Auris Fermín
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Women of ChangeVenezuela
Auris Fermín has a degree in business administration from the Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado in Venezuela. 10 years ago, Ms. Fermín experienced the difficult reality that many women in the most vulnerable sectors of her country experience. Since then, she has focused her actions on strengthening female independence and leadership through training and training of community leaders.
Through her work, Fermín provides leadership training to women in the community. She believes that the leadership and participation of women in key positions in public and private institutions is essential for strengthening democracy and creating an inclusive political system that represents all citizens and promotes gender equality.
She has collaborated in programs for the dissemination of information, leadership, conflict resolution, culture of peace, citizen participation, strengthening of citizen and democratic values and training in various trades. She also collaborates in programs that provide tools, knowledge and facilities that strengthen leadership training and contribute to the social change of women's environment.
IVLP Impact Award Project: Women of Change
Most leaders in Venezuela rely heavily on female strength as a fundamental pillar of support for resolving issues in their communities. However, when reviewing the positions of collective leadership, the reality is that few women hold important positions. This project reconstructed the social fiber that allows society to reduce poverty, challenge inequality and strengthen democracy by enabling female leaders in Venezuela and identifying their future hopes,
The Women of Change project was designed to strengthen and promote the leadership of women from 5 communities of strata C, D and E in a parish in the Torres municipality, Venezuela. The project team held assemblies, workshops and online forums to connect leaders of different communities.
Auris’ project reached 69 women between the ages of 18 and 45 in the Lara state of Venezuela. These women participated in 6 in-person and 6 virtual workshop sessions. This project provided tools to strengthen social and female leadership and create agents that promote a culture of peace and conflict resolution to encourage citizen participation in various areas of society. After the project, participants could consider themselves agents of change and become promoters of good citizenship in their communities, jobs, families and the institutions they represent.
"[Women of Change] helped me a lot because I acquired new knowledge, other methods to face each situation, always with respect, cordiality and above all to learn how to resolve conflicts through the justice of peace. " -Project Participant
IVLP Exchange Experience
Auris was a participant in the IVLP Project Women as Drivers of Social and Economic Change, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Cultural Vistas.
Auris' exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "The IVLP was undoubtedly the best cultural and ideological exchange that I have experienced. The training was encouraging, motivating and inspiring. We united our cultures, exchanged ideas and strengthened our skills to become agents of change."
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually
Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Orlando, FL; New Orleans, LA; San Antonio, TX; Seattle, WA