Let´s make a change ( by Fey Salazar )

Let's make a change' is a network for change created and aimed at combating social, economic and educational inequality in Mexico.

my solution is based on 2 steps. I am trying to fight two problems at the same time.

The first one has to do with the environment. It is to create disposable bags made with biodegradable materials that will be destroyed in hand washing soap after use.
The purpose is to market the bags so that small and large businesses can deliver their products in these bags and significantly reduce plastic waste.

Using the brand and the profits from the bags we will create a network throughout Mexico (through websites and social networks) that will help Mexican children who do not have access to a QUALITY education to have it, hiring experts to advise them both virtually and in person and also supporting children with the necessary materials to complete their studies. 

The problems they tried to solve are 2 

The second problem I want to mention is the bad education in Mexico and above all the lack of education due to low resources, this is something that was born to me personally because when I was 15 years old I realized the inefficient education system we have and that only 11% of the students in Mexico have access to private education, which is what we can call QUALITY EDUCATION, for example in the united states it does not matter if the education that a child receives is public or private, in both ways it will be of quality and will guarantee a future but in mexico there is a big difference, it is an injustice that just because you are born in a country, or in a certain region or in a certain family you do not have the same opportunities as others.

QUALITY EDUCATION IN MEXICO SHOULD BE A RIGHT AND NOT A PRIVILEGE.

During the 2019-2020 school year in Mexico, 89% of the population between 3 and 29 years of age enrolled in an educational institution in the country was enrolled in a public institution. Meanwhile, 11% of the students enrolled were enrolled in private schools or universities.

The first one will benefit the whole country and the planet earth in general, since the reduction of plastic waste is a problem that affects all the inhabitants of planet earth.

The second solution seeks to impact the lives of Mexican children so that regardless of their economic situation they can have access to quality education and thus have a promising future and can be what they want to be, without barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals and especially to finish a university degree.

This, in addition to improving the quality of education, would improve the quality of life and the economy in Mexico in the long term.

Something very important is also that elitism would be eradicated little by little because he always believed that education is everything and if we all have access to quality education there is no reason to marginalize others, so another social point in favor of the education system

I am able to understand the needs of the population I want to serve since I am part of those statistics and by the simple fact of being Mexican I live the injustices of the system.

Since I was 15 years old I have wanted to have access to a quality education (to attend a private school) but due to my family's economic situation this has never been possible, I have only seen how other people I know from privileged families can have it. I am currently one year away from finishing high school and I am going to apply for a scholarship at Tecnologico de Monterrey to be able to complete my college career.

I don't want children to continue going through this, I don't want their economic situation to clearly define their future as professionals, I want them to have access to a quality education from Elementary School to College.

Also before the pandemic I had the opportunity to assist 1 week as a volunteer to help a rural school called CONAFE, where I experienced how children from indigenous communities make an attempt to go to school and learn to read and write, there I learned a lot and that increased my desire to want to make a change.

Since 2020 I have been considering the idea of my solution but I have not started it yet due to the lack of support and economic resources, to date the idea is already concrete and if you allow me, I hope to have the opportunity to implement it by 2022.

As for the creation of biodegradable bags, it is a process that can be done manually since it is based on recycled material, but when a larger production is needed, it will require machinery and distribution technology.

As for the network in favor of quality education in Mexico, we will need software technologies to create a website and a profile on certain social networks, this in order to reach more volunteers who want to join the cause and to contact professionals to help us with quality education for children.

Currently my solution is an idea, a concept, but if it is implemented this year, it is expected to serve at least all children without access to education in the state of Hidalgo, which are approximately 82,000 CHILDREN in a direct and significant way.

My impact objectives are that by the year 2024 at least half of the children in the country will have access to quality education, they will have professional tutors that will teach them all subjects and that will teach them English from an early age and that the network of volunteers in favor of education in Mexico has spread throughout the country, that is to say that the whole country is aware of the initiative and I plan to achieve it with the support of either non-governmental institutions or companies or the volunteers themselves.

As for the other proposal of biodegradable bags also need budget to start production and to begin distribution, I hope that by 2022 at least some local businesses in my city and put in place the use of these bags and thus reduce the production of plastics at least 35%.

As for the barriers, it is sad to say, but it is mainly the economic resources, yes, the financial barriers and the fact of not having to pay the first expenses to start the project is the reason why my solution has not been implemented yet.

As I mentioned before, I am part of the statistics and I don't want any Mexican child to go through this, I really want to make a change and based on the experience I have had, I know children in this situation of not being able to have access to quality education and it was enough with 1 week of volunteering in that rural school to realize how hard the situation is for them.

No. There are still no partnerships that I am working with but I really hope that MIT will give me the great opportunity to have my project promoted by you, it would be an honor.

I am also sure that having the support and approval of the project from you, MIT, would give a very significant support to the project because more volunteers would want to join and the solution could be extended to all of Mexico or even other Latin American countries. 

I really feel that I am qualified for this award because I am an almost 18 year old girl who wants to change the world and who has gone through the inefficient education system in Mexico for more than 11 years, I still have a long way to go but I know that the beginning is here and now and I really want to be an agent of change for all the children in my city and especially in my country, I want them to have the opportunities that the majority of my generation did not have.

I don't want the position or the family they are born into to define their future, of course they have to fight but not for the opportunities that cannot be a right and not a privilege. I WANT QUALITY EDUCATION IN MY COUNTRY.

i would use the prize to finance the manufacturing of the biodegradable bags and start selling and distributing them, also hiring specialists and the best teachers in mexico to teach the classes to the children through the web, also giving the necessary resources to the children to start their quality education.

I did not know about the existence of this award but I think I can also qualify for it. If I were given the opportunity to win it, I would use this remuneration to start my project, I would certainly take the first step to the production of biodegradable bags and their distribution, I would start the search and recruitment of professionals in education and through the website, begin to teach the classes to children.