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#Comprometidos2020: the initiative that promotes young people as agents of change closes its cycle

Conditioned by the pandemic, this edition featured the selection of 100 young people from 13 Latin American and the Caribbean countries that received support and advice to transform the social reality in their contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic, has had profound economic, social, and cultural impact, besides the health effects. In particular, young people have been one of the most affected social groups by these consequences. Within this framework, UNESCO Montevideo, Ashoka and Socialab, with the support of Nestl茅, DirectTv and ESET, designed a special cycle of Comprometidos: the initiative that, since 2015, has promoted young people from Latin America and the Caribbean as changemakers, actively involved with the 2030 Agenda and its .

The novelty of this cycle was the implementation of a virtual academy from August to November, for which 100 young men and women from the Comprometidos community were convened. All of them working on initiatives that seek social, economic or environmental transformations in their communities.

鈥淵oung people, facing this pandemic, are the main actors continuing to make social transformations. They are the agents of change and that is where Comprometidos gains special relevance,鈥 explained Andr茅s Morales, Programme Specialist of Social and Human Sciences of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The 17 of November the final event was held. During a virtual colloquium, 12 young representatives of Comprometidos shared their experiences based on 3 thematic axes: environmental action, health and food, and closing gaps.

鈥淐omprometidos meant a space and a community in which I could weave bond with people who represent different organizations or projects from other parts of Latin America with whom I could relate. I met people who, without doubts, I will keep in touch with, so that together we can continue to build the more just and sustainable world we dream of.鈥 Recalled Mijael Kaufman, a young Argentine involved in the initiative through his project Consciente Colectivo, about socio-environmental activism.

About Comprometidos

Comprometidos is an initiative that seeks to actively engage young men and women from Latin America and the Caribbean with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

In 5 years of Comprometidos, over 10.000 young men and women leading 3.631 projects to transform different aspects in their communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Comprometidos is organized by the UNESCO Regional Bureau of Sciences for Latin America and the Caribbean 鈥 UNESCO Montevideo, jointly with Ashoka and Socialab. This is one of the main initiatives of UNESCO in Latin America and the Caribbean in the framework of the , in particular regarding its Axis 3: Civic engagement, democratic participation and social innovation