My Leadership-in-Action project has taken many forms throughout the last year, ranging from plans to volunteer with a surfing charity in Peru to cancer support care in London. However, during one of the Laidlaw meetings, I heard advice to undertake a project that would initially appear scary to me. As someone who has barely travelled outside Europe, I wanted to be challenged in my knowledge and feelings. As someone who studies medical sciences, I was also looking for an experience within the healthcare community. Nevertheless, the last thing I wanted was to travel to a foreign country and fall into the trap of white saviorism, which, together with unprofessional healthcare, is highly harmful and dehumanising. 

Makse_sense Mexico is an organisation that empowers local communities while listening to their needs and expectations. Throughout the six weeks, each of us, scholars, community leaders, and make_sense team members, was a student, teacher, and leader at the same time. The program comprised three parts: culture experience, a project with an external organisation, and evaluation. Each of the weeks was wholly new and exciting. 

The first two weeks we spent getting to know each other and Mexico City itself. Make_sense prepared workshops on leadership, project management, and cultural experiences. We visited the most important sites in Mexico City, participated in a leadership camp, and had talks delivered by local community members on community empowerment and climate action. The remaining weeks we spent working on our projects. It was enough time for me to become more confident and comfortable around other scholars, the city, and our project themes. 

For my project in Community Empowerment, I was paired with a charity Inspira Cambio. I worked alongside two Laidlaw Scholars, Emma from the University of Toronto and Izzy from the University of York. Inspira Cambio is a sexual health clinic empowering the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout their consultancies, testing, and treatment, they provide services for people who could have been exposed to HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. Most importantly, Inspira turned out to be a team of welcoming, supportive, and open people who guided us through the whole experience with patience and kindness. 

Our work with Inspira was based on the celebration of their 10th anniversary. This included making a testimonial video and organising the "Noche de Deteccion" event. Emma, Izzy, and I worked together on developing film scenarios, interviewing questions, and making and editing videos. We made a plan for our work, and after meeting at the coworking space, we executed each step, progressing toward achieving our goal. Doing research for the video taught me a lot about the current management and treatment of HIV. Recording the video at the Inspira Cambio office was a fun and vital experience. We interviewed the Inspira team and their patients. Seeing how their day-to-day action and constant work improves people's lives was extraordinary. Nevertheless, one of the most significant barriers we faced was the language barrier. None of us speaks fluent Spanish (to date!), but Inspira's team was patient and helped us become confident with our limited skills.

For the testimonial video, I was in charge of translating while Emma worked on video editing. Ultimately, we produced a 15-minute testimonial video published on Inspira's social media. "Noche de Detección" was an event that aimed to blend a fun experience with raising awareness and enabling testing throughout the night. The event included an upcycling workshop, clothing sales, a raffle, and dancing. We ended up raising $7000 MX. These funds were used for testing and consultancies to continue Inspira's work. Although I could not participate in the detection night, I felt grateful for Inspira's openness to our ideas. 

Living in Mexico City was an unforgettable experience. When I arrived, I had no idea what to expect, but now I can say that our neighbourhood, Roma Norte, is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in the world. Every day we walked to the office surrounded by green spaces, colourful buildings, and incredible cafes. Mexicans are one of the most friendly people I have met. My time in Mexico City was beautiful and inspiring and will stay with me for a long time. I am grateful for all the people I have met through those weeks. All of them are kind, wise, and open individuals from whom I could have learned. From these weeks, I took away more than I could ever expect. 

Thank you all Laidlaw scholars, Inspira Cambio, the Make_sense team, and University College London for making this possible!