By Elio Villaseñor G.
Director General of Citizen Initiative
for the Promotion of a Culture of Dialogue, AC
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, but where you’re going.”
— phrase attributed to Bad Bunny
We live in a new era: marked by digital technology, cultural changes, economic uncertainty, and major social challenges.
In this context, young people are not called to be spectators of reality, but protagonists of transformation.
Today more than ever, building a place in society means not just occupying a space, but contributing value, generating proposals, and actively participating in decisions that impact our communities. It's about finding our own voice and turning it into collective action.
That is why the collaboration between Citizen Initiative for the Promotion of the Culture of Dialogue and Voices and Agents (GOYN) was born, a training program aimed at 60 young people from the municipalities of Iztapalapa, Cuauhtémoc (Mexico City) and Ecatepec (State of Mexico)
Its purpose is to strengthen youth leadership and provide concrete tools to influence the public sphere with responsibility, strategy, and social commitment.
What does this process aim to achieve?
To empower young people capable of:
- Design proposals that address real problems.
- To influence public policies with knowledge and strategy.
- Defend and promote human rights.
- To build a genuine culture of peace in their communities.
- Become multipliers who inspire and train other young people.
Program Modules
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Youth Leadership and Advocacy
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Youth, Democracy and Historical Memory
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Youth Agenda and Human Rights
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State, Influence and Public Policies
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Legislative Initiatives and Citizen Participation
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Stakeholder Mapping and Strategic Communication
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Political Violence and Collective Self-Care
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Peacebuilding and Community Dialogue
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Monitoring and Evaluation
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Training of trainers
✨ Why is it important?
Because when young people organize, train and participate, they not only transform their immediate environment: they contribute to changing the history of their communities.
This program doesn't aim to create spectators, but rather conscious, critical, and committed leaders. Young people who understand how the system works, who know how to develop viable proposals, and who work for dignity, justice, and peace.
The challenge is great. But even greater is the potential of a generation that chooses not to be left behind.
It's time to move from outrage to action.
From complaint to proposal.
From participation to impact.
The transformation begins when young people find their voice and build, together, the future they want to live in.
We trust that this experience, by combining efforts between youth networks and civil society, will strengthen the leadership of young people as active subjects of their own public agenda and protagonists of the change they wish to see in their community.