Education Mexico Project #12744

Help marginalized Mexican children and teenagers

by Yo Quiero Yo Puedo

Project Report | Oct 17, 2019
Today we travel... to Iztapalapa, Mexico City

By Shoshana Grossman-Crist | Communications and Partnerships Lead

Take a look at youth peer educators in Iztapalapa

Dear GlobalGivers,

Over the last year and a half, we have shared with you our work in Ecatepec, one of the most difficult parts of the country, north of our office in Mexico City. Today, we want to take you to Iztapalapa, just south of our office and the most populous municipality of Mexico City. With 1.8 million people, it is the densest municipality in the country, and known for its marginalization. Hand in hand, rates of cancers, diabetes and respiratory diseases are increasing.

But Iztapalapa is also home to countless youth and potential agents of change, and where we have just launched a new 3-year program. These youth have the future in their hands, but their behaviors and the environments in which they grow put their health at risk. It is estimated that more than half of all non-communicable disease deaths are associated with behaviors that began or were reinforced during adolescence.

So we are working with expert organizations from around the world, combining research and advocacy with on-the-ground activities to improve the health and quality of life of young people in Iztapalapa, and 3 more municipalities. Youth reduce smoking, the harmful use of alcohol, a poor diet and lack of exercise, all behaviors that can cause non-communicable diseases in their future.

We are committed to ensuring that young people have a voice in identifying their health needs, in planning and delivering solutions, and in innovation and experimentation to advance in practice. They are the peer educators of this program.

In the coming months, look out for updates from the field! We are excited to share with you the experiences of new peer educators and how they are changing Iztapalapa.

With gratitude,

Yo quiero Yo puedo

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Jul 26, 2019
Click play, sit back, and meet Hector and Maria...

By Shoshana Grossman-Crist | Communications and Partnerships Lead

Apr 27, 2019
Because the youth are who will build tomorrow

By Shoshana Grossman-Crist | Communications and Partnerships Lead

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

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