Case study: Glasswing International

This case study profiles Glasswing International, a Latin American organisation that embeds trauma-informed education and gender-transformative youth clubs within public schools.

Glasswing International was founded in El Salvador in 2007 by siblings Celina and Diego de Sola and Ken Baker, in response to widespread violence and social inequality in Central America. Its model is built on strengthening public systems, particularly ministries of education and health, rather than working outside them.

Glasswing's flagship Community Schools Programme turns public schools into hubs for after-school clubs and mentorship. Within this, Girls' Clubs provide safe spaces for girls aged 9 to 18 to build confidence and learn about reproductive health and bodily autonomy, while Entre Jóvenes (Among Youth) brings girls and boys together to question traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity and address gender-based violence. Both are delivered by trained community and university volunteers, many of whom are programme alumni.

The organisation pairs girls-only spaces with mixed-gender sessions, allowing it to build girls' confidence separately while also engaging boys and men as partners in questioning norms around care, work and education. This model is supported by trauma-informed pedagogy, reflecting the high levels of violence many young people in the region have experienced.

Internal evaluations, including the Comic Relief Project assessing Entre Jóvenes across three countries, found that 82 percent of participants recognised gender inequality as a community issue, and 78 percent showed more protective attitudes toward themselves and their peers.

Key messages

• Glasswing's Community Schools model embeds gender-transformative youth clubs within public schools, working to strengthen existing systems rather than replace them.
• Its Entre Jóvenes programme brings girls and boys together to question traditional norms of masculinity and femininity and to address gender-based violence.
• Girls' Clubs provide separate safe spaces for girls to build confidence, while mixed-gender sessions engage boys and men as partners in gender equality.
• An internal evaluation found that 82 percent of Entre Jóvenes participants recognised gender inequality as a community issue, and 78 percent showed more protective attitudes toward themselves and peers.
• The organisation uses trauma-informed pedagogy throughout its programming, reflecting the high levels of violence experienced by many young people in Central America.
• Glasswing has mobilised over 150,000 volunteers, many of them programme alumni, reinforcing a cycle of youth leadership and community mentorship.
• The organisation now operates in 15 countries and has reached over 6 million people.