The U.S.-Mexico Foundation operates programs both independently and in partnership with other organizations to fulfill its mission of strengthening education and civic leadership in Mexico and developing deeper understanding, cooperation and solidarity between the two countries.
Strengthening Education and Civic Leadership
USMF programs and partnerships focus on improving educational opportunities for Mexicans and on strengthening civic leadership amongst the country’s youth. In 2015, the USMF partnered with the New York Academy of Science to implement in Mexico the international mentorship program “1,000 Girls-1,000 Futures” which pairs high school girls who aspire to careers in the critical areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics with women who’ve succeeded in these fields and who can guide and inspire them to do the same. In the same year, the USMF launched the “Training Returned Dreamers as English Language Teachers” program, which leverages the bilingual and bicultural backgrounds of returned Dreamers to strengthen English language teaching in Mexico, while also providing employment opportunities and fostering a sense of civic leadership to returned Dreamers.
Developing Cooperation and Understanding
The U.S.-Mexico Foundation’s programs and partnerships work to connect and engage people in Mexico and the United States with each other to develop stronger binational ties and encourage deeper understanding between the two countries. The USMF conducts binational advocacy on issues of relevance for the bilateral relation, such as the fate of returned migrants in Mexico, through conferences and events in both countries. The flagship Dreamer Delegations program brings DACA recipients to Mexico to reconnect with their roots, learn about the country, and meet retuned Dreamers living in Mexico, creating new ties amongst a key population that can become a bridge for greater cooperation between the two countries.
At the intersection of education and binational collaboration
Other partnerships lie at the intersection of strengthening education in Mexico and developing deeper binational ties. For example, the “Classroom without Borders” program, now in its second year after a successful USMF-funded pilot in 2014, brings together Teach for America corps members and Profesionales de Enseña por México during 2 week exchange trips to each others’ countries, allowing these young teachers to compare strategies and learn from each other.
