Collective action to empower Indigenous youth in the Yucatan Peninsula

• In Event: The echoes of protest and decolonization in LAC's education system

Proposal

The Maya have given to civilization extraordinary scientific, cultural, architectural contributions, among others. Today, the Maya people have unique characteristics such as their biodiversity, traditions, and culture. However, like many other rural and indigenous communities, the Maya living in Yucatan face challenges related to migration, discrimination, cultural loss, and other social problems. In particular, the Maya young people are experiencing an increase in the rates of school dropout, early pregnancy, alcoholism, depression, suicide, criminal offenses, etc.

These circumstances have impacted the Mayan decisions on the use of local resources (i.e. economic, natural and social) and have contributed to the detriment of the sense of belonging, identity and self-efficacy as promoters of change and keepers of their cultural heritage among young people. Also, these conditions have eroded the social fabric and has affected the biodiversity, environment, and culture in the area. Thus, there is a need to strengthen the identity of the Maya youth in order to empower them as change promoters and culture keepers in order to ensure the continuity of their culture, language and transfer of knowledge.

For this aim, social education (as well as non-formal and alternative education practices) can be aptly viewed as a civil collective action, embodying the principles of decolonizing methodologies, inspired by indigenous movements, and fueled by the dedication of community organizers and teacher-activists. With this objective, a local NGO developed the Young Cultural Mediators and Promoters (YCMP) program that uses education as a tool, and social art and nature as vehicles for learning, to develop the skills and competencies of indigenous youth in Yucatan. This program seeks to create intergenerational spaces for dialogue, learning, co-creation, and action in which young leaders of the communities can thrive and flourish. The main objective of the YCMP program is to develop and support the socioemotional and leadership skills of young people, through pedagogical mediation, continuity of collective memory, cultural project management, and other actions that strengthen their sense of belonging and cultural identity, to promote the conservation of their culture and the transformation of their community.

The program addresses the ongoing inequities that have affected mayan communities, exacerbating their exclusion from educational resources. By integrating personal perspectives and knowledge into the educational curriculum, this program can reduce the root causes of inequity. By acknowledging the historical experiences of the Maya, the program can shed light on the complex dynamics that have existed in the zone. The Maya´s voices and perspectives can be elevated, providing valuable insights into the historical background of the people. The teaching program would thus serve as a platform for collaborative learning, enabling the exchange of ideas and actionable solutions. By embracing inclusive education, the program has the potential to bridge linguistic and cultural divides, ultimately contributing to a more just and equitable society.

The YCMP program is a sustainable and scalable model. It comprises a complementary learning curricula and cascade training model in which university students become mediators (mentors) for youth in indigenous communities. Trained university students implement the CP curricula and accompany upper-secondary youth during a 2-year learning journey to conduct cultural projects that honor, revalue and conserve indigenous wisdom, and that stimulate inquiry and intergenerational dialogue. Throughout the program, participants (both from university and upper-secondary schools) develop learning, life, and social skills useful for their personal, social and professional development; and will strengthen their roots to their community following a project-based learning approach. Some characteristics of the implementation:
The program’s component for Cultural Mediators was implemented as part of the Social Service and Community Linking Project that university students need to complete. The modality of the training was in-person and virtual, with virtual resources and content shared both synchronously and asynchronously.
University students implement the Cultural Promoters program in their communities, with youth ages 15 to 19 years old. Cultural Promoters subsequently carried out educational and cultural activities with children, adolescents, adults and elders in their communities.


This transformative approach seeks to challenge the conventional narratives embedded in educational systems, rectifying historical injustices and fostering an inclusive dialogue that empowers marginalized voices. Drawing from indigenous movements, social education endeavors to dismantle the remnants of colonial thinking that perpetuate inequities and cultural hegemony within learning spaces. The concerted efforts of community organizers and teacher-activists amplify the impact of this civil collective action, as they collaborate to redesign curricula, develop culturally relevant pedagogies, and facilitate critical discussions that prompt a more holistic understanding of society. In this way, social education serves as a dynamic conduit for dismantling oppressive structures, fostering empathy, and nurturing informed, conscientious citizens who are poised to actively engage in the pursuit of a more just and equitable world.

This article presents the results, based on a quantitative and qualitative research methodology, of the experience working with the indigenous youth in Yucatan. The findings of this study are analyzed at the individual, group and community level to have a more complete picture of their scope and contribution of the program. Among other things, it has been identified that the YCP program has: (1) helped to developed important skills, knowledge, practices and mentality changes to embrace the culture and become active agents of preservation of the mayan culture; (2) changes in raised awareness of the importance of generating intergenerational and horizontal spaces for dialogue, in order to promote collective work and achieve common objectives; (3) has strengthened links between the young cultural promoter and the inhabitants of the community, fostering personal and collective well-being; (4) has promoted reflection on their cultural identity and their relationship to the bio-cultural heritage of their community; and above all, (5) has strengthened autonomy, leadership, communicative, socioemotional, and cognitive skills of the participants, while having positive externalities in other members of the community.
An important part of this paper is the reflection on the strengths and areas of opportunity for this specific program, as well as the discussion of the learnings that should be considered for the design and implementation of similar programs targeting indigenous youth in this kind of context.

Author

• Alejandro Macias, Transformación, Arte y Educación