Uruguay against child sexual exploitation

Throughout the last year, we have seen the increased need to strengthen adolescents and youth in the face of difficult times. The isolation and lack of access to traditional support systems due to COVID-19, along with economic hardship, have left young people more exposed than ever to the risk of exploitation.

In an effort to contribute to strengthening youth, our team has filmed a series of 7 short videos which target different aspects of individual and community resilience. The videos target educators and adult mentors from educational projects, giving them practical tools and concepts for their direct work with children and adolescents.

Resilience is the ability of a person or a group to continue to grow and fully develop, despite the presence of difficult living conditions, destabilizing events and even serious trauma. Resilience is the ability of a human being to face difficult experiences and come out on top. It is not about coming through without a scratch, nor a complete recovery, nor return to the previous state when there were no injuries. Resilience is about an opening towards a new type of development, in which the scar of the wound is still present and is part of this new life, but with another level of depth.

Each video considers the interesection of resilience and unique theme, including art, human rights, spirituality, healthy social networks, critical thinking, the search for meaning. The final video contains the reflections of 6 adolescents on resilience in their daily lives. The videos will be shared through virtual workshops in the coming months.