Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente

Vanessa Alejandra Rivera de la Fuente

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Nationality: Chilean

Email: [e-mail]

Linkedin: https://za.linkedin.com/in/vrdelafuente

Website: https://vriveradelafuente.wordpress.com

I.-EDUCATION
Current

Master in Gender Studies

University of Western Cape

South Africa
Post-Graduate (2016)

Diploma in Social, Economic and Cultural Human Rights

National University of Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"

Argentina
Specialization (2008)

University San Marcos –CELA

Post- Graduate Course Specialization

Social Project Development / Management

Peru
Graduate (2004)

Public Relations

Santo Tomas Professional Institute

Chile
College (1995-1996)

Journalism

University of Concepcion

Chile
II.-LANGUAGES

• 
  English: Full Advanced proficiency
  
• 
  French: Intermediate proficiency
  
• 
  Quechua: Intermediate proficiency
  
• 
  Spanish: Native
  

III.- ICT SKILLS

• 
  Windows Office/Suite
  
• 
  Creation of PDF documents, graphic and audiovisual materials
  
• 
  Design programs: Photoshop, Publisher.
  
• 
  E-Learning Platforms: Moodle, Anymeeting and Edmodo.
  
• 
  Social Media and Community Management: Online Publicity and Internet Research and Data Base
  
• 
  Digital Campaigns and Planning for Online Activism
  

IV.- PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE DETAILED BY AREAS
Current Position

Mentor in Capacity Development and Digital Empowerment

Digital Changemaking Campaign. World Pulse Media

Training Program in Leadership, Digital Media and Movement Building for Grass Roots Female Leaders

Global. Part-Time
Intern at Rape Crisis Trust, Cape Town, Western Cape.
Research Consultant, Translator and Copywriter/editor for academia and institutions

Part-Time

Global
Last

Community Educator in Gender, Leadership and Citizenship

City Office for Women Development

Municipality of Concepcion

Chile.

1.-Social Organizations, Non-Profit and Grassroots
Editorial Mentor (2013-2015)

World Pulse Media NGO

“Voices of Our Future” Training program in Leadership, Digital Media and Movement Building for Grass Roots Female Leaders.

• 
  Backing up the learning process
  
• 
  Identify and enhance student skills
  
• 
  Giving support and counseling.
  
• 
  Evaluating Digital Campaigns
  

National Project Coordinator (2007-2011)

A Broader View Volunteers NGO International

• 
  National coordinator for international assistance volunteer program
  
• 
  Person in charge of training in social projects and group team work
  
• 
  Organizer of community and intercultural communication activities
  
• 
  Person in charge of establishing and managing relations with partners- trustees.
  
• 
  Programs led:
  

1. 
   Cusco, Peru
   

Cooperation with urban and rural Quechua communities

Volunteer activities in medical assistance, dentists and family doctors, and teaching English as second language.

2. 
   Taroudant-Massa Draa, Morocco
   

Cooperation with rural communities in Hassi Labied- Merzouga

Organization strengthening, grassroots communication and community dialogue

3. 
   Buenos Aires, Argentina
   

Cooperation with community schools for immigrants located in the suburban cords of the city

Volunteer activities in facilities improvement (painting, building, etc)

Intercultural education

Teaching English as a second Language

Intercultural Educator and Community Project Developer (2008-2009)

Creation and developing of initiatives for grassroots communication and community dialogue, education for citizenship and advocacy for civil rights

1. 
   SOS-Kinderdorf International, Peru
   

Training Program: “Communication skills and conflict management in the family environment”

Mentoring: “Communication skills, prospective interview and negotiation”

Community Project Developer and Educator (1997-1998)

Concepcion City Government and Union of Social Organizations, Chile

Training Program: “Leadership, community networking and education for citizenship" for grass roots leaders.
2.-Media and Communication
Translation and Proof Reading from English to Spanish

1. 
   International Islamic Publishing House (2011-2013)
   

Books: The True Secret and Healing Body and Soul by Amira Ayad
Writer and Gender Journalist (2011-2012)

• 
  Women News Network
  
• 
  Global Press Institute Journal
  

Journalist and Columnist on issues related to women rights, minorities, poverty etc. The articles have been written in English language. Other articles and OP-EDs has been published in The Huffington Post USA and Spain; Le Monde Diplomatique; Página /12, Argentina and El Mostrador, Chile.

Radio Journalist and Public Commentator (1999-2003)

Alerta Radio FM

Octava Radio AM.

