By Montserrat Romero

Member of the Youth Advisory Group (GAJ)

GOYN-CDMX

Young people have faced profound gaps in access to opportunities and decent jobs for a long time; over time these gaps have not only deepened but also become constant and worse, which is why actively participating is an act of social and personal construction.

For me, being part of the Youth Advisory Group at GOYN Mexico means not only accessing a space where young people can be heard, but also that it's a fundamental part of how I plan my future. All of this is one of my reasons for joining the GAJ. Added to the highly effective work the group does, I learned that it's truly possible to make a social impact by putting young people at the center, something that very few organizations and institutions manage to do consciously and consistently.

This is where Voces y Agentes (Voices and Agents) comes from, an initiative that promotes and seeks to build a community of young leaders capable of transforming narratives and acting as agents of positive change. While that is the technical and formal definition, it is only part of what this (laboratory and territory) means in practice. In it, I have found a space to broaden my perspectives, learn from vulnerability, discover my abilities, and how these can impact other young people.

Throughout this pilot program, we've received diverse training, ranging from political education and public advocacy to nonviolent communication, monitoring and evaluation, engagement with social movements, and much more. These experiences have enriched not only my social and academic development but also my personal growth. Therefore, in addition to being enjoyable, it challenged me intellectually and helped me understand how we will interact with different types of young people and their stories in practice.

Just like me, many of these young people have their own stories, contexts and challenges, which is why I delve into continuing to deconstruct the way I communicate and reinforce the importance of the emotional in territorial impact: it is there where our own person, our history, experiences and vulnerabilities become a tool for learning, but also for connection.

The Voices and Agents Lab is unlike any other workshop I've attended. Here, I learned to be myself, to acknowledge my vulnerability, and at the same time, to recognize that I can have a positive impact on more people and communities. I learned that while something isn't entirely within my control, it is my responsibility to know how to build a safe and transformative space. Here, I was able to grasp the true scope of the responsibility that comes with being a spokesperson for a project like this.

It was precisely during one of the sessions where we learned to connect and share knowledge that something within me resonated on a personal level, a connection to my deepest pain, something I don't speak of but that defines me as a person. What could be braver than confronting our lived, personal struggles? And it is from this emotional and personal place that change emerges.

But our goal isn't limited to this or to training; it extends to territorial development, working with young leaders in various priority municipalities. I, a woman born and raised in the State of Mexico, know the importance of creating a positive impact in communities. I know that potential can be recognized and supported so that people become agents of change in their own contexts, which, although often adverse, are the very places where we can build and deconstruct ourselves. Because it's not necessary to leave our neighborhood to change ourselves, and why not, to transform our community as well.

All the education we receive inevitably intersects with building a decent life (and employment prospects), since many job opportunities are conditioned by our past experiences and the context we come from. Decent work for young people is something I'm passionate about, and it has impacted my life decisions.

Voices and Agents complemented my participation in the Youth with Decent Work Alliance during my social service. Here I broadened my horizons and better understood the challenges of youth employability, where I learned that comprehensive training and support are essential to ensure that young people have access to decent work, overcome their stigmas, and try to break down those structural negativities attributed to them.

Personally, my time in this space transformed the way I express myself, but also the way I listen. I learned to be open, to understand different perspectives from my peers, and to know that I can be an agent of change not only in my own life, but in the lives of others. Today I feel safer in spaces where diverse young people come together because I understand that through our struggles we can contribute to strengthening our communities and our realities, since our goal is always shared.

I hope many other young people will be impacted by initiatives like these, which help us step outside our comfort zones or the places where we've always been told we belong. These initiatives not only develop leaders, but also transform our perception of politics and social participation. Learning, engaging with real-world issues, and interacting with diverse people allows us to significantly strengthen all aspects of our lives, integrating the voice and actions of young people.

Youth is not just the future, it's the present; therefore, we must invest in civic education and leadership that strengthens our individual capacities but also fosters communities capable of transforming narratives, people who can see beyond what holds them back, and who know how to overcome structural barriers. And while we cannot eliminate them, we can create small cracks that will eventually bring them down.