Help marginalized Mexican children and teenagers

Dear GlobalGivers,

Our communications team has just returned from Ecatepec, a municipality bordering Mexico City that is, as you know, one of the most violent and least desirable places to live in Mexico. We talked with Hector, Alejandro, Maria Fernanda and many others about the violence that surrounds them in Ecatepec and the challenges they face every day to succeed. These youth told us about the challenge of finding a job, and the jobs they settle for that offer no chance for growth. You can understand then why studying makes little sense to many of them, and why young men and women are likely to turn to drugs and alcohol to channel their frustrations.

But we also saw, and documented, how through Yo quiero Yo puedo´s comprehensive programs, we resolve these complex issues from their root. We believe that the best way to generate change, is through individuals realizing that they are agents of change. In our program, youth first discover the talents and tools they have personally – their ability to communicate, analyze what is happening and search for alternatives. From there, we propel their businesses and creative ideas, while preventing addictions, violence and teen pregnancies. While this is our strategy throughout the country, the comprehensive approach is particularly critical in Ecatepec where challenges are deep, though not intractable.

Today, as you will soon see in the video we are hard at work editing, Maria Fernanda can talk about gender roles, stereotypes and equality, Alejandro knows the difference between an asset and a liability for his business and Héctor now takes creater care of himself and sees his own value. And they are putting these learnings into practice with their peers with the shared goal of transforming not just Ecatepec, but all of Mexico. Students say that their life now has meaning, now has direction. You are to thank for this.

With gratitude (and excitement to share with you shortly the video of how Ecatepec is transforming),

Yo quiero Yo puedo

Dear GlobalGivers,

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then we think a video is worth ten thousand. As we wrote you last year, insecurity and drug consumption in Mexico have been increasing steadily, affecting kids´ future. One of the most affected areas is Ecatepec, a municipality just outside Mexico City where 1.7 million people live and where the use of drugs has doubled among teens in the last five years.

Since you might be too far away to join us at the project, and to hear from the teens themselves how the Yo quiero Yo puedo program is changing their lives and their community, we are bringing them to you on the screen.

Remember that in this program, we trained 200 students across Ecatepec´s public schools to become agents of change in their schools and communities, then replicating the program with their classmates through fun, colorful fairs. Imagine what you could learn if you were blindfolded and your peers tried to pressure you into eating a piece of candy (or not). Add to this a space for reflection, and kids can step back and see how peer pressure works and how they respond to it (see what it looks like at minute 2:09), developing the skills to respond in a healthy way.

Thank you for your support! We continue to bring change to Ecatepec, despite the challenges inherent in working in such a tough area.

Best,

Shoshana

Links:

• Check out the program video