Enlace
Enlace is a strategic alliance of low-wage worker centers, unions, and community organizations in Mexico and in the U.S. We partner with our member organizations in international campaigns to motivate abusive multi-sector transnational corporations to treat workers and communities with dignity and respect.
Enlace uses an integrated approach to organizing, creating unique campaign strategies while developing systems strengthening organizations internally. Our strategies often cross industrial and sector lines for reasons relating to both workforce development and campaign strategy.
In addition, the Enlace Institute presents trainings in strategic organization development that were developed over the many years of learning through our campaigns. Our collaborative brainstorming processes are useful for virtually all work groups in base-building organizations.
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Victory! United Methodist Church Divests from Private Prisons
The United Methodist Church has divested from Corrections Corporation of America and the Geo Group!
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Testimonials about Enlace Institute Trainings
“Because of the new era of financial realities and the rising anti-immigrant movement we are all going to have to learn how to operate leaner in terms of staff while moving to scale. That means we’re all going to have to have a stronger, more systematic and more coherent organized base to advance anything in our work. The Enlace Institute is giving us the skills to do so.”
Jon Liss, Executive Director, Virginia New Majority
“I found the Enlace instructors to be excellent at tailoring their process for different types of organizations and people. Enlace’s staff has real world experience to share, and they provided an excellent manual that I was able to take with me and refer to afterwards.”
Anne Pernick, Project Director, Business Ethnics Network, Portland, Oregon
“Several people have complimented me recently on how I have gotten much better at supervising staff over the past few years, and I realized (and told them) that it was all due to my Enlace training. I am like a missionary, loaning out my Enlace binder to people, and using the one-on-one process to help people develop their leadership skills.”
Matt Alexander, Co-Director, June Jordan School for Equity, San Francisco
“For more than 10 years I have received training from Enlace. The frameworks that I learned have given me the ability to start my own organization, lead campaigns, organize marches and press conferences, among many other skills.”
Eva Padilla Carrera former maquiladora worker, founder and director El Centro de Apoyo a la Mujer de las Maquilas de la Laguna, Torreon, Mexico
“It was very beautiful to be a part of a diverse group, diverse organizations, and work together to improve our organizations. The workshop, which lasted 3 days, was very clear, and the evaluation framework we learned presented a panorama picture of what your event or action really was like. It is very precise in presenting what were the real results and whether or not you accomplished your goals and also how to proceed to the next step 
and include the shortfalls so that you improve. It was for those reasons that I thought it was a very thorough and complete way to evaluate. At the end I was very clear about how to do the evaluation and comfortable with doing it at my organization. I look forward to the next workshops and continue learning about how to improve my projects and organization.”
Angela Alvarez, Health Promoter, Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA)
Testimonial from Participants of Enlace’s Trainings
Sherri Chiesa, International Secretary Treasurer, UNITE HERE!: “I highly recommend Enlace’s training program. We used Enlace techniques to transform our San Francisco local from a chaotic union threatened with near collapse because of employer assaults and internal divisions, to what has become one of the most effective organizing locals in our movement today. “
Jose Oliva, former Coordinator of the Workers Centers Network of Interfaith Worker Justice and current Political Coordinator of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United: 
“Enlace’s training is the best outside training for supervisors that I’ve had. Enlace’s staff has real-world experience to share, and they provided an excellent manual that I was able to take with me and refer to afterwards. I particularly found useful Enlace’s methodology, which focuses on consensus-based processes so that I can create democratic, versus hierarchical, structures for decision-making and planning.”
Flor Barajas-Tena, Policy Analyst, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE): “Given that LAANE’s campaigns are conducted within a team setting, the tools the ENLACE training provided, for example the team framework and conflict management, I feel are important skills for a supervisor to learn in order to move a campaign forward and build a strong team.”
Denise Solis, lead organizer, SEIU Local 1877: “Enlace’s trainings have helped me by providing a structure, especially the one-on-one meetings, and how to deal with certain situations such as internal conflict. And the trainings work! I used the corrective feedback as soon as I got back from the training. I also like the networking that happens at the training. Talking to people from other organizations helps me get a different perspective on my work and my organization.”
Jon Zerolnick, Senior Research & Policy Analyst, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE): “I attended Enlace’s training in June 2008. I was a new supervisor and looking for ways in which I could better communicate with staff and interns I supervise. Enlace’s staff trainers have real-world experience to share, and Enlace co-executive director Peter Cervantes-Gautschi especially impressed me. The Enlace training was focused on results, but in a sensitive manner; and since the training my supervisory skills have improved. I feel I am better equipped to both identify and address the challenges of those I supervise in a straightforward manner, which ultimately makes the workplace more harmonious and makes my life easier.”
Samantha Quintero, former Figueroa Corridor Community Jobs Director, Strategic Actions for a Just Economy and current staff at UCLA-LOSH:
“In the fall of 2008 SAJE hired Enlace to give a supervisors training to our staff. The one on one and evaluation star tools introduced in the trainings were very useful, practical, and very easy to incorporate into my current work. Prior to working in my current position I had minimal supervisory experience. The training was helpful because it provided me with a framework I needed in order to effectively manage my work responsibilities and it improved my managerial skills. The trainers were able to identify areas where my skills could be enhanced and also highlighted what strengths I currently possess.”