Consulting, Speaking and Workshops - SARAH SHOURD

Every year I give speeches and presentations at universities, classrooms, private events, rallies and conferences such as American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International Key Note, Beyond Bars Conference, Brilliant Ideas Conference, California Innocence Project, Conference for New Ideas, Chicago Northwestern University, Evergreen State College, Florida State, Howard Zinn Book Fair, Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, Nueva Intersession in San Mateo, Martha’s Vineyard, National Lawyers Guild, Princeton University, Pulitzer Center, SF Jail’s Reentry Program, SF’s Public Defender's Office, Stanford Bechtel I-Center, The Greater than Gatsby Gala, The Media Rumble Conference in New Delhi, UCLA, l, UCLA, and many more.
Watch: Pulitzer Center Zoom Webinar with Rhodessa Jones,
“Giving Incarcerated Women the Tools to Save Their Own Lives.”

Skills and Trainings
Challenging White Supremacy Workshop (2003)
Fluent in Spanish (since 2005)
Non-Violent Communication (2005)
Spanish at Zapatista Autonomous School (2002)
Theatre of the Oppressed with Marc Weinblatt and Hector Aristizabal (2010)
Tui Na Massage Certification (2005)
Vipassana Meditation (2004)
Level 1 and 2 Arabic, Damascus University (2008-9)
Voice-over Training (2018)
Women Leaders Workshop at Continuing Studies Program (2019)
Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) Training (2021)
Trauma-Informed and Relational Mindfulness Workshops (2020-2022)
Attachment Theory (2021)
Somatics for Racial Justice Leaders 1, 2 and 3 (2021-2022)
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Training and Certification (2020-2022)

TEACHING/MENTORING EXPERIENCE
I'm a certified English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. I have also taught English literature and theater. 2012: Taught for the Playwriting Project in San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall under Each One Reach One (now called The Success Center). 2008–9: EFL teacher for the Iraqi Student Project (ISP) in Damascus, Syria. The ISP helps Iraqi refugees pursue a higher education abroad. Thirteen of my former students were accepted into colleges in the US. Instructor of ESL at the American School and English Literature at The International School of Choueifat.

Human Rights Strategy Consultant
From 2012-2020 I regularly did consulting with families of Americans held hostage in the Middle East and weigh in on the public and private campaigns for their release. I’ve also consulted with the California Department of Corrections, San Francisco’s District Attorney and various organizations on the practice of (and alternatives to) solitary confinement in US prisons.