activities · 7
what they do
direct service · 5
- Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC)Hosts a monthly online event featuring discussions with authors, filmmakers, and guest speakers on topics related to the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, including culinary heritage, citizenship, and regional history. Past events are archived and available for ongoing access.
- Borderlands Public Forums Immersive Migration Workshops & SimulationsHosts public forums on critical immigration and borderlands issues featuring experts and practitioners, including forums on U.S. immigration basics, humanitarian aid work, borderlands reporting, asylum policy, and migration control. Events have been held from 2022 through 2025 with both in-person and online participation.
- Cultural Exchange and Immersion Tours Immersive Border Study DelegationsOrganizes cross-border cultural exchange tours to Nogales, Sonora, and other borderlands sites, including private, customized, and group tours limited to 10–15 participants. Tours visit partner organizations, historical sites, and cultural institutions such as the Amerind Museum and sites featured in the "Renaissance of Nogales, Arizona" walking tour. The organization has led over one hundred such tours without any incident of violence.
- Spanish Language Conversation Sessions English Language Learning ProgramsOffers private and joint Spanish conversation sessions with facilitators during summer break to support language learning in a cultural context.
- Storytelling and Narrative Campaigns Community-Centered Documentary ProductionCreates and distributes stories through social media to amplify voices from borderlands communities, challenge misconceptions, and promote a positive, nuanced image of life along the U.S.-Mexico border.
research · 1
- Documentary Film Production Community-Centered Documentary ProductionProduces documentary films that highlight cross-border cultural practices and narratives, including the award-winning 30-minute film "The Pilgrimage to Magdalena," which documents the annual pilgrimage to Magdalena, Sonora.
capacity building · 1
- Borderlands Ambassador Internship ProgramRuns an annual immersion internship program in partnership with FESAC that provides college students with cross-border cultural experiences and education on U.S.-Mexico borderlands issues, perspectives, and cultures. The program concludes with final presentations held both online and in-person, including at the Tubac Center of the Arts.
strategies · 5
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Building binational community through cultural exchange and collaboration cultural_exchangeThe organization believes that fostering understanding and respect across the U.S.-Mexico border is achieved through direct cultural exchange, education, and collaborative efforts with individuals and organizations on both sides of the border. This approach aims to build a unified binational community.
- Experiential and educational programming for borderlands understanding experiential_educationThe organization expands public understanding of U.S.-Mexico borderlands issues through diverse educational programming, including facilitator-led language practice, experiential place-based learning, and dynamic discussions around relevant media and speakers, as well as internship opportunities for students.
- Promoting social investment over charity for community strengthening social_investmentThe organization operates on the principle of "social investment" rather than traditional charity, believing that this approach more effectively strengthens international communities and cultivates lasting relationships.
- Reshaping public perception through counter-narrative communication and storytelling counter-narrative_communicationThe organization actively works to challenge and correct negative stereotypes and media narratives about borderlands communities by amplifying authentic voices, sharing positive and underreported stories, and utilizing storytelling and social media to reshape public understanding.
- Volunteer-driven model for community kinship volunteer-driven community engagementThe organization's reliance on a volunteer-driven model, particularly with an all-volunteer board, is a deliberate choice to emphasize and foster community kinship and engagement across borders.
named programs · 8
what they call their work
ARSOBO Project for Inclusion
Supports ARSOBO, an organization providing adaptive-technology, low-cost, assisted devices to individuals with disabilities in Nogales, Sonora.
ATIC (Agencia para el Tratamiento Integral de la Conducta)
Supports an organization focused on training parents for behavioral management of their children, including those with autism, in Nogales, Sonora.
Albergue San Juan Bosco
Supports a family-run shelter offering temporary housing, meals, religious services, and social resources to migrants in Nogales, Sonora.
Borderlands Forum
Convenes discussions and events to share information and perspectives on the border region.
Cross Border Tour Program
Organizes tours to promote binational relationships and understanding of the borderlands.
DEIJUVEN (Desarrollo Integral Juvenil de Nogales)
Supports a community center offering services and after-school youth programs in underserved areas of Nogales, Sonora.
Let's Speak Spanish classes
Offers Spanish language classes to engage participants with the cultural heritage of the borderlands.
Student Internship Program
Offers internships, such as the Borderlands Ambassador interns, to engage students in border issues.
relationships · 13
who they work with
- Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors (Arizona JFON) Partner — Alba Jaramillo, Executive Director of Arizona JFON, presented at a forum on immigration and asylum.
- BCA Frontera Voices Media Project Partner — Project under BCA focused on media and storytelling to represent borderlands communities.
- Binational Migration Institute, University of Arizona Partner — Geoff Boyce, Research Associate at the Binational Migration Institute, University of Arizona, presented at a forum.
- Border Chronicle Partner — Melissa del Bosque, a journalist with Border Chronicle, presented at a forum on Borderlands Reporting.
- Borderlands Restoration Network Partner — Katherine Gaia Barbaree from the Borderlands Restoration Network discussed environmental work in desert ecosystems and binational wildlife corridors at a BLFC event.
- Earlham College Partner — Geoff Boyce, Academic Director & Faculty at the Border Studies Program, Earlham College, presented at a forum.
- FESAC Partner — Close partner organization based in Nogales, Sonora; collaborates on cross-border programs and pass-through donations to NGOs in Sonora.
- FESAC Partner — Mexican community foundation partner that collaborates on cultural exchange tours and provides local guidance.
- Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense, A.C. (FESAC) Partner — Partners with FESAC in Nogales, Sonora to co-deliver an internship program offering cross-border cultural immersion.
- Mexico City Partner — Hosts a discounted week-long immersion program for Spanish students.
- Salvavision Partner — Dora Rodriguez, Director of Salvavision, presented at a forum on humanitarian aid for migrants at the Arizona border.
- Tubac Center of the Arts Partner — Hosts a reception and final presentations for Borderlands Ambassador Interns.
- United Methodist Church of Green Valley Partner — Hosts Borderlands Ambassador Intern final presentations.