Vocational guidance for children in Mexico

During the school year 2023-2024, the projects of Mundo de Talentos served 240 students in Chiapas and Oaxaca (80 in the basic project in Chiapas and 60 in Oaxaca; and 100 in the alumni project in Chiapas). The general objective of Mundo de Talentos A.C. is to contribute to the personal and vocational development of girls, boys and adolescents in Chiapas and Oaxaca. To achieve this we set three specific objectives, each with measurement indicators that allow us to measure compliance, progress and impact.

Measurement indicators were identified for each of the three main project objectives:

1.Strengthening the self-esteem of girls, boys and adolescents

a. 75% of students can identify three or more of their own talents/skills (achieved 84%);

b. 75% identify skills and/or interests that they need to strengthen in order to perform the profession of their interest (achieved 70%)

1. Create a sense of belonging for girls, boys and adolescents in society

a. 75% identify social problems in their environment (achieved 78%);

b. 75% propose solutions to improve their social context (achieved 46%);

c. 90% of male students have learned about professions/crafts traditionally performed by women (achieved 100%);

d. 90% of female students have learned about professions/crafts traditionally performed by men (achieved 100%).

1. Promote informed decision-making in girls, boys and adolescents to choose their path

a. 75% of students can identify professions or crafts that interest them (achieved 100%);

b. 75% of students know what studies they need to practice the professions that interest them (achieved 66%).

Below we show the results that our monitoring and evaluation system produced during the 2023-2024 school year, according to each objective of the program.

1. Strengthening the self-esteem of girls, boys and adolescents

Measuring the strengthening of self-esteem is complex. We analyzed behavioral aspects related to the increase in the confidence, recognition of achievements and skills, and the recognition and expression of emotions, in order to contribute to the strengthening of self-esteem.

At the beginning of the school year, 83% of our population said they had confidence and dared to do things in front of a group; by the end of the cycle, this increased to 92%, so there was a 9% improvement in the confidence of the girls and boys. They said that even with a certain level of fear or shame, they dare to express ideas or ask their classmates for help.

Satisfactorily, 100% of the girls and boys recognize at least one achievement and this recognition makes them feel good. At the same time, they recognize their abilities. Among their achievements they mentioned: sports, school, artistic, overcoming fears and shame and daring to do something new, among others. It is important to highlight that girls pay more attention to school achievements and boys to sports. 31% of students recognize achievements associated with their experience with Mundo de Talentos. To mention a few:

• I have more imagination, I discovered this by coming to Mundo de Talentos.
• I learned new things here at Mundo de Talentos, things I didn't know. When I came in I knew I could do it, like embroidering and filming a movie.

We set out to achieve 75% recognition of skills, and we achieved 84% since the vast majority can perceive one to three of their skills, mainly social, sporting, artistic and cognitive skills related to their tastes or interests. Recognizing one's own skills and those of others is something that we at Mundo de Talentos strongly encourage due to the very nature of the project and our activities.

Regarding emotional management, at the beginning 86% said that they manage to identify their emotions and/or ask for help to manage them. At the end of the cycle this percentage increased to 96%.

• I identify what I feel, if it is very strong I ask my family for help.
• I go to my parents to ask what I can do, to comfort myself, because I am sensitive.
• In Mundo de Talentos, when I am sad I do not socialize much but just hang out with a friend or an educator.

For Mundo de Talentos, strengthening the self-esteem of girls and boys is a great achievement and we observe and celebrate it. For example, in the case of Melani, we were able to notice significant changes such as greater confidence to participate in front of the group, contribute ideas, make friends and speak louder. We confirm this with her own words and those of her father:

• Melani: Because I joined Mundo de Talentos I lost my fear of speaking at school, I don't get nervous anymore.
• Father, initial interview: I hope that my daughter learns new things apart from school, to express herself and to lose her fear.
• Father, final interview: My daughter speaks a little more and without fear, it is easier for her to tell things, she gets involved in learning other things different from what she learns at school.

Knowing that 100% of the parents said that their expectations were met and many even mentioned that they were exceeded, reaffirms the good results during this school year. We recognize the work and joint achievements between girls and boys, their families and Mundo de Talentos. Each part contributes something. Some of the comments from family members were:

• I see that my daughter likes what she learns, since every Saturday she tells me what she did during the session.
• You do a great job that is very much needed in our community and with closeness to the population. Congratulations on the excellent work.
• I am motivated to continue because I see many benefits in the quality of life of my daughter.

Another important perspective in monitoring the strengthening of self-esteem is that of the coordinators and educators who have direct contact with the students. They have a sensitive and critical reading and identify that the expected changes have been achieved:

• At the end of the school year, most of the students expressed themselves freely and confidently. Those who did not participate much fortunately became more encouraged to do so, and they support each other, recognizing their own abilities and talents and those of others. (2nd year group, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas).

We also recognize what we can improve, since of the proposed 75%, we achieved 70% of the girls and boys to recognize the skills or interests that they have to improve, in order to develop the profession of their interest in the future. Also, 66% of the girls and boys know what they can do to prepare themselves and achieve what they want in terms of professions (22% more or less and 12% do not know). They say that to prepare themselves they need to study more about the subject that interests them, research, practice, read a lot, be patient and make an effort. They value studying as something very important.

2. Create a sense of belonging to society for children and adolescents

That girls, boys and adolescents feel part of society and are taken into account as active agents, allows them to exercise their citizenship and this in turn is important for their personal and professional development (the latter in the future). To do this, we believe that the following aspects are important, and we are dedicated to promoting them during the cycle: - knowing and being interested in social problems that affect them; - feeling confident and capable of proposing solutions to problems in the context; and - having spaces for participation. Of the 75% that we proposed, 78% of girls and boys identify some problem in their environment that worries them.

