Gemma Givens is the communications associate at the Inter-American Dialogue. Prior to joining the Dialogue, Givens worked as a communications and events specialist at the University of California Berkeley, creating the brand identity for programs, connecting them with their communities, and managing their impact.
Givens’ organization,
Next Generation Guatemala, has connected over 900 adult Guatemalan adoptees across 20 countries around the world. Her story has been covered by the Associated Press,
Nomada Magazine,
Berkeley News, and Emmy Award winning documentary,
The Lost Children of Guatemala, by Telemundo. Givens was a speaker for the forum, Volverte a Ver, Niñez Desaparecida en Guatemala hosted by Grupo Apoyo Mutuo, guest lecturer for the University of California Los Angeles course, Indigenous Diasporas: Adoption, and presented at the conference 200 Years of CentralAmerica in the World/200 Jahre Unabhängigkeit Zentralamerikas in Berlin. Next Generation Guatemala received an honorable mention in the new ideas for nonprofit organizations category at the 2020 Emprendete Guatemala competition. In 2022, Givens co-edited a special issue for the
Maya America Journal to encourage the inclusion of irregular adoption as part of the Maya diaspora and an integral part of the migration of peoples from Central America.
