<aside> Help Francisco Vega attend the most impactful leadership camp in Latin America! Your support can make a difference in educational activism across the region.
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Hey! I am Francisco Vega, I was born in western Argentina, near the Andes! San Juan faces significant challenges, such as a lack of access to quality education, mining-related environmental pollution, and insufficient investment in infrastructure, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.
When I was 12, I joined the Student Council as a student representative. After 4 years, I became president, finding my passion in education activism and policy-making for education as a means to achieve equal opportunities and social mobility. I established Sign Language Workshops, Book Club, Film Club, and many educational initiatives for students, stimulating critical thinking, debates, and empathy.
In 2022, I led a mental health protest to push for better well-being policies within the high-school.
In 2024, chosen by Ashoka as Young Changemaker, I represented the province of San Juan among 24 from Argentina, to discuss Transformative Education.t
We even had a focus group discussion with the Minister of Education of Buenos Aires, to actively participate in curriculum planning and cross-reference federal initiatives among the 24 provinces of Argentina.
What is next?
After the Lighthouse Pitch, my project “Reading for Resistance” earned a £2,000 grant for implementation, aimed at improving functional literacy among youth students. In San Juan, Argentina, I will collaborate with local schools and libraries to launch weekly reading circles, provide training for Literacy Ambassadors, and curate culturally relevant materials that empower students to think critically and express themselves.