This July, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council hosted Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in Action) for its second consecutive summer. Jóvenes en Acción is an exchange program in the United States for Mexican high school students focusing on civic education, community service, and youth leadership development. Students are selected for the program from cities across Mexico through an application process reviewed by the Mexican Secretary of Public Education and the U.S. Department of State.
Fourteen students and one chaperone arrived in Pensacola this year as a part of a four week national program. Students were paired with host families which provided teens and locals the opportunity to learn about each other’s cultures and family lives. Their itinerary for their 12 days in town was split into four categories: volunteer activities, workshops, social activities, and traditional meetings. As a result, each day was filled with activities from several categories initiating dialogue on the group’s local focuses of combating discrimination with the goal of social and community development. When students return to Mexico, they will implement year-long community service projects focusing on sub-topics within discrimination.
Students focused on local government in action and learned about how local government functions by attending an Escambia County Board of County Commissioners Meeting, by simulating a city council meeting with former Councilwoman Maren DeWeese, and by participating in a discussion on the elections process and a hands-on voting machine activity with the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford. Students also met with Councilwoman Sherri Myers to learn about the role of the Pensacola City Council and were each surprised to receive honorary citizenship certificates to the city. They attended the Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida’s Americans with Disabilities Act 26th Anniversary Annual Awards and Volunteer Recognition Banquet where Florida State Senator Don Gaetz spoke about disability rights and advocacy measures in Florida, sparking discussion about rights and efforts to ensure equality between individuals.
90Works, a charitable organization made up of nurses, social workers, and other professionals met with the group. Executive Director Cate Jordan, Director of Operations Terry Light, Stability and Support Director Stacy Ray, and Case Manager Charmaine Whyte shared ways 90Works works to combat inequality and problems by tackling economic, health, and educational aspects of individuals’ lives.
On the topic of discrimination and civil rights within the United States and Mexico, students participated in discussions with Georgia Blackmon, a local civil rights leader, Doug Landreth and Brian Heike of Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida, and Dr. Eurydice Stanley and her two children, Grace and Christian. Dr. Stanley spoke with the Mexican youth about historical and current civil rights issues as well as challenges in criminal justice. The group was delighted and engaged when her daughter Grace delivered a monologue in character as a lawyer discussing the life of Henrietta Lacks.
With Grace McCaffery of La Costa Latina, Tom Ninestine of The Pensacola News Journal, and Rick Outzen of The Independent News, students continued the discussion on discrimination These meetings also pushed students to think of ways to combat discrimination in their own communities using preexisting resources.
Students also participated in a roundtable discussion about diversity and tolerance at the University of West Florida with students and faculty members of the Common Ground Diversity and Inclusion Training Group. Dr. Lusharon Wiley, the director for Inclusion Services and Programs at the university facilitated this meeting.
There was also ample time for personal growth and development, particularly in regard to public speaking, confidence building, and youth leadership. Students spent hours perfecting public speaking skills through a series of workshops which culminated in a visit to the Escambia Boys Base, a residential juvenile detention facility that promotes rehabilitation through an AMI Kids curriculum. At this visit, Mexican youth first learned about Escambia Boys Base and then gave cultural presentations to its students.
Our international visitors also gained valuable insight into communication and marketing strategies regarding the leveraging of support for their community service projects. Lindsey Braxton Shook, director of operations at idgroup, led this session. At a speed networking event, community members helped students practice the elevator speeches for their projects. Terri and Randy Ramos of GBSI, Inc. spoke with the Mexican student group to highlight the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) program which encourages entrepreneurship among young people. The visitors also heard from Thomas, a young graduate of YEA! who has established his own cupcake business, Your Just Desserts by Thomas.
The Jóvenes en Acción got hands-on at Feeding the Gulf Coast where Volunteer Manager Kyle Schoolar led them in a discussion of the organization’s programs to combat hunger in the region. They then volunteered in the warehouse, sorting donated food items.
Students also enjoyed the beauty of the Pensacola area between meetings and over the weekend with their host families. They danced at Bands on the Beach alongside locals, caught a glimpse of collegiate life in the United States while taking a walking tour of the University of West Florida, and experienced the excitement of watching and cheering stock car racing at Five Flags Speedway. They made friends while bowling with Big Brothers Big Sisters after learning about the organization’s mission in youth mentoring and civic responsibility from Case Managers Shannon Carter and Danielle Vannoy and tested their cross-cultural awareness by playing Bafa Bafa, a multicultural simulation exploring the challenges of cross-cultural communication. Students also visited the T.T. Wentworth Museum to explore the history of Pensacola.
This exchange could not have occurred without the help of remarkable community leaders and welcoming host families. We extend a big thank you to Darrin and Mary Englehart, Dale and Brooke Hasting, Drew and Thuy-Tien McLaughlin, Thanh and Chi Nguyen, Rusty and Jenn Scott, Kenneth and JoAnn Roberts, Jeannine Van Reeth, Sam and Enid Wilson, and Susan Woolf for sharing your lives, families, and homes to promote a broadened worldview between Pensacola and Mexico.
