Concluding a formative journey that began in May, the Talitha Kum network brought together the Young Leaders of the 3rd edition of the Talitha Kum Youth Ambassador Training Program for a worldwide, online meeting. 

The event took place on Saturday, July 19th, and was attended by young people from Bolivia, Costa Rica, Perú, Brazil, El Salvador, Argentina, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Mexico. The main goal of the meeting was to present new project proposals, focusing on social impact, as a concrete and exemplary response to the training course that took place over the last months. 

One of the key elements that truly characterized the projects presented was the commitment to awareness-raising made by the young leaders; they focused specifically on topics related to the connection between awareness and trafficking prevention. The proposals, which were based upon the realities of many of the young leaders, focus mainly on sensitizing children, adolescents, youth, families, and migrants. Some of the activities carried out throughout the program include seminar discussions, webinars, film screenings, as well as the distribution of informative materials and face-to-face initiatives in parishes, schools, and social centers. 

Coming from Peru, the young Enma Valverde presented the project “Paint to Not Forget”, which will be completed in collaboration with other students. The proposal focuses on the usage of art as a tool to visualize the truth of human trafficking, while also combining formative activities with students, teachers, and their families. The purpose of the project is to take a space and transform into a formative and artistic element that will in-turn contribute to sensibilization and awareness-raising of human trafficking. From the beginning, 12 students will participate directly in the project, which will ultimately impact over 1700 people. 

Coming from Bolivia, Amanda Navia presented the project “From Faith and Community we can Prevent Human Trafficking”, which will be worked on in collaboration with young Catholic leaders through four training meetings at the Church. The proposal aims to provide information and encourage prevention, principally from a grassroots approach that begins from local cases and situations. Additionally, the project is expected to reach and impact 100 young people and 200 families. 

In Brasil, Sister Juscélia Bessa proposed the project “The Missing Voice,” a podcast covering topics related to human trafficking, coming primarily from a preventative perspective with a focus on youth empowerment. There will be four episodes with accessible language features, diving deep into relevant themes through the beneficial usage of digital media. Ultimately, the project focuses on using communications as a tool for transformation. 

During the meeting, the proposals were valued and evaluated by representatives from the Talitha Kum network. Sister Socorro Palomino congratulated the young leaders and highlighted the value of the local initiative of these actions: 

“What reality do you want to transform? It is important to keep your feet on the ground to transform reality. It’s not a project of just one person or one group, but instead an entire network! This will help us aim towards the future in all of our networks.”

From her perspective, Sister Carmen Ugarte Garcia from Mexico, the Latin American representative of Talitha Kum, expressed her happiness and gratitude: 

“I am happy with so many projects! I am thrilled with the work, and appreciate all of the young leaders for their commitment, enthusiasm, drive, and hard work put in.”

Ultimately, Sister Ana Maria Vilca from Peru, the coordinator of the entire training program, reinforced the deadline of the projects (November), which is ultimately when the groups will present the results of their projects and the young leaders will conclude their experience in the program. 

Young people are the future of active leadership in combatting of human trafficking in Latin America, and act as a seed of hope for a more just and secure future of the continent. For Talitha Kum and its Latin American networks, investing in training and fostering leadership skills in youth is the way to strengthen networks that ultimately transform realities and work with hope towards a world free of human trafficking. 

By Magnus Regis, journalist and communications officer for the Um Grito Pela Vida network, Brazil