I am a CPT Reservist (part-time worker) in my early 40s, a member of the Toronto Catholic Worker community, and a queer activist.

 

Where have you worked with CPT?

Chiapas (Mexico), Burnt Church (Esgenoopetitj, Canada), Colombia, Palestine, Anishnabe territory (Canada)

 

How did you get involved?

In the mid-nineties I was following the unfolding of the Zapatista movement in Chiapas (southern Mexico) with great interest, particularly because they had linked their struggle for justice with other justice movements throughout the world, including that of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people, which is my community.  By 1997 I had decided to volunteer as a human rights observer in Chiapas through a human rights office.    At the same time, a member of my community was asked to consider joining CPT's newly-formed team in Chiapas.  Unable to go herself, she suggested CPT contact me since I was going anyways!  The rest is, as they say, history, and I have been working with CPT either full-time or part-time since then.

 

What attracted you?

I was inspired by the vision of pacifists not sitting back and condemning the use of violence from the comfort of their own homes.  I was drawn to using active nonviolence in the midst of dire conflict situations, and the choice to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.

 

Why are you doing this work?

I am invigorated by working with so many inspiring people in a framework of deep democracy that really feels true and hopeful.

 

What does your family and/or support community think about your CPT work?

I have the benefit of being part of a home community that includes other CPTers, so there is a lot of understanding and support here.  My own family, I think, respects the commitment I’ve made, but my mother in particular gets pretty nervous every time I go somewhere.

 

An inspirational story from your CPT work?

After I had left our Colombia project, the team there let me know an ex-paramilitary guy had stopped by the CPT office in Barranca to report that he had left the armed paramilitaries, and that he linked that decision to a conversation with another CPTer and myself.

 

What are the most challenging things?

It’s hard to find a way to address my own needs around financial security as I get older in the framework of CPT’s needs-based financial support.  I know financial security is all illusion, but as friends and family members have their houses and pension plans, I sometimes get stressed out about the “what-if's”.

 

What would you tell someone interested in CPT to consider before joining?

Make sure that you take your days off, that you work with a spiritual director, that you pray regularly, and take regular retreats.