April 13, 2023.- From April 13 to May 10, the call for the Youth Volunteer Program of the Pacific Alliance 2023 will be open in face-to-face mode. This initiative, coordinated within the framework of the Technical Cooperation Group (GTC) of the integration mechanism and the institutions responsible for youth or volunteering in the four countries (focal points), seeks that young people between the ages of 18 and 29 from the four countries, contribute to overcoming the challenges of the region, through volunteer projects.

Participation in this Program provides an enriching social and cultural exchange experience between young people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, in which significant links are created and proposals for change are built in the face of social and environmental problems that affect the region.

In 2023, the Pacific Alliance Youth Volunteer Program will resume face-to-face volunteer actions focused on strengthening the participation of young people to face regional challenges, including those derived from the COVID-19 pandemic.

With this type of activities, the Pacific Alliance promotes the formation of solidarity behaviors in young people, which have a positive impact on society, considering that young people are key actors of social change.

Below you can check the characteristics of the profiles to participate in volunteer projects for each country. Young people between the ages of 18 and 29 from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance, residing in their country of origin, can apply. No more than one application per person will be accepted.

To learn more about this call, click here.

CHILE:

The general objective of the project “Youth, Feminism and Memory” is to contribute to the integration of young people from the countries of the Pacific Alliance through an experiential training experience that strengthens advocacy skills and the developing of projects with a gender approach that seeks to relieve the historical memory of social leaders in the last 50 years.

This is achieved through the following specific objectives:

• Developing capacities for the formulation of volunteer projects and activism with a gender perspective, promoting social and youth participation.

• Making visible the importance of the historical participation of women as social activists in Latin America through an exhibition built from the perspective of the volunteers.

• Learning about the experience of different women leaders who have contributed to political and social advocacy in the student, community, labor, climate change and sustainable development spheres.

• Raising proposals to promote the development of volunteering in the Pacific Alliance from the perspective of the youth participating in the project.

The profile of the volunteer is:

• Women between the ages of 18 and 29 from Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Chile.

• That they participate in feminist, environmental, sustainable development, cultural and/or human rights-related activism and/or volunteer initiatives.

• That want to carry out a project that promotes social participation with a gender approach.

• Interest in participating in a process of training, reflection and voluntary action that will provide knowledge and facilitate the development of skills for activism with a gender perspective and as a strategy to relieve the historical memory of women leaders in different fields such as culture, politics, work and community participation, among others.

• Have a computer with a web camera, internet connection and access to virtual communication platforms for the indicated preparation phase and availability to travel and stay in Chile throughout the development of the implementation stage.

• Know and accept the conditions to participate, be motivated to learn, share with other people and willing to contribute to the good climate of the group in the virtual and face-to-face preparation phase of the program.

To learn more about this call, click here.

COLOMBIA:

Within the framework of the Pacific Alliance, the National Government, through the Presidential Council for Youth-Colombia Joven-, promotes the call for Environmental Volunteers “Youth Weaving Agroecologies for Peace 2023”, which will be developed again in face-to-face mode, after several virtual versions, as a youth exchange experience for the strengthening of agroecological practices and adaptation to climate change in Colombia, as well as the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the region, allowing the consolidation of a network of trust and solidarity between the youth of Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia.

The general objective of the project “Youth Weaving Agroecologies for Peace” is to strengthen experiences among young people through a volunteer program and cultural exchange for the design and development of agroecological practices with a focus on food sovereignty, adaptation to climate change and peacebuilding.

Specific objectives

• Training young volunteers theoretically and practically through participatory and diverse training processes on issues related to environmental protection, agroecological production, climate change and peacebuilding.

• Developing significant practices in community work, making the garden a living classroom for the co-construction and dialogue of knowledge between rural and urban communities, intergenerational and intercultural dialogues.

• Acquiring knowledge and experiences in the young volunteers that allow them to generate transfer processes in the implementation of agroecological gardens in their countries of origin.

• Consolidating a network of trust and solidarity among the young people of Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile, for the promotion of agroecological practices and the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the region.

The profile of the volunteer is:

• Being young between the ages of 18 and 29 and being of Chilean, Peruvian, Mexican or Colombian nationality and residing in their country of origin.

