Meet the Fellows!
View the gallery
See the full-size gallery
Español
Info & Downloads
Documents and downloads for Fellows.Edwin Dolmo
Edwin Dolmo is a 27 year old Garifuna community leader who works as an HIV/AIDS educator, and who also has extensive experience working in HIV/AIDS, SRH, and human rights through youth theatre and training. He currently works as a news reporter for local television and radio programs. Edwin has a degree in primary school education and is committed to educating and developing youth voices and opinions. In the near future, Edwin plans to continue his university studies, focusing on project development, as well as to publish news on the Garifuna on-line TV site, www.garitv.com. Edwin’s dreams include becoming more active in public policy and starting his own business to help develop his community.
Eva Patricia Chúc Choxom
Eva Patricia Chúc Choxom, 27, is a Project Coordinator for Asociación Concejo Pro-Desarrollo Comunitario (ACPDC) in Totonicapan, Guatemala where she is a rural education teacher and a member of the Board of Directors. As a youth trainer, she has lead trainings on civic duty, youth leadership, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and has trained the ACPDC Board of Directors on various SRH topics. She was a beneficiary of the 2004 GOJoven Team’s Leadership Action Plan and was trained by Puntos de Encuentro in Nicaragua on SRH and youth development. She also worked en the creation of a youth focused survey to analyze the SRH situation in Totonicapán. Eva hopes to fortify her leadership abilities in SRH and involve youth in knowing the importance of SRH. Ultimately, she aims to graduate as a social worker and work in various youth SRH projects.
Juan Gilberto Escobar Reyes
Juan Gilberto Escobar Reyes, 19, has worked with Proyecto Payaso in HIV prevention and education, as well as with an association of people with disabilities using popular education techniques. He has been active in community mobilization and development, as well as local policy advocacy. Gilberto recently joined the local organization of traditional midwives of Quetzaltenango, where he supports the midwifery school in designing its curriculum and disseminating the organization’s materials on topics such as menstruation and breastfeeding. He is currently writing a book about the history of Guatemala and plans to create a popularized version to make it accessible to low-literacy populations. He hopes that GOJoven will give him new SRH knowledge to share with local midwives and youth.
Erick Gabriel Chox López
Erick Gabriel Chox López, 27, is Coordinator of an HIV project at the Association for Youth and Cultural Development of Cantel, Quetzaltenango. Erick began his work in youth development over 10 years ago with the creation of a youth group. He participated in the Guatemalan Youth Assembly in 1997 and the National Association of Guatemalan Youth in 1998, and was subsequently selected by PAHO to represent Guatemala at a youth leadership forum in the U.S. From 2003-2005, Erick was Coordinator of the National Assembly of Guatemalan Youth, responsible for coordinating over 50 organizations working with youth. Erick is currently a university student, but he retains a vision of creating a sustainable network of organizations working to reduce HIV and enable youth participation in politics.
Eunice Meeilih Ramírez Cotóm
Eunice Meeilih Ramírez Cotóm, 25, is a Social Worker at the Quetzaltenango Municipal Women’s Office, where she focuses on the civic participation of young and adult women, and supports efforts to end violence against women and to undertake SRH outreach campaigns. Eunice is currently writing her Bachelor’s thesis on “Participatory Techniques and Popular Organization,” and plans to graduate in 2009; the first in her family with a college education. Her goal is to help rural women to gain a voice and participation in their local governmental Social Development Councils and her long-range goal is to actively participate in local politics and someday, become the mayor of her community.
Gloria Araceli Salanic Cornejo
Gloria Araceli Salanic Cornejo is a Maya-K’iché woman who works as a Volunteer Community Facilitator for Asociación Amigas, where she provides trainings on family planning, prevention of violence against women, personal relationships, and HIV/STIs in the rural villages surrounding Quetzaltenango. She recently obtained her teaching degree and began working as a Physical Education teacher. Gloria is the secretary of her Catholic youth group, where she provides talks on communication and attitudes about sexuality. She is an extroverted, visionary and extremely committed young woman who will turn 18 this year. Gloria’s long term plans are to study radiology at the university and, with her mother, open a clinic and pharmacy in her home town.
Carlos Rene Cotúc Calvac
Carlos Rene Cotúc Calvac, a 26 year old Maya- K’iché farmer, works as a volunteer radio host for numerous community radio stations in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Currently, he is a radio announcer for one of 25 radio stations associated with the non-profit association Mujb´ab´l yol. This organization furthers education and capacity-building for children and adolescents, and advances local communication and democratization. Carlos has broadcast programs on health, children’s rights and worker’s rights, and has provided training on sexually transmitted infections and media in schools and local organizations. Carlos sees family planning as an important tool to reduce poverty and plans to share what he learns about SRH in GOJoven with many families and young people through his radio shows.
Shamir Rancharan
Shamir Rancharan is an 18-year old student at Corozal Community College who hopes to graduate with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration in June 2010. Shamir lives in a small aldea of Patchakan where he is a leader in a Catholic youth group and where he and several family members have established BRDP, the only café internet in the community which has become a gathering place for youth. Shamir would like to help coordinate youth-positive activities in the Free Zone between Belize and Mexico where he knows many youth participate in gang, drug, alcohol and sexual activities. In the future Shamir would like to learn more about human rights and manage an NGO in Belize helping to organize youth to advocate for their rights to SRH education. Shamir hopes that his participation in GOJoven will hone his leadership skills and learn about SRH issues.
Daisy Magaña
Daisy Magaña, 21, is from El Progreso Village and is a Biology student at the University of Belize in Belmopan, from which she hopes to graduate in December 2009. Her passion for conservation is drawing her toward a career in marine sciences, but her love of working with youth pulls her towards social work. In the meantime, Daisy is an active member of 4-H and coordinates a youth group that does community service in her village. With support from a Peace Corps volunteer, Daisy is negotiating with the local Catholic Church to establish a youth center in one of the unused church buildings so that the group can offer conservation education and activities to preserve the lake around which El Progreso was built.
Elmer Cornejo
Elmer Cornejo is a dynamic 18-year old DJ at Radio Bahia, one of the main radio stations in Corozal District. Elmer hosts a weekly educational radio program where he interviews experts on various topics including reproductive health, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. He aims through his work to break down complex information for the public on important social issues, especially for youth in rural communities who do not attend school but who listen to the radio every day. Elmer’s goal is to be a medical doctor and eventually have his own clinic, which would also be a resource for youth SRH. Through GOJoven, Elmer aims to better utilize the use of media for education and advocacy.
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
Leadership Action Plans
Get in touch
If you have any questions about the program, just fill out this form