Ayana Odara, 19, from Belo Horizonte, was selected to take part in a project called Empowering Latin America in Mexico, which is a training program for young people to help improve living conditions in Latin America.
To make her participation possible and pay for her ticket, Ayana launched a crowdfunding campaign on the internet, which you can check out here.
The ELAS Fund spoke to Ayana about the project for which she was selected and about her activism in Brazil. "I hope this experience will strengthen me and help me learn new strategies. The current scenario is one of enormous regression, not just in Brazil. I hope that we participants, as young people, can develop strategies to resist and strengthen our community in the current situation and that we can also strengthen ourselves," says Ayana.
Check out the full interview:
What is Empowering Latin America and why did you apply?
Empowering Latin America is a project that aims for a plural, democratic and inclusive Latin America with equal opportunities and ideal living conditions for all its inhabitants where constructive dialogues, cooperation, solidarity and cultural understanding prevail and where young people are sensitive and critical to the social, economic, political and environmental reality of their environments; where young people are committed to the well-being of the people and the environment around them; where they work actively and collectively with the aim of fighting for the social development of their communities, countries and the entire region. A development based on justice, equality, sustainability, respect and promotion of the human rights of all, and the care and protection of the environment.
For a month, 35 young people aged between 16 and 24 from all over Latin America will take part in training focused on these principles at a Latin American and global level. All the activities will be based on the experience already acquired by each young person, so they will be taking part in workshops that can really contribute to the struggle they are already carrying out in their countries.
Because I strongly believe in the values defended by the project and because I believe that training is an exchange, I signed up so that I could learn other approaches to struggle and also share the strategies I use in my country in order to create new collective networks. I think it's a huge opportunity for training, but it's also the start of a broader struggle across Latin America, which, despite being close, is sometimes disconnected. We need to get stronger!
How do you, as a young black feminist, see the strengthening of young feminist initiatives in recent years and the greater visibility of their agendas and struggles?
Nos últimos tempos vivemos essa Primavera Feminista onde a luta pelos direitos das mulheres tem crescido e se fortalecido internacionalmente e por diferentes frentes. Penso que com o avanço da tecnologia e essa facilidade para a comunicaç&atil