Roberto Mena wasn’t exactly sure what the Youth Leadership Academy was, but he knew he wanted to be a part of it.

A 26-year-old Honduran from the state of Cortes, Mena is an active participant in local politics. In fact, politics runs in his family, which includes political leaders who founded a local chapter of the Anti-Corruption Party (Partido Anti-Corrupcion, PAC), an opposition party that emerged from the political crisis following the 2009 coup d’etat against the Manuel Zelaya government.

In April 2014, Mena participated in his first Youth Leadership Academy organized by NDI. The gatherings, which were held annually since 2011, brought together youth leaders from eight of the 18 Honduran states, representing a broad array of political parties and civil society organizations.

There was a lot to discuss. The capital of Cortes, San Pedro Sula, is currently ranked one of the most dangerous and violent cities in the world. Mena, like many other young Hondurans, has witnessed increased violence, corruption, lack of economic opportunities and weakened democratic institutions.

“I believe that these problems can be solved if citizens are willing to take the initiative, propose changes and find solutions that work for their country,” Mena said.

Through short lectures and exercises, promising young Honduran leaders learned about communication and leadership skills, negotiation tactics for political discussions, democratic values, use of information and communication technologies, conflict resolution and human rights, and democratic practices within democratic institutions. The skills they learned will help them to become leaders within their organizations and reinforce democratic institutions in Honduras.

“The Academy is a diverse space where we have learned to understand and tolerate different political views to agree on solutions to problems needed in Honduras” said Mena during the fifth and final Youth Leadership Academy session held from February 19 to 21, 2016.

The final academy gathered graduates from the previous four sessions to refine their leadership knowledge and to continue to provide a space for interaction and discussion about the future of the country.

Ninety-five youth have participated in Youth Leadership Academy activities throughout the country over the last five years. These young leaders, like Mena, are motivated to get involved in the Honduran political process and promote democratic practices that ensure the inclusion of diverse viewpoints from a wide range of actors. Participants in the 2013 Youth Leadership Academy created ​​the first youth forum for democratic values ​​in the country. This activity, organized in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, gathered representatives of various political parties to present their party platforms and proposals to interested youth. Participants in the 2014 Academy organized a televised debate on national television with young leaders and representatives of political parties, academia and businesses to discuss the views of their organizations on freedom, transparency, democratic values, youth participation and gender equity.

Activities during the Youth Leadership Academies also emphasized leadership that promotes inclusion and rejects discrimination on the basis of political affiliation, gender, race or sexual orientation. “Honduras needs leaders who can offer solutions to our current problems” Mena said, “[and] the Academy gives us that space to discuss and debate ideas as a group and jointly agree on proposed solutions. This has been the greatest result of this activity.”

During the 2012 and 2013 elections, NDI supported a leadership academy for women candidates. One-third of the 33 female deputies elected in 2013 participated in this academy. NDI continues supporting women legislators as they develop a multi-partisan legislative agenda to promote women’s political participation.

In a stark demonstration the challenges Honduras still faces with regard to gender-based discrimination, Paola Barraza, a 2014 graduate from the Youth Leadership Academy and openly transgender woman, was killed on January 24, 2016, presumably in a transphobic hate-crime since she had received several threats and attacks before her death. NDI issued a statement to pay tribute to her memory.

NDI organized the Youth Leadership Academy with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Published on March 18, 2016