Help marginalized Mexican children and teenagers

Considering the high rate of Covid-19 cases in Mexico, a program was implemented for young people focused on the formation of Youth Leaders through training on information linked to COVID-19 and the reproduction of messages for young people throughout the country, through a combination of communication campaigns and community improvement initiatives.

Thirty-five young representatives from each state in Mexico participated in this initiative, who were trained in virtual participatory workshops lasting 16 hours, with the objective of strengthening their capacities (they are better informed, change their attitudes, increase their life skills and improve their practices) to promote healthy lifestyles, in terms of sexuality, mental health and a life free of violence, as well as prevention measures against COVID-19.

After the training, the members of the Committee implemented replication activities with various institutions, thus demonstrating youth leadership, proactivity, generation of positive changes in their environments, and the linkage with public, private and academic organizations, thus becoming spokespersons of content.

"...I learned that it is not bad to feel certain emotions, and today I understand why anger empowers me, but not in the sense of doing wrong, but I do it because it is my way of identifying my inner strength and thus setting my limits."

                                                                                                                                             Male 22 years old

"thank you for sharing this knowledge and helping to train us in a very dynamic way, since the topics were somewhat theoretical".

                                                                                                                                         Woman 20 years old

Work continued on the virtual training of youth health promoters during the school period in 11 schools in the municipalities of Iztapalapa, Azcapotzalco and Gustavo Madero (Mexico City´s area). This includes working with new groups of promoters on priority topics, and progress with participants from previous groups on priority topics and replication skills.

There have been obstacles in the process of training promoters. It has been notoriously difficult for the continuity of the participants.

However, although the groups of participants have been reduced as the training phase has progressed, the participants who continue are participative and open to sharing their experiences. They show understanding of the topics covered and give good examples of how they use the learning in their lives and when they replicate it with others.

To date, 257 hours of training have been reported and more than 99 new promoters have joined the program.

In social networks, taking advantage of world anniversaries related to the key themes of the program (prevention of non-communicable diseases), publications were made in the framework of the World Day of Physical Activity and World Anti-tobacco Day, which resulted in more than 340,000 people reached both on FB and IG.