Meet the Fellows!
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Documents and downloads for Fellows.Mareni Cecilia Cortés Santiago
Mareni Cecilia Cortés Santiago, a 26-year-old science teacher when accepted as a Summit Fellow, works at CONALEP, the Quintana Roo branch of Mexico’s national college of professional education, which trains nursing students and others. She is completing her degree in sustainable development at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), a graduate university focused on development in Mexico’s south. Cecilia’s thesis focuses on water quality in Quintana Roo and she has worked extensively in rural communities around Chetumal. She is also president of Environmental Protection and Public Health (PAS) where she works as an educator. Her sociability and proactive nature should help her to go far in reaching her goals.
CONALEP
Alejandra Patricia Sales Cardenas
Alejandra Patricia Sales Cardenas, 29 when selected as a Summit Fellow, works for the government’s program dealing with at-risk youth. Alejandra is a confident and well-spoken woman with a commitment to improve the status of young people in Mexico. In her current role within the Department of the Family, she directs a residential center for at-risk youth in Chetumal, where she acts as a counselor and educator for young people on topics of sexual and reproductive health, gender, and sexual violence. In addition to her work as a counselor and trainer during the past several years, she is studying for a degree in psychotherapy and eventually would like to study sexuality at the Mexican Institute of Sexology.
DIF/ PAMAP Programa de Atención a Menores y Adolescentes en Riesgo
Helen Gabriel Flores Rodríguez
Helen Gabriel Flores Rodríguez, 22 years old when selected as a Summit Fellow, is a feminist activist working for the University Women’s Feminist Collective. Part of her responsibilities involve working on the Sexual and Reproductive Rights Youth Network Project to organize and mobilize youth, develop advocacy campaigns, and facilitate youth-to-youth training. The Network participates in national advocacy campaigns with the Alliance for Youth, Children, and Adolescents. Helen is also active in a lesbian network within the gay community. She is focused on the national and international legal frameworks for the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and youth. Helen is a dynamic and articulate young leader who is deeply committed to promoting human rights and sexual diversity by combating discrimination and sexism throughout Honduras. She is a systems engineering major at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Helen currently works as Youth Program Coordinator for the Feminist Collective of University Women.
Colectivo Femenista Mujeres Universitarias
Luís Joel Rivera Perdomo
Luís Joel Rivera Perdomo, selected as a Summit Fellow at age 22, has extensive experience in popular theatre. As an actor and theatre workshop teacher, Luis works with the Tegucigalpa Theatre Workshop Association and the Cultural Association RIMAS, an organization that executes projects focused on the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Having toured throughout Honduras, the focus of his present work is on promoting popular theatre methodologies in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and giving voice to people living with HIV/AIDS. He is also working with Garifuna communities on developing popular theatre productions and providing theatre training. Luis is majoring in sociology at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and his vision is to use popular theatre and music to advocate for the sexual and reproductive health rights of youth.
Grupo Teatro Sambra Roja
Licda Nory Álvarez Betancourth,
Licda Nory Álvarez Betancourth, 25 years old when accepted as a Summit Fellow, was born into a large family of ten in a poor neighborhood in Tegucigalpa. Licda is passionate about social justice issues, especially her work with youth from marginalized communities. Licda graduated from the National Autonomous University of Honduras as a certified public accountant and is currently the Administrative Assistant to the Vice-Minister and Director of the National Agrarian Institute. She is a board member of the National Council of Youth Pobladores (CONJUPH), an affiliate organization of the General Confederation of Workers, where she works with at-risk youth and youth workers. She facilitates HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns and workshops as well as projects with blind youth.
