By Eduardo Shlomi Huerta

Youth Advisory Group, 

GOYN Mexico City

On March 4, 2024, at the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, we met with opportunity youth, managers, and specialists, to discuss areas of opportunity in 4 different topics, of which I was in the system area. of care. We talked and discussed what the needs of the youth were, where I had the opportunity, along with more young voices, to be listened to carefully. 

At the table, the opportunity youth talked with Alternatives and Capacities, Collective Change Systemic, Circolo Social, the N. Conrad Hilton Foundation, Oxfam México and Restaurante Feminista. Together we co-create public policy proposals, and collaboratively, we conclude that it is very important to implement public policies that reconcile work life, work and family life; as well as making a change in the narrative, greater visibility and awareness towards the people who are in charge of the care issue, since they are undervalued for their work and effort.

Being a young man, a single father with a daughter, without formal employment, fills me with satisfaction to be listened to in the face of the complexity of having a dignified life in these conditions. I am excited that opportunities are opening up to share ideas and proposals directly with specialists, directors of civil society organizations and public servants for the co-creation of solutions. Participating in these spaces encourages me to continue opening more opportunity gaps for more people, and stop making superficial supports or changes, working from the root with the problems in the environment that surrounds the young opportunity, and prepare spaces to develop proposals that materialize a care center for caregivers. 

It is beautiful to think of a place where caregivers can rest, get psychological help and also train in different areas that help them improve their daily lives. Together, in the dialogue, we envision a training center with a stay, where fathers and mothers can train, while their children are in a safe place where they can have recreational activities. These are the proposals of dialogue and co-creation.

Budget Allocation for the Comprehensive Care System:

• Mapping of actors: Finance System, Congress, Welfare Secretariat.
• Creation of committees of caregivers and care recipients.
• Implementation of the plan.
• Monitoring and evaluation.

Labor Policies for Gender Equality and Decent Conditions:

• Mapping of actors: Ministry of Finance, Congress of the CDMX, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, employers' sector, unions and workers.
• Implementation of labor policies: reduction of the working day to 40 hours per week, 2 days of rest, mandatory hybrid work for second-line workers.
• Monitoring and evaluation.

Training Programs for People with Care Work:

• Mapping of actors: Welfare Secretariat, Mayor's Offices, Civil Society Organizations and groups, companies and unions.
• Budget allocation.
• Creation of an implementing committee.
• Implementation.
• Monitoring and evaluation.

Dissemination and Awareness Campaign of the Comprehensive Care Law:

• Institutional communication strategy.
• Change of narratives (for example, from “domestic workers” to “domestics”).
• Collaboration with the Welfare Secretariat, journalists, analysts, INJUVE, women's system.
• Dissemination on social networks and with influencers.

Evaluation and Design of Public Care Policies Based on Evidence:

• Coordination with the Government of CDMX; join the Mayors and the neighbors.
• Involvement of civil society organizations, academia and the private sector.
• Evaluation of current public policies (Pillars and utopias).
• Analysis of the impact of the disappearance of children's homes.
• Identification of benefits of transfers.
• Territorial diagnosis and mapping of needs.
• Budget allocation.
• Replication of best practices.
• Consideration of the labor market and neighborhood dialogue.

Implementation:

• Creation of a community care center and urban training for first care.
• Establishment of a care center for caregivers, among other actions.

All this with the sense of being able to provide more opportunities to youth because we are strong, we are important, we are of value, we are young people who seek a better future and an environment for other youth and generations, a better society, we are young opportunity.