Manada is the union of multiple independent projects in search of common goals, it is the meeting place of ideas, thoughts, and points of view as diverse as its members. But the most important thing is that we are all united by the need to create, change, improve and undertake for the common good, not for individual benefit. And like every project, Manada is born from a need.

To understand the initiative we promote we will go back to 2018, a year that represented a turning point in the recent history of Mexico. This year, the change of Federal administration takes place and as had been announced, in 2019 the construction of the New International Airport in Mexico City is cancelled, as a result, the first annual drop in the Gross Domestic Product is suffered with a growth of - 0.2%. 

And in China the Covid-19 pandemic emerges.

The year 2020 and 2021 will go down in history due to the global health phenomena, international war conflicts and the super inflation that was suffered and that we will continue to measure its consequences for several more years. Regarding economic growth in Mexico, 2020 was a very hard blow, with a decrease of 8 percentage points (-8.2% total). In 2021 with the staggered reopening of economic sectors, GDP grows 4.7%, but still continued with negative numbers (-3.5%). In 2022, the GDP was reported with a growth of 3%, which still did not allow us to reach the pre-pandemic numbers of 2018 (the negative balance continued with -0.5%).

Unemployment and 4 years of economic delay were the result of these phenomena, and one of the most affected population sectors was, as always, young Mexicans. During the change of school year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, the highest number of school dropouts ever recorded was observed with a total of 633,304 students who left the classrooms, probably never returning. According to data from INEGI, 59.7% of Mexicans over 15 years of age are counted within the country's labor force.

Work methods, forms of production and economic remuneration today continue to represent a terrible option for a young Mexican who is forced to integrate into the country's economic ecosystem. Leading them to migration, bringing them closer to organized crime or in the best of cases to consider a new beginning from entrepreneurship.

According to the latest evaluation of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Mexico is the third best ecosystem for entrepreneurship in Latin America, but that does not mean that it is a good ecosystem, with an evaluation of 4.1/10 there is much to do to guarantee the ideal conditions for a young entrepreneur.

We must begin to understand entrepreneurship as a generational phenomenon, the 25% of the baby boomers found entrepreneurship the preferred way of economic support, for generation X the percentage increased to 33% and the millennials took it to 36%.

For generation Z (1995 – 2010), it is projected that 42% of them will look for their preferred economic activity in entrepreneurship, they are no longer considering employment in large international conglomerates, they do not want an office job with hours that deny them their freedom and that lead them to health problems such as stress and depression, with economic benefits that do not cover the minimum needs of life after the years of pandemic.

We will see in 2028 and 2034 crucial years in this generational demand, when upon reaching the age of majority and finishing their university studies (those who had the opportunity) will finish integrating into the labor and productive force of Mexico. 

The welfare policies of the Federal government do not contribute to improving the situation and with the uncertainty of the direction the country will take in 2024, the response will only arise from the joint work of civil society, the private sector and the public administration that sits down to listen and work in favor of youth.

But with all this, what is Manada looking for?

The project that we promote is divided into 2 stages, which are made up of 3 application phases each:

• Stage 01. “Not all Entrepreneurs are Digital”

This stage seeks the intervention of public space in a state of abandonment, deterioration or residual, for the construction of work spaces for young entrepreneurs of functional design. We want to take those spaces that today represent areas of insecurity, waste disposal or substance consumption to transform them for the good of their community and the young people who want to work. We want to revitalize public space with the presence of entrepreneurial talent and for it to once again be the social conglomerate that generates environments of peace.  

• Stage 02. “The 3 Cs” – Connect, Capture and Train

This stage seeks to get to know young people, understand their personal, social, economic and urban context to give them the tools to make their project become a successful brand and achieve business consolidation. Entrepreneurial projects led by prepared young people are much better managers of economic, material, but, above all, human resources. We can summarize it in: The professionalization of the Entrepreneur and the transformation of his reality.

Now who makes up the Pack?

Manada began with two independent projects: Bajo Cero Arquitectura and MAS 1. Each one was in charge of a stage of this initiative and in September 2021 we began to take the proposal to different mayors of CDMX, it was presented in Álvaro Obregón, Miguel Hidalgo and Azcapotzalco, where it grew, evolved and strengthened. But it was until we arrived in Coyoacán where the initiative had a better reception. 

The times for project study and resource allocation had ended, but the proposal seemed ideal to begin working on it and determine its viability towards 2024. At this point and achieving a first event dedicated to youth and entrepreneurship (Emprende Fest) It is where the staff of Casa Bazar, Libre Liebre and Faro Bazar joined, who served as a bridge between the entrepreneurs (more than 100 brands) and the festival organization. 

During the event, the participation of some experts in entrepreneurship issues was achieved: Eduardo Contró, director of Development and Economic Promotion of the Miguel Hidalgo Mayor's Office and Mario Romero, Managing Director of Impact Hub CDMX to mention just a couple of them.

Simultaneously, we worked with independent consultants, psychologists Erick Jiménez and Estefanía Challa, who helped develop a tool designed to measure the personality qualities and psychological characteristics of young attendees in search of an ideal entrepreneurial profile and promote entrepreneurship.

Patricia Rodríguez, Valeshka Downton, Brandon Ruiz, Jimena Olmedo and José Juan Estrada today form the main core of Manada's work with the occasional and occasional participation of the aforementioned members and staff. We will delve into each stage and its application phases, as well as the profile of each team member and their contribution, little by little thanks to the space provided here. For now we can only thank the support, guidance, shelter and feedback obtained by Karla and the JuventudES platform. 

The strength of the Wolf is the Pack / #LideraLaManada