Universidad del Bío-Bío Radio AM

Ines de Suárez Radio AM

3.-College and Higher Education
Educational Designer for E-learning (2013- 2015)

NUCLEO Training and Capacity Building Group

• 
  Communication and Public Speaking,
  
• 
  Culture and Modern Society
  
• 
  Management, Leadership and Decision Making
  

Teacher (2005-2007)

State University of Santa Elena. UPSE. Guayaquil. Equator

• 
  English as second language basic, intermediate, advanced
  
• 
  English for special purposes: Tourism business
  

V.- CERTIFICATES OF COURSE’S COMPLETION
a.- Women and Gender Studies

• 
  Cultural Representations of Sexuality (2016)
  

Autonomous University of Barcelona

• 
  Education in Sexuality at the School (2016)
  

University of Chile

• 
  Gender and Ethnicity (2014)
  

University of Chile

Gender Studies Program

b.- Language, Communication and Social Development

• 
  Institutional Violence, Social Discourses and Human Rights (2016)
  

Secretariat of Human Rights. Ministry of Justice

Argentina

• 
  Interculturality and Development Projects (2008)
  

Pan American Health Organization

• 
  Quechua Language Courses Basic, Intermediate and Advanced (2008)
  

Center for Andean Studies “Bartolome de las Casas”

Cusco. Peru.

• 
  Corporate Social Responsibility (2005)
  

World Bank Social Forum

• 
  Conflict Management
  

University of California Irvine (2016)

Types of Conflict/Conflict Resolutions Skills/ Intercultural Communication

VI.- Training Programs
World Pulse (2011- 2012)

Training Program “Voices of Our Future” in New Media, Citizen Journalism and Gender Empowerment

Institute of Women in Concepcion (1999- 2000)

Training Program: Strengthening Women's Leadership for Political Participation

VII.- CERTIFICATES OF ATTENDANCE
Conferences

1. 
   "Women and Leadership Crisis". Spaniards in the World Foundation. (2012)
   
2. 
   “Health promotion” Vida Chile National Council for Health. (2002)
   

Seminars

1. 
   Strategies to Reduce the Risk during Coverage of Violence and Organized Crime. Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. (2011)
   

2. 
   Development of Entrepreneurship Capacity.
   

INTEC Chile (2001)

3. 
   Community and Local Youth Policies.
   

City Government of Concepcion (1999)

4. 
   Community Agents and Networking for Developing of Program and Community Strategies for Prevention and Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Consumption
   

INJUV National Institute for Youth (1997)


VII.- LECTURER AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER IN GENDER, RELIGION AND MEDIA.
She currently writes for Feminism and Religion
1. – Lectures
Catholic University of Chile (2016)

“Rape Culture, Religion and Social Discourses”

Chile
XI Meeting of Anthropology of Mercosur, November 30 to December 4 ( 2015)

“Queer Jihad and Muslim Public Sphere: The Inner Circle”

Uruguay
Latin American Council of Social Sciences – CLACSO (2014)

II Congress of Post-Colonial Studies and Third Conference on Decolonial Feminism

“Feminism, Identity and Islam: Crossroads, Strategies and Challenges in a Transnational World”

Argentina
Catholic University of Valparaíso (2014)

School of Psychology and Social Sciences

“Islamic Feminism in Latin America: Decolonizing Perspectives on Religion and Feminism"

Chile
University of Valparaíso (2014)

School of Law

“Islamic Feminism, Patriarchy and Narratives of Islamophobia”

Chile
University of Valparaíso (2014)

School of Philosophy and Human Sciences

Seminar on Islamic Feminism

Chile

1. 
   Gender and the feminine in the Qur'an: Divine and human interpretations on the status of women in Islam.
   
2. 
   Gender Jihad: Women's movements in the Islamic world and gendered citizenship
   

University of Rio Grande Do Sul (2013)

XXV Latin American Congress of Religious Alternatives

Brazil

1. 
   Islamic Feminism in Latin America: An approach on Gender and Women's Emancipation based in the Quran
   
2. 
   Theology of Woman: Deconstruction of Women’s narrative in the Dogmatic Conservative Discourse in Islam.
   
3. 
   A Queer God: Narratives, Hermeneutics and Movements for LGTBQ inclusion in Islam
   

Umbral Cultural Center of Santiago (2013)

“Violence against Women based on Religion: Musawah and the struggles against Male Fundamentalism”

Chile
University of La Laguna (2012)

School of Social Sciences and Law

“Islam, Cedaw and Activism for Gender Equality”

Spain
National University of Cordoba (2012)

II Congress on Gender and Society

“Islamic Feminism: A searching for equality by divine right”

Argentina
Yahoo Business and Human Rights Program (2012)

Inter American Summit of Women Activists

“Women, Technologies and Social Change”

