SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rigoberta Menchú, made a recent visit to Costa Rica for the PeaceJam youth conference that took place on November 14-15, 2008. The forum brought 300 young leaders together from all over the country for a weekend focused on developing projects and ideas to improve individual communities. Workshops covering a variety of social justice and environmental issues were facilitated by representatives from organizations such as Outward Bound Costa Rica.

Menchú served as the keynote speaker for the conference and touched on such pertinent themes as the role of women in society, globalization, and poverty. Since being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her committed and peaceful leadership in the Central American and worldwide indigenous communities, the Guatemalan native has continued to serve as a strong voice today, fighting for a better tomorrow.

“What I treasure most in life is being able to dream. During my difficult moments and complex situations I have been able to dream of a more beautiful future,” says Menchú, alluding to the atrocities of her childhood and her passion for young, promising leaders like those in whom PeaceJam invests its efforts.

PeaceJam is an international initiative based in Colorado and led by twelve Nobel Peace Laureates that emphasizes community outreach and peaceful human rights activism with the over-arching goal of “inspir[ing] a new generation of peacemakers who will transform their local communities, themselves, and the world,” according to www.peacejam.org.

As part of the effort to educate youth from both Costa Rica and abroad, Costa Rica Outward Bound was asked to present a workshop on diversity and conflict resolution. Incorporating curriculum provided by Outward Bound Peacebuilding, participants were challenged to think critically about ways to promote diversity, deconstruct stereotypes and eliminate discrimination in their homes, schools and communities.

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