2011 Jóvenes en Acción Exchange Culminates in Meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Mexico City, August 10, 2011—Having spent five weeks in the United States, developing their leadership skills and learning how to implement their unique service projects in their home communities, 68 high school students from throughout Mexico this week wrapped-up their exchange program in Washington, D.C., where they were received on Tuesday by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational & Cultural Affairs Ann Stock.  Secretary Clinton congratulated the 2011 Jóvenes en Acción program participants for having demonstrated their potential for leadership at such a young age, and encouraged them to continue to work for the betterment of their communities and society. Assistant Secretary Ann Stock awarded each participant a certificate of completion and thanked them for their demonstrated commitment. The young leaders return to Mexico City and will be welcomed home on Friday, August 12, in a ceremony at the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), which co-sponsored the program with the US Embassy and partners from the private sector.

Jóvenes en Acción is an innovative five-week youth exchange program that develops leadership skills, fosters civic engagement, and supports Mexican public high school students in creating service projects to implement in their communities.  The program was initiated in 2010 by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) with support from the private sector. Jóvenes en Acción identifies promising and engaged Mexican youths, and provides them with leadership tools at an early age, inspiring them to become role models for their peers.  Companies and institutions such as Fomento Educacional, Merrill Lynch, Fundación Televisa and Microsoft joined the roster of sponsors of the 2011 Jóvenes en Acción.

Participants included 45 girls and 23 boys, 15 to 18 years old, from 15 of the country’s states: Baja California, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Yucatan. The youths proposed community improvement projects in response to the call issued by SEP and the U.S. Embassy, and were selected from 600 applicants.

In the first part of the program, the youths went to Brattleboro, Vermont, to learn about leadership and conflict resolution, and to prepare for the rest of the activities in which they took part. They also received practical training on the development of community service projects. During the second stage, the participants traveled in teams to Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland or Seattle, depending on the subject of their projects. During these two weeks, the youths were able to interact with local civic organizations, as well as other youth leaders who work on issues related to violence, drug abuse, and community development.  During the third and final stage of the program, the participants once again convened in Washington, D.C., to reflect on the impact of the program and to share experiences; they also visited several U.S. Federal Government agencies, including the Department of State, as well as Mexico’s Embassy in the United States.

Upon returning to Mexico, the Jóvenes will immediately put into practice what they learned by beginning the implementation of their community projects with the assistance of representatives from the private sector, as well as mentors in the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico.  These projects, which they presented to American University while in Washington, D.C., focus on the following areas: Substance Abuse, Personal/Community Development, Violence/Gang Prevention, or Prevention of Domestic Violence and Bullying.

During the closing ceremony, the youths will have the opportunity to mingle with the Assistant Secretary for Higher Middle Education Miguel Angel Martinez Espinosa, and the Director for International Affairs Ambassador Mario Chacón of SEP, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico John Feeley, as well as representatives of Microsoft Mexico and Cisco Systems among others.

More information on the Jóvenes en Acción program can be found at: http://spanish.mexico.usembassy.gov/es/jovenesenaccion.html