Young Antiracist Leadership Project (YALP)

For the third edition of the Young Antiracist Leadership Project (YALP), we launched the call for applications between May 26 and June 30, 2023. During the launch, we invited participants from the second generation to share their experiences and inspire young people between the ages of 18 and 29 to apply for this edition through social media platforms such as Instagram,TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter (X).

Fortunately, we received over 100 applications, from which innovative projects and the participation of foreign residents in Mexico emerged. Selecting the final 10 young finalists proved to be a challenge, as the participants who applied for this edition demonstrated strong preparation, and each year the projects become more competitive and creative.

Following the selection process, we met with the young participants to notify them of the news and share the activities they would engage in during the two-week residency. Additionally, we conducted a social media launch one week before the project's start, introducing the third generation with photographs and their profiles so that people could get to know the participants.

YALP 2023 took place from September 18 to 30, in a semi-hybrid format. The first week was entirely virtual to facilitate the participation of teachers located in other states or countries. Among the virtual classes, we were fortunate to have the participation of activists and academics specialized in antiracism, such as Andrea Ixchíu, Yuderkys Espinosa, Ochy Curiel, Alejandro Mamani (a member of Identidad Marrón in Argentina), Carla Escoffié, Odilia Romero, Fe Navarrete, among others. The second week was held in person, thanks to the support that covered the travel, accommodation, and expenses of the third generation. During the in-person week, various educational activities and presentations took place, with classes held at different locations throughout Mexico City, such as COLMEX, Nike, Netflix, among others.

One notable difference from the previous two editions is that this year we focused on the mental health of the participants, primarily due to the nature of the topics related to racism and the need to dismantle colonial learning. Uriel Valadez, a psychologist and participant in the second edition of YALP, played a crucial role in providing emotional support during the two weeks of the residency.

Currently, the mentorship process is underway, which involves supporting the projects developed by the participants during the residency. For five months, specialized professionals will provide guidance to the participants to help them carry out their projects.

Links:

• Lanzamiento YALP 2023