As a Peace Corps volunteer he went to Honduras in 1995 and worked with a group of farm leaders to help them develop a system to train other farmers in sustainable agricultural practices. Back in the United States in 1998, Ojeda continued to pursue his interest in leadership development through teaching and managing a civics and citizenship program for Pima College Adult Education. "We organized student councils," he said. "It was an opportunity to work with students on issues they wanted to address beyond the classroom. That might be learning about employment opportunities or security issues or visits to the Legislature in Phoenix to meet elected officials and educate them about adult education."
Honduras RPCV Robert Ojeda is passionate about developing leadership in others - and is an eloquent and inspirational model of leadership himself
Improving literacy through civics, art, community
This summer, meet some of the people who will shape our community's future
By Cathie Seifert
Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.23.2009
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Robert Ojeda is passionate about developing leadership in others - and is an eloquent and inspirational model of leadership himself.
Ojeda, 38, was born in Peru, came to the United States in 1989 and earned an undergraduate degree at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., before coming to Tucson and teaching English as a second language with Pima College Adult Education.
As a Peace Corps volunteer he went to Honduras in 1995 and worked with a group of farm leaders to help them develop a system to train other farmers in sustainable agricultural practices.
Back in the United States in 1998, Ojeda continued to pursue his interest in leadership development through teaching and managing a civics and citizenship program for Pima College Adult Education.
"We organized student councils," he said. "It was an opportunity to work with students on issues they wanted to address beyond the classroom. That might be learning about employment opportunities or security issues or visits to the Legislature in Phoenix to meet elected officials and educate them about adult education."
Civic education is "central to adult literacy," Ojeda said.
During this period, Ojeda also became a leader with the Pima County Interfaith Council.
"The organization trains community leaders so that they can identify issues in their communities and find a vehicle to make a difference in community decisions," he said.
To learn more about how to do that, Ojeda went back to school at Cornell University, where he received a master's degree in international agriculture and rural development. He is completing his doctoral degree in adult and extension education.
Research for his master's thesis was conducted in Honduran villages, where he studied indigenous organizing practices and ways to teach community leaders to help themselves.
Ojeda's doctoral dissertation is about how community leaders learn to be advocates for themselves and their communities.
"My degree is a combination of all my life experiences," Ojeda said.
Ojeda returned to Tucson and is manager of the English language acquisition for adults program at Literacy Volunteers of Tucson.
He also is active with the Pima County Interfaith Council.
Ojeda provides training on leadership and culture through the workshops he leads at the University of Arizona Western Hemisphere Institute.
Ojeda's interest in Latin American folklore music has led him to start several local bands that play traditional music and share Latin American culture with Tucson-ans. His band, Entre Peruanos, has participated in the local All Souls Procession and band members visit schools to share their culture with children.
"I believe that art is essential in the formation of healthy communities," Ojeda said.
At Literacy Volunteers, Ojeda's goal is to support a culture that views learning as an exchange "where students and tutors bring a wealth of knowledge and my job is to facilitate an exchange of experiences and to model how to do that."
And model he does, quietly, informally, diplomatically drawing ideas and building commitment from both tutors and students.
In his newest project, he provides students and tutors with cameras. They share in learning to use photography as a medium for telling their personal stories.
"The process of uncovering stories is in itself a transformative experience for our students and tutors and volunteers to find their voices," he said.
"They come together to explore their stories and identify issues they'd like to improve in their communities. They capture that in pictures - so it's oral storytelling, photography and writing," he said.
Building leaders and connections is are keys to building strong communities, Ojeda said.
Cathie Seifert is a retired technical writer and a volunteer tutor and trainer with Literacy Volunteers of Tucson.
