Unfortunately, I started week 4 in Mexico City as the last scholar of our cohort to get sick. However, even though this week was a little shorter than the previous three, it was maybe the busiest yet!

Kicking off on Wednesday, the team from Genera Territorios came to visit us at the Impact Hub. We listened to a presentation about the diverse work they do with communities across Mexico, and particularly enjoyed the opportunity to taste some of honey made with the support of their 'pollinate' programme. 

On Thursday, we had some time off work! We chose to spend the day at Las Estacas, a natural park located about a 3 hour drive from CDMX in the state of Morelos. The landscape was incredibly beautiful and it was so relaxing to swim in the clear river in the middle of a forest, even if we did all end up fairly sunburnt...

We returned to Mexico City feeling refreshed and ready for the next day, which was a big one for our group: it was finally time to visit the community of San Miguel Teotongo in Itzapalapa, where we would be implementing the work we'd done in the past three weeks. After a quick bus ride, we arrived at community centre La Unión de Colonos de San Miguel Teotongo (UCSMT). Here, we delivered a workshop (in Spanish!) on La Estrategia Económica Cotidiana, with the support of the Genera Territorios team. We were very happy with the turnout - over 30 people participated! Beforehand, I had been slightly worried that we would lack the necessary context, skills and expertise to truly have a positive effect on this community, and was apprehensive about coming off as out-of-touch or patronising. However, speaking with the participants throughout and afterwards allayed these doubts - it was incredibly rewarding to learn that they felt they had gained a lot from the workshop and to see our hard work over the past few weeks translate into something concrete.

After this, we were taken on a tour of UCSMT, including their archives and radio station Frecuencia Unión. It was really interesting to see how important the centre has been for the community's wellbeing (in this case for 52 years!). The same applies to Utopía Teotongo, where we went afterwards. Utopías are government-funded initiatives that offer a multitude of services, from a decommissioned-airplane-turned-library, free sports facilities and swimming classes, mental/physical/sexual health services and spaces for women, children, LGBTQ+ individuals and elderly residents. It was inspiring to hear about the positive impact such initiatives have on communities that face disenfranchisement and poverty; this seemed particularly stark compared to my home country of England, where such services are definitely lacking. After some delicious tacos and amaranth biscuits (purchased from two shopkeepers who had participated in our workshop earlier that day), we headed to the nearby Parque Yecahuizotl, a protected environmental zone that San Miguel Teotongo has committed to keeping free from sprawling urban development. Genera Territorios maintains a plot focussed on regenerative agriculture using indigenous techniques, so we planted trees and lavender plants and enjoyed the panoramic views over the city. 

Overall, it was a very memorable week! In particular, I will remember our activities on Friday as motivation to pursue work that creates positive social change in the future.