Consejo Juvenil de Pobladores de Honduaras (CONJUPH)
Saul Pauu Maaz
Saul Pauu Maaz, a 26-year-old indigenous Q’eqchi’ Mayan leader, is currently finishing his BA in Pedagogy and Educational Sciences and teaching these topics to teachers-in-training in the Bi-lingual High School in the rural town of Sayaxché, Petén, Guatemala. He recently completed working on the bi-lingual radio novella “Entre dos Caminos-Sa’xxaallib’e” (Between Two Paths) for Fundación ProPetén, where he was responsible for adapting, narrating and developing the Q’eqchí version of this popular radio show including writing the show and directing the Q’eqchí actors. In the show, Saul focused on social and health topics of importance to Petén communities such as reproductive health, family planning, STIs, including HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive rights, and prevention of gender based violence. Saul is highly committed to raising the awareness of the indigenous and ladino Petén population in areas of environment and gender equity through radio broadcasting and training. He worked for many years for Asociación de Servicios Comunitarios de Salud (ASECSA) Region Petén training health promoters and midwives in the Adult Education Program, and participated in ASECSA’s National Gender Commission focusing on gender equality from a holistic perspective. In 2007, Saul launched his campaign for mayor of Sayaxché, and although he was not elected, he plans to continue a career in politics. As a Summit Fellows in GOJoven, Saul hopes to improve his existing skills in developing, implementing and evaluating programs as well as hone his writing skills to create new radio programs that integrate sexual and reproductive health, interculturalism and the challenges of globalization.
Escuela Normal Bilingüe Intercultural ENBIS
José Roberto Luna Manzaneros
Jose Roberto Luna Manzaneros, selected as a Summit Fellow at the age of 22, has been working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights since the age of 12. Jose Roberto currently coordinates the youth component of the government’s National Program for Sexual and Reproductive Health. He is a talented trainer and created the National Intersectoral Commission on Comprehensive Youth and Adolescent Health Services to advocate for young people’s sexual and reproductive rights. Jose Roberto has also been very involved in his community, acting as the youth group coordinator for his Church in the Petén. He is currently studying Psychology at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala and hopes to open a youth clinic in the Petén that will support the psychological needs of young people in the region. Since becoming a Summit Fellow, Jose Roberto has begun working as an advisor for the National Program on AIDS and as Technical Assistant in Public Policy and is an active member of Incidejoven, a national network of youth activists in Guatemala.
Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social, Salud Integral a la Niñez y Adolescencia
Juana Esther Barajas Vasquez
Juana Esther Barajas Vasquez, was the youngest Summit Fellow thus far, selected at age 18. At this young age, she managed to capture the interest and become well loved by adolescents, youth and adults through her role as Elena in the Radio Novela “Between Two Roads”, a program of Asociación Tan Uxil, a reproductive health education center for youth. Working with the non-governmental environment and population organization ProPetén, she shares her personal passion to fight against HIV/AIDS. Esther is dedicated to communication and has worked in over five radio stations in Petén, integrating HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) prevention messages. She has participated as a volunteer with the Red Cross on SRH issues and is currently finishing her studies to become a teacher. Since becoming a Fellow, Esther has begun working as an Educator and Manager in Asociación Tan Uxil and continues her work as a radio actress. Thanks to the Summit Educational Scholarship, Esther has begun her Bachelors Degree in Clinical Psychology at the Universidad Mariano Galvez, a private university in Guatemala.
Escuela Normal Rural No.5 “Prof. Julio Edmundo Rosado Pinelo”
Rosa María Castro
Rosa María Castro, Rosa is a 27-year-old woman who has spent the last four years working as a pre-school teacher at Children’s Nest Pre-school in the rural town of Valle de Paz, Cayo District, Belize. Originally from El Salvador, Rosa is bilingual and most comfortable speaking in Spanish. She volunteers with the governmental health education and outreach program and participates in the rural health committee in her village. She has participated in local projects and training on providing health services to people with HIV. She describes here leadership style as responsible, punctual and organized and sees herself as a community organizer. Rosa is particu-larly concerned by the adolescent pregnancy rate in her village and in GOJoven hopes to improve her skills in group facilitation, communication, and conflict resolu-tion in order to gain trust of and be a resource for the youth of her community. Rosa dreams of continuing her education through attending and graduating from high school and beyond.
Edna Cano
Edna Cano, a native of Benque, Belize, was 20 years old when she was awarded the Summit Fellowship. Teaching at a Catholic high school in Santa Elena, Cayo, Edna instructs Social Studies, Geography, Life Skills and Spanish to young students. Rather than let the conservative values of the school limit her capacity to teach her students about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), she has managed through creativity and strategic thinking to cover these topics. She has an Associates Degree in International Business and for her future hopes to be an even better teacher and possibly a principle of a school where she can set an example of good leadership, providing positive direction and meeting the needs of the students.
St. Ignatius High School
GOJoven's Mission
GOJoven promotes and supports young leaders to act as catalysts for social change in Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health. Read more here
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