Welcome to the boletín.
This newsletter, put simply, is designed to keep students engaged with the work we do at the school: the projects and partnerships we’re developing with our communities; the analysis we offer regarding the political situation here in Guatemala; and the relationships we facilitate with/in the Spanish language. The idea came out of students’ desire to keep in touch with the school after they leave and to connect with other alumni once they are back in their home communities.
Beyond just the affairs of the school itself, the boletín would distribute information about what’s happening here in Guatemala more broadly—politically, culturally or however else that may be relevant. It can be hard to find reliable media that cover Guatemala at all, less that are translated into English, and even less that align with PLQ’s specific political analysis. As such, these newsletters might provide a perspective on the ground that is more in-depth and intimate than, say, an Instagram post.
Over the course of our years as an institution, thousands of students have come, first and foremost, to learn Spanish; yet most are drawn to our school specifically for its commitment to political education, historical memory and the deep-rooted legacy of people’s struggle here in Guatemala. Activists, organizers, researchers, lawyers, medics, teachers, religious leaders, social workers and artists—to name a few—encounter each other at this school in a context they might not otherwise have the chance to in their home environments. This encounter, grounded in the larger mission of PLQ, is much of the reason why so many feel empowered while at the school. PLQ becomes a site where these diverse interests meet, exchange, rub up against one another and, hopefully, become sharpened by dialogue and collective study. I, like many students, have hoped to build out the PLQ-network more thoroughly and take advantage of this unlikely encounter between skill-sets, politics, and disciplines after leaving Guatemala.
With this network, there too comes an avenue for resource distribution. The time may come when we find ourselves in another global pandemic, or a political situation where crossing international borders becomes unfeasible. Through these circumstances, the boletín might be helpful to let alumni know how best support to PLQ and the different communities we work with, both in and outside of Xela. The history of international solidarity at PLQ is long, and we want to use the tools we have now to build this sort of relationship and power—namely, between Guatemala and North America/Europe—so that we are able to flex that network when needed. There is an opportunity here to nourish an exchange, to maintain solidarity across borders and build a more resilient network of politically-engaged communities.
In short, the boletín lets alumni opt-in to become more involved with PLQ and it’s broader goals, in whatever way they’d like to. With that in mind, you are all encouraged to be contributors as well! If you want to use this space to organize an alumni meet-up or language practice group in your city, announce an event relating to PLQ or Guatemalan solidarity, or whatever else you imagine this network might be able to do, we can make that happen.
Thank you all for what you do! Feel free to reach out to proyectolinguisticoquetzalteco@gmail.com directly for thoughts or comments about this project. We’re excited to work with any ideas you might have.