Nancy Ancieto

Youth Advisory Group, 

GOYN Mexico City

In Latin America, as in many regions, there are structural barriers that are difficult to overcome due to the lack of resources and tools in the different institutions to promote human and community development. 

In our countries, citizen participation is almost non-existent. We citizens do not demand and will not exercise our rights, especially in the face of the urgency of transparent and legitimate democratic processes. It is time to look more, to understand why there is so little or almost no participation in our neighborhoods, colonies and cities. Each individual lives a situation according to their diverse contexts and possibilities to overcome the lack of school, work, salary, family, economic opportunities, among many others; diminishing citizen participation due to daily urgency and basic survival needs. Young people and their participation in influencing public policy is important, transcending labels to be consistent with what we as young people need: opportunity and to follow up on the proposals of youth.

The Global Youth Opportunity Network GOYN CDMX, the JuventudEs Platform, the Youth Advisory Group and many other representatives of sectors of Mexican society, civil organizations and experts in advocacy and public policies, put into practice openness and listening to young people as an opportunity to understand what is really needed to transform our realities. 

On March 4, I participated in the round table discussion focused on the social, solidarity and entrepreneurial economy, where we observed the hard data of the reality that young people face, especially women, as one of the population groups furthest from solid entrepreneurial opportunities. 

Talking about entrepreneurship is difficult, but it is more complex when entrepreneurship is seen as informal work, without the opportunity to access labor rights and social security. It is true that in Mexico City there are various public and private programs that help you start a business, but in many cases, the requirements to access economic or financial resources are impossible to sustain.

In these reflections, we dialogued and shared the opportunity of young people with representatives of the Miguel Hidalgo Mayor's Office, the Creamos Manada Collective, Coparmex Nacional, Circolo Social, Glasswing México, NTT Data and Young Community Builders.

Observing the reality we are facing, the participants of the roundtable have drawn up a follow-up route with an emphasis on simplifying the requirements for financing entrepreneurship, greater opportunities for consulting and mentoring, and a greater and better virtual and physical communication strategy to promote opportunities in the social and solidarity economy and entrepreneurship among young people. These are the resulting proposals. 

Spaces to Practice Trades:

• Use existing spaces.
• Disseminate existing solutions through print communication and social media (through the Mayors' Offices).
• Identify safe and regularized points of sale for socializing.
• Obtain permits for students to sell in schools.
• Create a catalogue of entrepreneurs to foster business relationships.

Business Training:

• Recognition of funding support for dissemination.
• Offer credit, seed capital, shops, barter, financing and in-kind support.
• Provide a second chance.
• Provide cross-cutting financial education to improve entrepreneurship (considering the cost of using credit, etc.).
• Present options for “types of economy” that involve social and environmental aspects (e.g.: social, circular and regenerative economy).
• Facilitate mentoring through development programs.
• Promote a culture of learning from failure.
• Promote entrepreneurial culture in schools (SEP), mayors' offices and government offices.
• Provide training tools.
• Create spaces for formal and informal entrepreneurs.
• Organize networking events and include business roundtables.

Empathy and Inclusion:

• Include young people in support programs (financing and training) for entrepreneurship through the collaboration of the Ministry of Labor, Injuve, Mayors and INAES.

Creation of a Public Policy for the Promotion and Financing of Entrepreneurship:

• Generation of financial instruments.
• Support with financial education.
• Participation of development institutions.
• Implementation of financing and investment programs.
• Establishment of an investment and guarantee fund.
• Involvement of Development Banking.
• Immediate boost with medium-term implementation.
• Consideration of tax incentives and simplification of the formal system.

Integrating Entrepreneurship into the School Curriculum:

• Coordination with the Public Education System (SEP).
• Design of educational programs that promote entrepreneurship.
• Implementation of “entrepreneurship” as a subject that covers: administration, operation, commercial.
• Emotional and socio-emotional support.
• Development of soft skills.
• Technological tools.
• Immediate boost with medium and long-term implementation.

With the aim of promoting equality and understanding the realities of young people with opportunities, we will continue to innovate in ways of having a political impact, raising the voice of young people with opportunities who cannot access spaces, seeking to reach more corners where we can impact and transform from the territory.