Espolea is a youth-led Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded in Mexico City in 2005. It originated as a space where young people feel free to think, create and perform. Espolea works with young people to defend human rights, sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality; reduce HIV/AIDS among young people; and fight stigma and discrimination against young people. Find out more about Espolea…
Espolea is a youth-led Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded in Mexico City in 2005. It originated as a space where young people feel free to think, create and perform. Espolea works with young people to defend human rights, sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality; reduce HIV/AIDS among young people; and fight stigma and discrimination against young people. We do this through three permanent programs of action: the HIV and AIDS Program, the Gender Program and the Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Program.
In the field of HIV, the organisation develops information tools for young people living with HIV (YPLWHIV) and the general public. We also disseminate relevant information on the national and regional perspectives on the global response to HIV, human rights of people YPLWHIV and local policies that respond to the needs of key populations and those most affected by the epidemic.
The Gender Program encourages the integration of gender programming and youth issues such as new masculinities and women empowerment. We do this through trainings and publications in relation to sexual and reproductive health of young women, the right to decide about our own bodies, and in the prevention and eradication of violence against women, taking into account the importance of the participation of young men.
Finally, the Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Program generates critical and objective information that drives the agenda for youth and drug policy in Latin America. It publishes policy recommendations on sensitive issues such as criminalization, counting the cost of the war against drugs and harm reduction strategies. Moreover, it is active amongst networks of people who use drugs, voicing the needs of young people, and drawing attention on new drugs and methods of use.
In all, at Espolea we’re committed to the empowerment of young people as well as to the introduction and effective implementation of a youth perspective in every policy and programmatic effort made by our governments. Our actions and publications are intended to foster discussion on young people’s situation and how to better address their specific needs. We believe young people can and should act as agents of change and to promote respect for human rights and we are working towards it.
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Words and Videos (in Spanish only) provided by Espolea themselves.
Youthpolicy.org/development looks forward to working with Espolea to share their resources in the coming days, weeks and months.