Mexico
National University of Puebla (2012)

Summit of Health and Social Sciences Professionals for No Sexist Education

“Masculine and Feminine in the Quran”

Mexico
National Federation of Lawyers, Attorneys and Judges (2012)

Latin American Congress of Women Lawyers

“Shar’ia and Cedaw on Violence against Women: Tensions and Encounters”

Argentina
Vox Populi Community Media and Anne Frank Foundation (2012)

City Meeting of Activist for Inclusion and Diversity

“Relations between Gender, Race, Identity and Religion in Human Rights Defense”

Argentina
Activities in Collaboration with the Library of Santiago (2014-2015)

1. 
   Workshop
   

"Veil and Fear: Representations of Muslim Women in Western Society through Pop Culture: From Sherezade to Sherezade"

2. 
   Workshop
   

"Myths and Facts on Muslim Women: Orientalism and Activism in the Lives of Women in Middle East"

3. 
   Round Tables
   

"Extremism, Islamophobia and Women Rights”

“Queer Theologies, Decolonization and Resistance”

4. 
   Conference
   

“Educational Experiences and Narrative Building for Empowerment of LGTBQ Grass Roots Activism in Religious Based Organizations”

2.- Publications
Books
Whatever Works: Feminists of Faith Speak

Anthology

Edited by Trista Hendren and Pat Daly

Foreword by Dr. Amina Wadud

Contribution: “Led by a Women’s Mosque: A Space Of Our Own”

March 2015
Jesus, Muhammad and The Goddess

Anthology

Edited by Trista Hendren and Pat Daly

Contribution: “The Wounded Goddess: The History of Sarah and Hagar

From a Feminist Outlook”

February 2016

Feminismo Islamico. Varias Autoras

Anthology

Contribution: “Feminismo, Identidad e Islam”

October 2016

Academic Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals
Islamic Feminism: A Hermeneutics of Liberation

Revista Internacional de Pensamiento Político. Vol 9 (2014).

Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Sevilla. Spain
Feminism, Identity and Islam. Crossroads, Strategies and Challenges in a Transnational World

Tabula Rasa Nº 21 (2015).

Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca. Colombia
Hermeneutical Narratives and Feminist Activism in Islam: Toward a Theology of Muslim Women as Political Subject.

Mandragora, Vol. 21, No 21 (2015)

Universidad Metodista de Sao Paulo. Brazil
Feminist Hermeneutics of the Quran and Epistemic Justice

Analyze Journal of Feminist and Gender Studies. Issue No. 4 (2015).

The Romanian Society for Feminist Analysis. Romania
Book Reviews
Quran and Women by Amina Wadud. Rereading the Sacred text from a female perspective

Cultura y Religión. Vol 8. No 1 (2014).

Universidad Arturo Prat de Viña del Mar. Chile
Women in the Quran by Asma Lamrabet

Reading Religion. August 2016 American Academy of Religion

http://readingreligion.org/books/women-quran
3.- Courses and Workshops conducted:

• 
  Women in the Revelation and Transmission of Islamic Knowledge
  

• 
  Myths and Realities of Women in Islam
  
• 
  Women, Leadership and Movement Building
  
• 
  Islam, Feminism and Postcolonial Approaches
  
• 
  Feminism, Identity and Transnational Activisms
  
• 
  Queer Theologies and Decolonial Approach
  
• 
  Islamophobia, Gender and Media Discourses
  
• 
  Quran and Women: Feminist Hermeneutics of the Holy Book of Islam
  
• 
  Islam, Feminism and Human Rights
  
• 
  Female Arquetipes in Abrahamics Religions
  

4.- Community Project
Women Weaving Peace: Social and New Media as a Tool for Muslim and Non Muslim Women Community Empowerment and Internal Peace Building

IX.- OTHER ACTIVITIES

• 
  Member of the Scientific Committee and Executive Board REEM Journal of Health and Social Sciences. Chile
  
• 
  Member of GNRC Network – Foundation Arigato International. Chile
  
• 
  Member of WISE: Women Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity
  
• 
  Chair person of Women Economic Forum in the Western Cape
  

• 
  Founder of “Mezquita de Mujeres” social media initiative that challenges the general discourse on Muslim women and marginalized groups through the promotion of positive stories about their life, experiences, knowledge and leadership in religious and /or spiritual spaces as well as the voices, experiences and perspectives of people and identities absent in the mainstream, from the global south.
  

• 
  Founder of “Sakina” initiative focused in Gender Estudies, Community Development and Comunication for Social Change, that combines the potential of social media impact and the networking with grass roots for the education and awareness on gender justice and peace building.