Capacity building for socio-environmental entrepreneurship

Save the Children México (2025)

1. Context

Otrera, in strategic alliance with Skills for Inclusion (SFI), collaborated with Save the Children Mexico as part of the “Raíces del Cambio” (Roots of Change) program, an initiative that seeks to prevent child labor in the corn value chain in Sinaloa by strengthening economic and educational development opportunities for women, youth, and adolescents in rural communities.

The project was developed in coordination with the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and local community leaders, with the aim of designing and implementing an innovative training model for socio-environmental entrepreneurship aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods and reducing the vulnerability of children and adolescents to child labor.

2. Objective

The overall objective of the project was to develop and implement a training program in socio-environmental entrepreneurship adapted to the rural community context of Sinaloa, promoting economic autonomy, environmental awareness, and the inclusion of women and young people.

The specific objectives were:

• To design a socio-environmental entrepreneurship workshop based on participatory methodologies and the pedagogy of learning by doing.

• Train trainers from Save the Children and the IPN to ensure the sustainability of the process.

• Test the training model through a pilot implementation with rural communities benefiting from the Raíces del Cambio program.

3. Methodology

The project was structured in three main phases:

1. Development and adaptation of materials.

A documentary analysis of technical and pedagogical inputs was carried out, including the baseline assessment of Raíces del Cambio and the modules of previous Save the Children programs implemented in Latin America. Based on this, the instructional design of the Socio-Environmental Entrepreneurship Workshop, session plans, presentations, facilitator's manual, participant's booklet, and self-assessment tool were developed.

2. Training of trainers.

The training of trainers workshop was developed and implemented on August 11, 2025, at the IPN facilities in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Twelve facilitators from Save the Children and the IPN participated and received training on inclusive teaching approaches, participatory methodologies, and adapting content to low-literacy contexts.

3. Pilot implementation.

Twelve community sessions were planned to be delivered by the trained trainers, with technical support from the Otrera and SFI teams. The pilot sessions were designed to test the educational tools developed and gather feedback for improving the model.

Throughout the implementation, weekly follow-up meetings were held with the Save the Children team and ongoing coordination with the IPN to ensure logistics, technical relevance, and alignment with the program's objectives.

4. Project results

The project consolidated a replicable and culturally relevant training methodology for developing skills in social and environmental entrepreneurship. The main results include:

• Finalized design of the Social and Environmental Entrepreneurship Workshop (two sessions, six hours in total) with teaching materials, visual resources, and practical guides adapted to the educational level of the beneficiaries.

• Facilitator's manual and participant's workbook with accessible language, applied exercises, and a focus on social and gender inclusion.

• Training for IPN and Save the Children trainers, who strengthened their facilitation, pedagogical adaptation, and community support skills.

More than 90 participants—women, young people, and adolescents—developed their own business, financial, and commercial plans, applying the Canvas B tool and the workshop content.

Analysis of discriminatory perceptions toward Central American migrants in Mexico

University of California Davis/ George Washington University (2023)

1. Context

Otrera conducted a study exploring discriminatory perceptions toward migrants as part of a research project by the University of California Davis and George Washington University. The study focused on three cities in Mexico with significant migrant flows in recent years: Ciudad Juárez, Mexico City, and Tapachula. The research was conducted through a series of ten focus groups designed to analyze how local communities perceived migrants and the reasons behind their attitudes, including biases and prejudices. The timing of the study was critical, occurring after significant events related to migration, such as the fire at the Ciudad Juárez migrant detention center and the termination of Title 42, which intensified public discourse on migration.

2. Project objective

The main objective of the project was to provide a nuanced understanding of discriminatory perceptions, investigating how participants' beliefs, experiences, and exposure to migration influence their opinions about migrants. Using a qualitative approach, the evaluation sought to inform the design of a national survey that would further explore these discriminatory attitudes. Specifically, the focus groups aimed to reveal the root causes of dehumanizing and stereotypical views and explore participants' levels of empathy, fears, and rationalizations regarding migrants. To this end, vignettes and participatory dynamics were used during the sessions to reduce social desirability biases and facilitate participants' expression of their perceptions.

3. Project results

The project produced revealing findings about the complex nature of discrimination. Focus groups exposed prevalent stereotypes, highlighting how migrants from certain nationalities, such as Central Americans, were viewed more negatively than others. The study also uncovered a pattern of “polarization by nationality,” where participants held diametrically opposed views based on migrants' origins. This evidence of discriminatory perceptions demonstrated my expertise in conducting comprehensive assessments that dissect the drivers of bias and stereotypes, contributing to more informed and evidence-based policy decisions on social inclusion and migration.