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Jacqueline Cruz Aguila | Mexico City, Mexico
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Policy Advocacy for Seas Governance
Policy advocacy is an important part of transforming policies related to climate change and the environment across geographical scales. Jacqueline’s innovation aims to increase young people’s participation in public affairs concerning climate change and environmental issues affecting marine resources through lobbying. Her project is divided into three components. First, she will select 30 young people (aged 15–30) from Mexico to take part in a training program focused on how to develop advocacy initiatives in public policies to address environmental problems in Mexico related to climate change, marine ecosystems (conservation and restoration), and marine debris. Next, the project will provide training to young politicians and interested environmental activists on the importance of ecosystem services in the face of climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as workshops on the economic valuation of marine ecosystem services. Finally, her project will encourage young beneficiaries to participate in the development of the Law Initiative for environmental education in Mexico, with the goal of pushing a proposal at the federal level that integrates environmental education in multiple areas: educational, labor, citizen, and productive. Overall, this project will stimulate youth participation in developing and executing advocacy proposals, where solutions to tackle various marine resource challenges will be positioned on the political agenda through cooperation and partnership with the government and institutions.