Ask us how you and your class can customize this offering to be done in person in one of our program countries.
The virtual Legal Empowerment Program provides participants with the opportunity to apply and build upon their legal advocacy and research skills, foster cultural competency through virtual immersion, and with the support of our local teams, Honduras law students, and lawyers create community education deliverables to increase legal understanding.
The Legal Empowerment Program, previously called the Human Rights Program, was created in 2010 aiming to provide legal clinics and counsel to communities in Panama in order to combat both the absence of legal resources and the culture of legal misinformation in the region. The program was restructured in 2012 to increase our scope and impact through the addition of services to the program, focusing on: legal clinics, family law cases, institutional visits, educational workshops and international human rights law. The program was then expanded to Honduras in 2018.
In addition to our skill-based learning objectives, building cultural competence is integrated into the course to increase the quality of services and improve outcomes with community partners.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Customize your Legal Empowerment TeleBrigade by selecting a set of modules. Explore available modules below:
Module 1: Organizational Overview
Class learns about Global Brigades integrated community development model and nuances of its Legal Empowerment program and which UNSDGs it impacts. Self-guided activity: Review UN Sustainable Development Goals related to Gender Equality and Reduced Inequality.
Module 2: Honduras Legal System
Coordinator introduces students to the context of the Honduras legal system and challenges in the country. Self-paced activity: Complete workshop on legal systems around the world.
Module 3: Community Selection and Hyperlocal Legal Context
A simulation on how GB chooses communities and presentation on the specific communities the students will be working in along with the most common legal needs. Self-paced activity: Based on common legal challenges, complete brainstorm worksheet on ideas for legal empowerment resources that will be created and review Spanish language worksheet.
Module 4: Community Asset Deliverables
A review of the different types of community asset deliverables that can be made (i.e. legal resources such as flyers, educational videos, banners, etc). Self-paced activity: Students practice their introductions to the clients in Spanish for the consultations.
Module 5: Client Meet and Greet Consultation (up to 2 hrs depending on number of clients identified and class times)
Students have first meeting with clients and collect in-take information for processing. Self-guided activity: Prepare questions for Municipality visit.
Module 6: Virtual Institional Visit – Regional Municipality
Class meets with the regional Municipality of Cantarranas, one of 298 municipalities in Honduras, which are administered by elected corporations, deliberative organs that are accountable to the courts of justice for abuses, and are supposed to be autonomous of the central government’s powers. Self-guided activity: Prepare questions for Supreme Court of Justice Visit.
Module 7: Virtual Institutional Visit – Supreme Court of Justice
Class meets with representative from the Supreme Court of Justice, the highest jurisdictional body in the country. Self-guided activity: Continue working on community assets.
Module 8: Legal Case Recommendations
Supported by a local attorney, the group works as a group to finalize legal case recommendations for clients. Self-paced activity: Prepare for mooting competition with Honduran law students and creating deliverables.
Module 9: Prepare for Moot Court
Coordinator presents rules for the moot court and prepares students for their competition. Self-guided activity: Students continue to prepare for mooting competion and creating deliverables.
Module 10: Mooting Competition
Class participates in mooting competition and has cultural exchange with Honduran law students. Self-guided activity:
Module 11: Working Session 2
Finalize power of attorney and client recommendations. Self-guided activity: Make any last revisions based on feedback before presentation to client.
Module 12: Client Presentation
Students present their legal recommendations to their clients. Self-guided activity: Submit final community assets and procure cooking supplies for cultural activity.
Module 13: Final Reflections & Cultural Activity
Class prepares a local Honduran dish and reflects on the overall experience.
Module 14: Progress Report (optional live or recorded session)
GB Coordinator provides progress report on legal cases and how the community has utilized assets.
Impact Reporting
Students will be included in Global Brigades’ regular newsletters and receive project updates and overall monitoring and evaluation of our programs.
Are you a student and not a faculty member? Find a student-led brigade Chapter near you.