Our students show a high level of concern for environmental problems such as water shortages, global warming, pollution and lack of food for animals. Some - in their own words - say that "we are destroying the planet." Among social problems they mention the lack of respect for gender equality, violence, discrimination, insecurity and corruption. And regarding their immediate personal, family and school environments, they mention problems such as family disputes, not doing things well, bad grades, cutting, not being understood, not being able to be helped, and too many homework and exams.

Knowing their concerns helps us to provide them with information and support processes that motivate them to take actions that give them a greater sense of belonging. This is an opportunity to improve, since so far only 46% said they had done or proposed something to improve one of the problems that concern them. Some of the actions they propose or have taken part in include:

• In my house we save water, we don't waste it.
• Pick up the trash.
• Grow plants.
• Generate less trash.
• Reuse water when you wash your hands and when you wash clothes.
• Fix the traffic lights or have traffic police.
• Say that you shouldn't judge people based on their music preferences and other tastes in particular.
• Communicate better.
• Tell the truth.

For the active agency of children and adolescents, spaces for participation are needed where they are listened to and allowed to make decisions and proposals that are carried out. This is one of the biggest challenges, not only for Mundo de Talentos but for all people, since we live in an adult-centric society that does not regularly generate these conditions.

Students identified the spaces where they can make decisions as 54% at home, 23% at school and 12% at Mundo de Talentos. In the category others, they referred to church and courses, and some did not seem to understand what “making decisions” means.

Some examples of the degree of participation given by the students are:

• Home: When I had money because I worked, I treated my family to something, I decided what to spend and what to treat them to. At home we have democracy, for example, to choose which movies to watch.
• School: When we do teamwork at school, I feel good about expressing myself with my classmates.
• Mundo de Talentos: I feel that people listen to me when we do projects, and we choose what to do. I propose games or something to improve.

Mundo de Talentos is not the first space that students name where they feel they have the possibility to make decisions, however, we are interested in knowing what they identify as decision-making, in order to help strengthen it. Also, as Mundo de Talentos, we can contribute to them recognizing their capacity for agency by offering a safe space for it.

Gender equality

In this objective we include a gender approach, that is, we promote that both girls and boys learn about and experience professions and crafts that have traditionally been considered for the other sex. For this reason both girls and boys have been able to diversify their interests and we can observe that these are not biased by traditional gender roles. For example, Mauricio, an 11-year-old boy, discovered that he has a talent for embroidery, an activity that he tried for the first time in one of the sessions of the Arts and Crafts module. In his testimony he told us:

• My skills include embroidery, cooking, planting, listening. I can do creative things, I discovered it in Mundo de Talentos. I can make embroidery gifts.

Another example is Dasha, 10 years old, who told us the following:

• I would like to learn more about and dedicate myself to technology, programming or software engineering, because I like technology and Artificial Intelligence to help others and I think the salary is good.

3. Promote informed decision-making in girls, boys and adolescents

Our aim is for girls and boys to diversify their knowledge about different crafts and professions in a fun way and through experience, so that they generate significant learning that leads them to choose a professional path with enough knowledge to make decisions. We also strive to help them recognize their tastes and interests and those skills they have or can improve.

Surprisingly, 100% of girls and boys identify one to three professions or crafts that they like or are interested in. Many of the students learned about them through the thematic modules of Mundo de Talentos, from different areas related to health, technology, science, art and culture. It is nice to see that both girls and boys like diverse professions and crafts, breaking with stereotypes and gender roles, as we mentioned before. They not only name their interests, but they also talk about them with confidence, referring to their knowledge or their skills. With this we confirm that 70% recognizes the skills they have or those they can improve in relation to the profession of their interest. This inspires us to continue accompanying them to explore and discover themselves.

Some of the professions and crafts identified by the students are:

• Marine biologist: because I want to see marine animals, learn about the universe and because I like animals.
• Technology: because I want to design and try to see people's problems and help with technologies and create things that help the world.
• Tourism and biologist: Tourism because you travel and biologist because they take care of plants and animals.
• Astronomy: because I would like to relive the time of the Mayans.
• Music, painting, pottery: because in my opinion pottery is art, music because of the instruments, for example, the violin, and painting because of the works of art.
• Making sweets: I like to cook and I want to study gastronomy and specialize in pastry making.

66% of girls and boys know or have some idea of what they have to do to prepare and achieve what they want regarding the professions or crafts that interest them. Although we know that their decisions can change, knowing themselves at this age and recognizing their abilities or what they can learn will lead them to make decisions based on knowledge and security, and will contribute to their ongoing exploration of possibilities for their future. We want to contribute to their personal growth and according to the results of our measurement, we believe that we are on the right track and we want to reach more and more girls, boys and adolescents.

Parents also encourage us and help us know if we are doing well. Some of their comments, collected in interviews, were:

• My son gained knowledge and got away from the phone and the TV.
• He learned many things that he doesn't see in school and that I have never taught him due to lack of time or lack of knowledge.
• He has more questions about what he wants and is full of emotions and curiosity is aroused in him.
• He identified the ability to continue studying with a purpose (being a professional).
• He has data and information about jobs and professions that I could not have provided him.
• He found his passion and his vocation.

In addition, 100% of the family members identified at least one strengthened skill in their daughter or son, expressing satisfaction. The most valued were cognitive skills, followed by social and emotional skills.

We conclude by saying that in addition to having a monitoring and evaluation system that guides us to recognize and improve our achievements, we put emphasis on observing and accompanying the students individually and collectively during the learning process. We do this together with the families and the guest teachers who join this effort. We are a team that is committed to the well-being of children and adolescents and to the provision of a loving and safe learning space.

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• Pizza baking - first year group Chiapas