Conditioned by the pandemic, this edition featured the selection of 100 young people from 13 Latin American and the Caribbean countries that received support and advice to transform the social reality in their contexts.
The COVID-19 pandemic, has had profound economic, social, and cultural impact, besides the health effects. In particular, young people have been one of the most affected social groups by these consequences. Within this framework, UNESCO Montevideo, Ashoka and Socialab, with the support of Nestlé, DirectTv and ESET, designed a special cycle of Comprometidos: the initiative that, since 2015, has promoted young people from Latin America and the Caribbean as changemakers, actively involved with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
The novelty of this cycle was the implementation of a virtual academy from August to November, for which 100 young men and women from the Comprometidos community were convened. All of them working on initiatives that seek social, economic or environmental transformations in their communities.
During those three months, these changemakers participated in an exchange platform, and received individualized mentoring on strategic planning, financing, and communication issues, among other topics. In addition, they participated in 12 webinars and trainings on various subjects taught by more than 15 experts from across the region. Furthermore, they managed to consolidate a permanent contact network. At the beginning of the academy, to define the topics the trainings would be about, the young people were asked what skills they needed to strengthen and thus the agenda of Comprometidos 2020 was jointly created.
“Young people, facing this pandemic, are the main actors continuing to make social transformations. They are the agents of change and that is where Comprometidos gains special relevance,” explained Andrés Morales, Programme Specialist of Social and Human Sciences of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The 17 of November the final event was held. During a virtual colloquium, 12 young representatives of Comprometidos shared their experiences based on 3 thematic axes: environmental action, health and food, and closing gaps.
“Comprometidos meant a space and a community in which I could weave bond with people who represent different organizations or projects from other parts of Latin America with whom I could relate. I met people who, without doubts, I will keep in touch with, so that together we can continue to build the more just and sustainable world we dream of.” Recalled Mijael Kaufman, a young Argentine involved in the initiative through his project Consciente Colectivo, about socio-environmental activism.
About Comprometidos
Comprometidos is an initiative that seeks to actively engage young men and women from Latin America and the Caribbean with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
In 5 years of Comprometidos, over 10.000 young men and women leading 3.631 projects to transform different aspects in their communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Comprometidos is organized by the UNESCO Regional Bureau of Sciences for Latin America and the Caribbean – UNESCO Montevideo, jointly with Ashoka and Socialab. This is one of the main initiatives of UNESCO in Latin America and the Caribbean in the framework of the UNESCO operational strategy on youth 2014-2021, in particular regarding its Axis 3: Civic engagement, democratic participation and social innovation
