Argentina
Talks For Freedom: The Youth Were the Protagonists
An event created by young people for young people
The meeting began with a welcoming speech by Nadia Barrozo, the office's Project Coordinator, who highlighted ourcommitment to fostering spaces to share ideas and gain inspiration on an intergenerational basis. She also stressed the importance of exploring current opportunities and challenges to unite us as a society and drive positive change.
Nadia then introduced Selene Gonçalves and Guillermo Lattanzi, students of International Relations and Political Science at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, who were part of the organization team of "Talks For Freedom". In their opening remarks, they shared their first approach with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and presentedthe objective of the event: to create spaces for exchanges among young people. They also highlighted the space and the opportunity that the foundation gave them to take their first professional steps.
The event was characterized by the diversity of both speakers and themes. From a cultural perspective linked to art to human rights activism. Talks For Freedom, in its first edition, covered a wide range of topics of interest to young people.
Breaking the Barriers of the Audiovisual World
The first forumwas led by Pedro Colmeiro, Director and Audiovisual Producer, a leading figure in the industry who has his own production company Studio 23. He has participated in the audiovisual coverage for the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the direction of the Bizarrap Session of Shakira, Duki, among other artists.
It was moderated by Marisel Robaldo, journalist and producer of different national media such as ESPN and La Nación. The speakers shared their experiences on the challenging path to finding a job in the audiovisual industry. In the exchange with the audience, they recognized several obstacles when applying for a job, among them, the requirement of previous work experience.
In his presentation Pedro included a call to action to all young people to develop their own projects and initiatives, highlighting the importance of proactivity, and invited the participants to contact him and his team to answer any doubts or questions regarding job placement.
From Ideas to Action: Managing Projects
The second speaker was Elena Carmelich, a political scientist with a degree in project management from the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, who shared her experience in Project Management. Elena provided tools on Project Management, and how it can be applied in politics and in the development of public policies. She also shared her experience going from theory to practice, mainly in her role assisting the Undersecretary of Women's Affairs of the City of Buenos Aires, focusing mainly on the S.M.A.R.T. objectives, highlighting this tool that helps to move from ideas to action.
The Path of Human Rights Activism
Victor Navarro is a Venezuelan activist who survived "El Helicoide", the infamous prison in Venezuela. In his presentation, he moved the audience with his great resilience after being imprisoned for five months and victim of systematic torture. Victor called for the defense of Human Rights.
Currently, he is the Director of a Non-Governmental Organization called "Voices of Memory" in which, through virtual reality, he allows us to enter into the current center of torture in Latin America. Its objective is to use the virtual reality experience, "Reality Helicoide", to make visible the situation in Venezuela in a transcendental year giventhe upcoming elections. The experience allows one to enter in first person in a reality where political prisoners are being tortured, challengingthe neutrality and complicity of some actors of the international community.
Youth Empowerment in Argentina's Political Arena
Politeia is a political foundation created by young people that seeks, through its different projects, to bring politics closer to all people outside the academic environment, mainly young people. In this cycle, they shared their experience and the development of the organization. They presented current projects such as training in citizen participation in schools, the development of an application with the proposals of different political figures and their blog with information accessible to all ages.
The young women of Politeia propose to get involvedto make changes outside of state policy, which unfortunately leaves little space for young people. Today, the intergenerational gap is a key reality inthe decision-making spheres in the country, and to create a space for our generation, action is necessary. Politeia affirms that even with few resources changes can be achieved, and that young people must get to work to make politics a tool of transformation for the future.
The End of the Beginning
The first edition of Talks For Freedom has proven to be an invaluable space for young people, allowing us to share ideas, learn from diverse experiences and find inspiration to face the challenges of the future. From human rights activism to project management and the audiovisual world, the forumshave shown us that, with determination and collaboration, it is possible to make a positive impact on our society.
This event marks the beginning of a new stage of youth empowerment. It is a reminder that young people have the ability and responsibility to build the future theywant. As one of our speakers mentioned, "Change does not wait; it starts with each of us, here and now." We left the eventwith the conviction that, united and motivated, we can transform our society and the entire world. Let us move forward, with values and purpose, toward a tomorrow full of possibilities.