatriation of 45.00 euros per month worked once the stay is over and the annual volunteer contract has been successfully completed.

PBI policies against age discrimination of projects in the field

Age is not an obstacle to work on PBI projects. However, mature, and experienced volunteers are needed. The organization needs to present a professional image when interacting with senior authorities in countries where there are projects and volunteers need to be able to responsibly assess risks and safety issues in crisis or conflict areas. Therefore, volunteers are often over 25 years old.

PBI Mexico’s own country rule

PBI Mexico establishes that Mexican citizens cannot work in PBI Mexico Project. An exception is made with respect to persons of service or administrative assistance in Mexico. The purpose of this rule is to be able to have an objective distance between the volunteers or members of PBI Mexico Project and the people and organizations that we accompany in Mexico. It also ensures that local pressures do not affect the independence of the project. This also helps protect the safety of volunteers and project staff in a country where there are serious human rights violations.

Mexican nationals who would like to get involved with PBI are invited to check the opportunities to collaborate with other PBI projects. If you are a Mexican citizen and you are interested in volunteering with PBI, please look at projects in Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, y Kenya o peacebrigades.org.

We appreciate your interest and we encourage you to continue working in the defense of Human Rights Defenders. Any questions or queries, please contact the Training Committee: formacion@pbi-mexico.org.