UVM Student Jesús Mejía Receives State Youth Award

Jesús Mejía Jiménez, a communication sciences student at Universidad del Valle de México (UVM) Campus Zapopan, was awarded the 2016 Jalisco State Youth Award in recognition of his hard work in the implementation of social programs in underserved communities across Jalisco. 

He was awarded the Jalisco State Youth Award for his work helping people in vulnerable circumstances improve their lives through workshops in different areas such as robotics, entrepreneurship, and environmental protection through his project, Somos tu Familia (We are Your Family)

Somos tu Familia has had a significant impact in communities where children lack educational and recreational opportunities and are forced to roam the streets or join street gangs. The project has helped many children straighten their paths and become agents of change for their families and communities. 

“More than teaching a class or giving them life lessons, I spend time in the community showing them what I do and what my dreams and vision are. I try to come into their lives and learn with them, in a process in which, day by day, they discover and learn how to develop their own potential with the tools we have given them so they realize it’s possible.”,

said Jiménez. 

This initiative has garnered international attention. Mejía Jiménez traveled to Barcelona last January to share his experiences in social entrepreneurship with other youth. He has also had the opportunity to visit Algeria, working with Sahrawi refugees of war, where he developed projects for the community – implementing some of the programs from his social project, Somos tu Familia.