• Being part of one or several socially-based community processes and who can demonstrate belonging to the community process for over a year prior to the date of application.

• Having professional, university, technical, associative or community fabric experience in one of the related areas:

“Agroecology, agronomy, social work, agriculture, agricultural engineering, biology, bioconstruction, cleaning and sowing of plants, monitoring, care and maintenance of seedlings, trees and shrubs, zootechnics, veterinary medicine, water systems, health, nutrition, popular education, market, marketing, manufacturing of agricultural products, design, digital marketing, community manager, web design, art for the development of the social fabric.”

To learn more about this call, click here.

MEXICO:

The general objective of the Mexico project “Young Will of Youth and Chinampas” is to contribute to the strengthening of regional integration within the framework of the Pacific Alliance, through the following specific objectives:

• Strengthening the actions of young people around the protection of the environment and mitigation of climate change, through agricultural activities, cooking and traditional medicine and cultural exchange.

• Enabling the exchange of experiences that foster empathy, respect and culture for peace among young people.

• Expanding the opportunities and tools to strengthen the participation of young people from the Youth Volunteers of the Pacific Alliance in an environment of friendship, cultural exchange, productive and supportive coexistence.

The profile of the volunteer is:

• Young people between the ages of 18 and 29 from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) residing in their country of origin at the time of applying.

• To have an interest in participating in youth volunteer projects, and assume a commitment to participate in communities through actions in cultural matters and social action.

• Young volunteers who are familiar with contact with two or more of the following topics:

• • Nature,
  • Sowing
  • Elaboration of traditional foods
  • Traditional medicine
  • Playing musical instruments

• Young volunteers who carry out agro-productive activities in a family context or as part of a civil society organization or who carry out ecotourism service activities in their areas of origin.

• With the ability to adapt to different working conditions and to maintain a close relationship with the colleagues in the program, respecting their cultural manifestations and promoting collaborative work.

• To have initiative, good disposition and fully comply with the program.

To learn all about the requirements and details of this call, click here.

PERU:

The general objective of the project “A-Gente de Cambio: Promotion of mental health in adolescents and their community” is to contribute to the strengthening of regional integration within the framework of the Pacific Alliance through a volunteer project that promotes health adolescents in vulnerable situations from a community approach, through the following specific objectives:

• Strengthening the capacities of young volunteers from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance as agents of change to design, implement and evaluate programs that promote the mental health of adolescents in vulnerable situations and their community.

• Accompany young volunteers in the design, implementation and evaluation of programs to promote the mental health of adolescents in vulnerable situations and their community.

• Strengthening the skills of adolescents in vulnerable situations to care for their mental health through programs based on a community perspective.

• Sensitizing the CEDIF community (participants, families and technical teams) for the promotion of mental health.

• Evaluating the results and systematize the experience of the Peru project in the 2023 edition of the Youth Volunteer Program of the Pacific Alliance.

The profile of the volunteer is:

• Young people between the ages of 18 and 29 from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru).

• With training in social areas, health, psychology, education, communication, arts, sports, recreation and others that are linked to the project.

• With experience in mental health promotion, community work or facilitation (face-to-face or virtual) of participatory, playful, experiential or artistic techniques with adolescents, or management of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for education and community work.

• To have availability on the dates indicated in the description of the term of the project (virtual and face-to-face).

• Not to have a criminal or police record, nor have an impediment to work with minors (the people selected as holders must send documents that prove this requirement).

To learn more about this call, click here.

To consult the general regulations of the call, click here.

To access the application form, click here.

August 18, 2022.- This August 18 will be carried out jointly the installation of the Youth Volunteer Program of the Pacific Alliance 2022, virtual modality, in order to generate a space for common participation among the participating volunteers, and to publicize the objectives and description of each project.

The welcoming remarks will be given by Álvaro Calderón Ponce de León, director of International Cooperation and coordinator of the Technical Group for Cooperation of the Pacific Alliance. Likewise, there will be the words of the youth and/or volunteer authorities of the four countries: Rafael González Gordillo, national director of the Special Administrative Unit of Solidarity Organizations of Colombia – Youth Volunteer Coordination of the Pacific Alliance 2022; Juan Pablo Duhalde, national deputy director of the National Youth Institute of Chile; Guillermo Rafael Santiago Rodríguez, general director of the Mexican Youth Institute; and Darío Barboza Fustamante, national secretary of the National Youth Secretariat of Peru.

