I announced a few weeks ago that the city of Los Angeles, California will assist CityLinks with our Honduras Pilot Partnership. L.A.’s Deputy Mayor, Guillermo Cespedes, joined our team in Honduras, and we were able to carve out some time to discuss his background and involvement in the project. Guillermo attained a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University and has been working in this field with socially and economically marginalized families in areas affected by gang violence for over 30 years.

One aspect of our pilot project in Honduras is crime prevention, and Guillermo has ample experience and advice to offer. Although Los Angeles is one of the wealthiest and most glamorous cities in the United States, this city struggles with the same problem that is present in Honduras: crime and gang violence. L.A. is home to 450 gangs; there are about 45,000 documented gang members in the city, and roughly 54% of all homicides are related to gang violence.

L.A.’s strategy is to engage community members and have face-to-face contact with at-risk youth. Guillermo’s staff is committed to reducing crime and they respond to incidents of violence seven days a week at all hours of the day. Guillermo helps direct L.A.’s Summer Night Lights program, which opens recreational facilities in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods from 8 pm to midnight, a time period when violence usually occurs. All community members, young and old, are invited to play games and partake in other activities to discourage crime.

Guillermo commented that, often times, we become so consumed with fear of these gangs that we forget to acknowledge gang members as human beings similar to ourselves. “And how can we help someone if we cannot connect with them?” Guillermo asked. He acknowledged that we cannot reduce gang violence if we are too afraid to approach these individuals. Guillermo remarked “Before we ask someone to change their lense of the world, we must change ours”, and he makes a point to regularly spend time with at-risk youth.

Guillermo believes that his ability to connect with others through all forms of communication (he is fluent in Spanish) and his experience with violence prevention will enable him to provide valuable insight and assistance to the Honduras Pilot Partnership. As I spent time with him throughout the week, I was touched to see Guillermo reach out to many of the community members we met in each neighborhood. He has a calming presence that draws others to him and a heart-felt passion for social work.  We are fortunate to have such a dedicated member on our team.