Centro Comunitario Ciudad Cuauhtemoc C.C.C.C.

Location:

Cuauhtémoc City, Ecatepec, State of Mexico

Chronology:

Our Community Center facilities have a long history. At the beginning of the 80s, when the new colony was being formed on Cerro de Chiconautla, on the limits of the State of Mexico, the families wanted to have a school and it was due to their efforts that they were built, brick by brick, with the work of all of them in faenas (unpaid work) with a traditional community organization. Many of the families affected by the San Juanico tragedy came to this hill to live.

After more than 30 years, the conditions of the building spaces did not meet the requirements of the educational authorities. It came to pass that the incorporation of the preschool was denied and for this reason, a new land was sought where a new school was built.

In 2017, when the school moved to the new space, the sisters of the Company of Saint Teresa of Jesus, thought that given the reality of the community, it would be important to have these facilities for community services.

An area study was carried out and relationships were established with other civil society organizations, which also worked in the neighborhoods of Ciudad Cuauhtémoc. In a joint effort, the type of Community Center that would be significant was designed.

In this way, in the second half of 2017, the activities of the Community Center began, in accordance with its mission and vision: training workshops for adults, creative and personal development spaces for girls, boys and young people.

In 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was declared, the Community Center suspended regular activities to dedicate its efforts to supporting the situations that families were experiencing: groceries were distributed, educational support was offered to boys and girls who required it, and emotional accompaniment on an individual and family basis, so that although regular group activities were closed, we continued to closely accompany and respond to the needs that arose.

A year later, as the intensity of the pandemic decreased, activities were reconfigured to better respond to the needs of community beneficiaries.

Current Impact:

At the Community Center we serve approximately 400 boys and girls between 5 and 12 years old. The main activities offered for this sector are school support, cultural workshops, summer courses as well as community events.

The youth population is a sector that continues to be a challenge for our center since it has been difficult to maintain a presence in this space. On average, around 35 adolescents who are between 13 and 17 years old have approached, with computer science, English, guitar, counseling and, above all, psychological support being the services that best respond to their needs. On the other hand, young people between 18 and 29 years old have been served through the Preparatoria Jóvenes Con Rumbo (second chance) project, carried out through the organization Servicios a la Juventud (SERAJ), which offers the opportunity to complete high school studies as well as how to obtain technical training that allows them to access formal employment; 47 beneficiaries have already graduated and a second generation is currently in process with 35 young people enrolled.

Population over 30 years of age: approximately 120 users have been served directly, the strongest sector being women, especially the elderly, the services most requested by this sector are psychological support, emotional accompaniment, Women's Circle , various workshops. At a general level, in community events the participation of adults is on average 300 people.

The Community Center also projects itself outside its facilities through support for vulnerable people in the community, the sick, single women, and people living on the street. Within the community outreach of the Center, starting in March 2023, a human growth workshop has been offered to a group of women in the Chiconautla Prison; Initially the sessions were monthly, from January 2024 they increased to 2 sessions per month.

Our team is mainly made up of volunteers and collaborators, of which 25 are adolescents and young people who support sporadically either in the summer course or in workshops, as is the case with social service providers or interns. Around 20 people serve as facilitators, workshop leaders, educators or personnel who provide cleaning or maintenance services; two psychologists, a Teresian nun and a coordinator. Of the entire team, only 3 people receive financial remuneration. The SERAJ team is integrated as part of the CCCC in daily practice, maintaining administrative and economic independence.