As part of today’s activities, the volunteers from the four countries will take part in an interactive dynamic that invites them to participate and reflect on the value of cultural differences, the recognition of identity and the possibility to build community even at a distance, as well as expectations, experiences, and motivations with the exercise of volunteering.

Finally, the event will close with the artistic presentation by Leonardy Pérez, Colombian cultural leader and the farewell words by Angela Bohórquez Avendaño, Coordinator of Synergies and Special Attention to Women – Uaeos.

It’s worth to mention that the 2022 edition of the Program had the application of nearly two thousand young people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, of which around 240 will be integrated into the projects that will be executed by each of the four countries.

The installation of the Program can be seen live from the Facebook account of the Pacific Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/thepacificalliance, as well as through the Facebook accounts of INJUV Chile: https://www.facebook.com/INJUVChile/, UAEOS from Colombia: https://www.facebook.com/UaeosCo, IMJUVE from Mexico: https://www.facebook.com/IMJUVE.Instituto.Mexicano.dela.Juventud/ and SENAJU from Peru: https://www.facebook.com/senajperu/

Youth Volunteering of the Pacific Alliance

Participation in this Program provides an enriching social and cultural exchange experience between young people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, in which significant links are created and proposals for change are built in the face of social and environmental problems that affect the region.

In 2022, the Youth Volunteer Program of the Pacific Alliance will be focused on facing the difficult global, regional and national context generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected young people in health, education, economy and work. Thus, the actions proposed in the four volunteer projects are intended to be a window of opportunities and possibilities to motivate young people in their initiatives, on the road to recovery.

With these types of activities, the Pacific Alliance promotes the formation of solidarity behaviors in young people, which have a positive impact on society, considering that youth are key actors in social change.

The projects presented by the four countries are:

CHILE:

The general objective of the project “INJUV Laboratory: Leaders for transformative volunteering” is to create a network of youth leaders to promote integration among young people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, in order to promote transformative volunteering initiatives in their communities.

The project seeks to strengthen the volunteering ecosystem, supporting young people from the different countries of the Pacific Alliance in mutual learning to strengthen their actions and the generation of common networks.

COLOMBIA:

The general objective of the project “Generations that Connect and international solidarity as the articulating axis of Youth Volunteering” is to promote a network of young volunteers who support older people, and who, through the exchange of knowledge and intergenerational experiences, mitigate the effects of loneliness, isolation or discrimination; seeking to maintain the health, well-being and dignity of the elderly and young people, and at the same time strengthen volunteering in its international dimension with a transforming purpose and commitment of social capital to the development of the region.

The project seeks to integrate young people into the government strategy “Generations that connect” with a view to solidarity, in post-emergency times, towards older people, providing tools in soft skills, communication and humanized accompaniment strategies that materialize their volunteering, as well as providing knowledge and understanding of the concepts associated with volunteering such as assistance, philanthropy, charity, altruism, and cooperation in its international dimension, with a transforming purpose and commitment of social capital to the development of the region.

MEXICO:

The general objective of the “Tierra Joven-Voluntad Joven” project seeks to strengthen the integration of young people from the four countries of the Pacific Alliance through actions that contribute to their empowerment and leadership, to intergenerational solidarity and to the reconstruction of the social fabric. The project seeks to strengthen skills for the creation and development of socio-environmental impact projects to improve their actions in environment protection and climate change mitigation and promote exchange in educational matters through digital tools, all this from a perspective of gender and having as its center the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda.

PERU:

The general objective of the project «A-Gente de Cambio: Constructing experiences for the promotion of adolescent mental health» is to contribute to the strengthening of regional integration within the framework of the Pacific Alliance through the training of agents of change to the promotion of mental health in adolescents at risk in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The young volunteers will participate in a virtual training process to design and execute a mental health promotion program aimed at adolescents from the Comprehensive Family Development Centers (CEDIF) located in different regions of Peru to strengthen their skills to face the challenges of life in the context of the pandemic and the return to attendance, as well as to contribute to their community as agents of change.