It's hard to believe that I'm already at the halfway point of my time here in Mexico City. This week, I have continued to work with Makesense to develop my leadership and creative skills through mentoring sessions, design thinking workspaces, and group discussions. Asking for feedback from our volunteers has been imperative, and it has been invaluable to have their perspective to ensure that our deliverables are both culturally relevant and respectful. As a group, we have made headway developing character profiles for the puppets we are creating, taking extra care to ensure they are diverse and representative of the target demographic i.e. Mexican children. For example, the puppet I have been working on is a quetzal from the peripheries of Mexico City. We have learned through discussion with Las Sabinas that people from these poorer areas often do not receive the same respect as those from inner Mexico City, so I have developed an educational outline to be used for this puppet that aims to uplift children from the peripheries and foster healthy relationships between those from all backgrounds. As such, I have gained confidence creating socially-sensitive content that is fitting for its intended audience.
Spending a large amount of time in a new country naturally comes with new challenges. This week: germs! I unfortunately came down with a fever this week after watching the World Cup final in the city centre fan zone. But after some recuperation I persevered (wearing a mask), heading to Hagamos Composta in the beautiful countryside with Makesense to learn more about the incredible work they’re doing reducing food waste in numerous Latin American countries. I was inspired by how the company turns animal remains into sustainable, valuable resources like compost, and it was eye-opening to drive through the peripheries of Mexico City during our journey to see what I had been learning about in person. As usual we met the resident pets, and I was tempted to take this sweet dog home with me, but I’m sure he prefers tacos to crumpets. With an exciting weekend ahead and more energy than ever, I can’t wait to get back to adventuring in beautiful Mexico.