ODA, Otros Dreams en Acción is a grassroots organization dedicated to mutual support and political action by and for those who grew up and lived for many years in the United States and are now in Mexico as a result of deportation proceedings, the deportation of a family member or the threat of deportation. Its mission is the economic, political, social and cultural recognition of the deported and returned community, as well as their right to migrate or not to migrate in a voluntary, safe and dignified manner. They seek to achieve this through community building, collective action and the creation of educational, work and advocacy models that enable mobility and family reunification.
ODA was constituted as Migrar es Vivir A.C. in March 2017 with the intention of creating a solid platform for deported and forced returnees to occupy spaces, produce knowledge, redistribute resources, tell stories that contribute to the transformation of dominant and often erroneous narratives of post-deportation and return. Since 2015, ODA has developed a series of tools and practices that allow strengthening the tools of migrant communities to co-create social, personal and collective change. They bet on a translocal community organizing model that allows deported and returned migrants to act as agents of change in their communities, migrants or non-migrants, confronting the injustices of the system. Through an emergent strategy that is adaptable to first-hand conditions, they practice:
• Artistic and cultural expressions that amplify collective demands with narratives of political opportunities,
• Community organizing to impact public policy, and
• Economic solidarity projects to co-create local-translocal autonomy.