Source: María Fernanda Somuano; World Values Survey, 2000-2002.
As we can see, almost 25 per cent of those organizations are focus on religious
activities. This is an effect of the cultural and social influence that Catholic Church
has in Mexico. Youth and woman organizations have growth, but not in the extent
we could expect given their demographic, political and economic importance. We
can also see a diversity of objectives and interests; that is why it will be important to
promote democratic values as a common base to work.
With this context, I would like to talk you about a new organization of youth
concerned with the promotion of democratic values. This organization is named
“Diálogos Mexicanos por la Juventud” (Diálogos). This is a non-profit, nongovernmental and no-partisan organization. Our main objective is to encourage
young Mexicans to participate in the public discussion and decision-making process
of the national and the international fields. We promote it through four principal
projects:
1.- Gatherings with public figures: Within an informal environment, we invite
public figures (from academy, politics, arts, media, private sector,
international affairs, etc.) to talk with young students and citizens about any
relevant issue in the national or international agendas. The informal
environment aims to createtrust between the guest and the public. So the
conversation turns more fluid, f