We at RIPESS Intercontinental had the honour of participating in the celebration of the first anniversary of JuventudESS Activas, an initiative that brings together young people from different Latin American countries, such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and more, who are committed to the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE). This group was born just over a year ago after training on communication campaigns in El Salvador, organised by RIPESS LAC and Plataforma Global Salvador at the end of 2023 (in the photo on the left, young people from RIPESS LAC gathered in Salvador). Since then, JuventudESS Activas has worked to strengthen the role of youth in the SSE, promoting the exchange of experiences and collective learning.

These two days (24th and 25th March) of celebrations, training and transformation were organised by the Mexico working group, in which numerous people have been involved over this time.

During the second day of the first anniversary celebrations, Andrea Echeverría, head of communications at RIPESS Intercontinental, spoke after Luis Cervantes‘ presentation on the panel ’The importance of youth work in different decision-making networks”. Luis shared the experience of the Colectivo Hidalguito, a project in Hidalgo, Mexico, which promotes the SSE through the valorisation of craftsmanship, workshops and cultural events. It was started by him and other young friends and has now become a meeting place and a driving force for solidarity-based economic circuits in the region. He also emphasised the enormous importance of older people giving young people a voice, space, credibility and responsibility, both to ensure the continuity of their organisations and because of the value of their ideas, vision of the future and contributions.

For her part, Andrea Echeverría, inspired by another presentation by the RIPESS Europe project manager, Andrea Rodríguez, highlighted the essential role of young people in society, social and grassroots movements, and their transformative potential. She also emphasised the need to redefine youth beyond the parameters imposed by the system (ages) and the importance of politicising young people, encouraging their active participation in emancipatory and solidarity economies. As part of the work of RIPESS Intercontinental, she also emphasised the relevance of care as an act of resistance and transformation, pointing out the key role of youth in its sustainability.

Finally, Andrea presented examples of youth initiatives within the RIPESS intercontinental network, such as (obviously) JuventudESS Activas in Latin America, the youth group of the African Network for SSE (RAESS) and the YouthCare project of RIPESS Europe, focusing on youth and care in 12 countries. He also highlighted the RIPESS gender intergenerational group, which works from a feminist perspective to integrate the gender perspective into all projects with women and LGBTQ+ members of the network.

From RIPESS Intercontinental, we celebrate the commitment and energy of JuventudESS Activas and reaffirm our support for youth as an engine of change within the SSE, also from the work of an intercontinental youth group. Congratulations on this first year of work and here’s to many more to come!

Here you can see this interesting panel (in Spanish); and the rest of the presentations are available on the group’s Facebook page.