Mental health and gender in El Salvador classrooms

• In Event: Global Collaboration and Field Building in a Divided World

Proposal

Glasswing International is an El Salvador–based nonprofit organization that is on a mission to build a brighter future for communities across the Americas. Glasswing transforms existing public schools into safe community spaces that improve learning outcomes; equips frontline workers to radically expand access to mental health support; and increases economic opportunities through vocational and entrepreneurial training, service learning and active peer networks. Since 2007, Glasswing has mobilized and invested over $220 million in Latin America, the Caribbean and New York City and impacted over six million people’s lives, mobilizing over 150,000 volunteers in the process.

Glasswing works across schools, communities, and mental health services, using youth clubs and safe spaces to foster connected, resilient ecosystems.

Through initiatives like Girls Clubs, Glasswing works to shift gender paradigms, build self-confidence in girls and young women, and provide comprehensive reproductive health education. By challenging these norms, the organization addresses issues that disproportionately impact the mental health of girls, such as high rates of teen pregnancy and gender-based violence.

Author

• Maritza R Trejo, Fundación Crisalida