Arts & crafts for migrant and indigenous children

In the past few months, we were finally able to hold the Encuentro por las Infancias, las Juventudes y el Territorio (Gathering for Childhood, Youth, and the Territory) in Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca. We have so much to share with you! Eleven organizations working in Oaxaca with a common mission—to create better worlds for children and adolescents—came together for this event. We'll be sharing more details soon about what we, as adults, managed to accomplish for the 2024-2025 agenda on this important issue.

But today, we want to tell you about the artistic and performance episode we experienced at the event: Voces del Istmo (Voices of the Isthmus), which was attended by over 150 people of all ages. One of the most inspiring stories came from the community of Álvaro Obregón and their girls' guitar group, Guixhi Huinii. Before the event, we spoke with their music teacher, who told us about the many challenges these girls face. With limited resources, their community rarely received invitations to participate in cultural events, restricting opportunities for the girls to express themselves artistically through music.

We decided to come together to ensure their attendance at the event. The girls were excited to participate, knowing the value of being present at the festival. Through their participation, they not only showcased their incredible talent but also strengthened their sense of community and belonging. This was the first time they performed "Huachinango Rojo" (Red Snapper), a piece they had previously played for a documentary, now brought to life on a broad stage. "This moment was very significant for them," said Jesús, their music teacher.

With the goal of raising awareness about the violence present in our communities, this documentary has gained attention worldwide, and we were fortunate to share it that day. We screened the documentary Huachinango Rojo, with its director, Cinthya, joining us for the viewing. The documentary explores the ritual surrounding virginity that is still practiced today in the Zapotec community of Álvaro Obregón.

New alliances have formed to support the children of the region, and we are building new, shared agendas. Above all, we are thrilled to create spaces where the voices of Istmo de Tehuantepec children can be heard.

Thank you for making such a magical event possible. Stay tuned for more updates about this important day for protecting the rights of children and youth.

We have said it before, the key to a loving community is to take care of children and adolescents. And thanks to you, there are 20 teenagers from the community of Chihuitán who found safe and free spaces to learn, loving their culture and recognizing their territory. Thank you for allowing us to share true and dignified learning.

Our colleague Sara, who is in charge of the Strengthening My Roots program, guided a group of teenagers through workshops, which encouraged the creativity of the participants. but above all, to reflect on the importance of our culture and our territory.

"We used a methodology based on popular education, where we talked about everyday life, and managed to preserve memories of them with photographs and narratives. The young people talked about their concerns and what they appreciate about their environment and the problems we live with. They were able to imagine how we can change what scares us. David, for example, said that the happiness of the people depended on the existence of traditions. I am satisfied because I realized that with this workshop they were able to get in touch with their roots," said Natalia, who taught the photovoice workshop, which gave us the genuine view of the young people of the town.

All the conversations that we had in the workshops brought laughter, symbols of community, common concerns, it has been very evident that the youth demand a call to fathers, mothers and guardians to listen to their voices. But the thing did not stop here, because the artistic blood of the youth also invited 34 roosters to give a workshop, with whom they created masks and the participants not only expressed in them their plastic creativity but also found a refuge in wearing them. "I liked the exchange of knowledge that existed between everyone, their dances, their knowledge and their traditions, all this came out while we designed and made the masks," said Leon, the tutor of this workshop.

On the other hand, the call of the youth was also to recognize their territory from the natural environment, so Guiebeu accompanied them in a workshop on agroecology of which she was surprised: "It is a good exercise for them to become aware of their own people and the challenges they face. We were able to install a biofilter, I was impressed because from the beginning they already had a very real idea of what a biofilter was and of course now that they have experienced it, they could replicate this workshop. Chihuitan is one of the most beautiful places in the Isthmus and eating mangoes while we dip our feet in the water of the ditches is magical."

In Una mano para Oaxaca, one of our main motivations as an organization is to be able to build collective spaces where we can all learn, but above all, feel safe and free to be who we are. We always keep in mind that we are individuals, but we are also a territory and with the territory comes culture and families, from there come the concerns but also the proposals. Listening to the voice of the youth transforms us and allows us to imagine how to shape a world that is more just and healthy for them. Thanks to you for making this possible!