Athena Rodriguez

Youth Advisory Group, 

GOYN Mexico City

On Monday, March 4, 2024, our meeting took place Youth opportunity of the city: our voice, our work, our impact on the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, with the aim of co-creating the key messages that will form the basic points of a public policy agenda for decent work conditions for young people with opportunities in Mexico City. 

But, for all this, it is important to clarify who we are, the and the young opportunity? 

We are young people between 15 and 29 years old, resilient, creative, persistent, happy, entrepreneurial and with the ability to solve problems, who come from adverse contexts and who, by having an opportunity for social inclusion, education and work in decent conditions, contribute to the economic growth of the country and initiate a process of social mobility. We want to demonstrate and prove to ourselves that it is possible, that we have a lot of potential to make the change, we are incredible, we are young opportunity.

That is why it is important to put our voices at the centre of each dialogue table, of each space for dialogue and decision-making. It is time to be heard and for our contributions to count. This change of narrative that sees the women and men young opportunity As actors in public life, it is, from now on, the guide that directs us to structure new proposals, projects and initiatives in Mexico City.

During the meeting, 84 people organized ourselves into eight simultaneous discussion tables, where four important topics for the men and women were addressed. young opportunity In Mexico City: the promotion of a care system; the provision of technical and vocational education linked to formal and dignified work; the possibility of second chances in higher secondary education for men and women. young opportunity; the creation of a solid employability policy for young opportunity in Mexico City; and the promotion of the social and solidarity economy and entrepreneurship as options for decent work.

I participated in the dialogue for an Employability Policy for young people in Mexico City. There, we shared some of the problems we face when trying to find employment, such as the lack of work experience, the importance of developing specific skills demanded by the labor market, and stopping discrimination at work due to our educational level, gender, social class, or other. Gender inequality also affects young women in their access to employment and professional development, contributing to the feminization of precarious employment. The women and men young opportunity We are often forced to accept informal or precarious jobs with low wages, long hours and a lack of social security. Furthermore, exclusion or job insecurity prevents us from exercising other rights such as housing and culture, and from having a decent life. 

Youth opportunity From the GOYN Youth Advisory Group and from Voces y Agentes we presented several proposals that encouraged dialogue, exchange and prioritization at the tables:

1. Implement a follow-up plan for young employees that includes monitoring professional growth, ensuring development opportunities and measuring the impact of training.
2. Linking with the private sector through scholarship programs and strategies to ensure that companies know our skills.
3. Update certification mechanisms by streamlining processes and recognizing practical experience. To streamline processes, it is proposed to reduce the time and requirements for obtaining necessary documents and to provide clear information on work processes.
4. Combat discrimination through preventive measures and raising awareness among employers.
5. Promote gender equality in access to employment and professional development, offering opportunities outside traditional roles and training in leadership and soft skills for young women.

After presenting our proposals, it was time for horizontal and plural dialogue with representatives of Citizen Action against Poverty, Alliance for Young People with Decent Work, Alternatives and Capabilities, Coppel Foundation, Generation Mexico, Institute for Training for Work of the Secretariat of Labor and Employment Promotion of the Government of Mexico City, Mora Institute, International Youth Foundation Mexico, Youth Services, Autonomous University of Mexico and YouthBuild Mexico; the young opportunity.

These are the key messages we worked on in the area of Youth Employment Opportunity Policy in Mexico City, for which we selected proposals and made notes to include the gender perspective in each one.

Fighting discrimination against young people and job opportunities

• Preventing discrimination by mapping key actors such as the Council to Prevent and Eradicate Discrimination (COPRED) and the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City.
• Development, strengthening and renewal of the strategy targeting young people of opportunity in Mexico City.
• Institutionalize good practices of civil society (such as the Businesses with Youth initiative, promoted by the Alliance for Young People with Decent Work and GOYN Mexico City).
• Sufficient budget for labor protection and inspection in Mexico City. 

Linking youth work opportunities with the private sector

• Review and feedback on scholarship and incentive programs for hiring young people with opportunities for decent jobs.
• Develop an implementation strategy for Youth Building the Future in Mexico City by the Secretariat of
• Work and Employment Promotion (CDMX) in coordination with other actors in the employability ecosystem.

Skills required for the labour insertion of young people opportunity 

• Promote an effective dialogue mechanism to diagnose and identify the skills needed by companies to hire young people as an opportunity.
• Implement and link the diagnosis with the implementation of training and capacity building programs with recognition of skills.
• Diversify options and actors for skills training for young people opportunity.

Certification system and platform on soft skills and capabilities

• Stakeholder mapping: OSC, GCDMX, CECATyS.
• Application where young people can log in and access content for the development of soft skills.
• Roundtable discussions with young people and organizations to identify greater areas of opportunity in soft skills.

Internship program.

• Mapping of actors: STyFE, OSC, local business chambers and entrepreneurs.
• To rescue international experience and develop proposals for professional internships.
• Submit the proposal to STyFE for tracking, monitoring and mapping of territorial zones in ZMVM. 

Soft Skills Certification

• Mapping of actors: youth, SEP, OSC, secondary and high schools, universities. 

I would like to close by reminding you that we, the youth, are not the future, WE ARE in the PRESENT tense, we are a significant part of the population and it is essential that our perspectives and needs are represented in the policies and programs of Mexico City. NOTHING for the youth WITHOUT the youth.