Jóvenes Adelante, A.C., is growing by leaps and bounds, thanks, in part, to chocolate. The organization began in 2001 in San Miguel de Allende with the idea of supporting promising but financially disadvantaged college students. What started as a handful of ex-pat Unitarians and four students has mushroomed to a 150 member-strong organization supporting 75 students in over 20 universities throughout Mexico. And now, the organization has expanded into Guanajuato.

Last year, a fundraiser paired up fine wines with hand-made chocolates donated by local merchants and produced by Dr. Cynthia Lynch, a professor at UTPA with a past as an award-winning chocolatier. The event netted thousands of scholarship dollars, but afterwards there was a surfeit of exquisite, delicate chocolates.

"We had to work quickly, because hand-made chocolates have a short life," says Amanda Ruiz, JA Past President and current board member, who now lives in Guanajuato. "Dianne Romaine and I packed them all into coolers and hauled them home with us to Guanajuato, where we both live."

Amanda, a former engineer and attorney, and Dianne, a former college professor and a current JA mentor, headed straight for Guanajuato's Jardín de la Union, a leafy mid-town oasis. After gaining permission from city officials, they set up shop. And they were thrilled and amazed at the reaction of Guanajuato's locals.

"When the people of Guanajuato learned the sale was for scholarships, those little bags of chocolates just flew!" says Dianne.  Enthusiastic customers included members of Guanajuato's famous symphony orchestra, which was rehearsing nearby, and staff and students at local language schools.

"Two Spanish schools in particular, Don Quijote and Escuela Mexicana, were wonderful. When they heard that we were trying to sell chocolates to raise money for scholarships, they welcomed us with open arms," said Amanda. "Before we knew it, we'd made a thousand dollars, at fifty pesos a bag." 

"That's a lot of chocolate!" added Dianne.

As quickly as people bought the chocolates, locals warmed to the idea of a JA branch in Guanajuato. It made perfect sense: Guanajuato is a university town that prizes culture and education.

The seeds were sown, the excitement became contagious and before long, Jóvenes Adelante was blessing its new addition. When Amanda and a group of Guanajuato volunteers approached the board with the proposal this summer, members wholeheartedly approved and immediately created a new position: VP, Guanatuato branch..

Students will be selected by the local volunteers from the Municipio of Guanajuato, following the tried and true formula developed by JA in San Miguel. And Guanajuato students will benefit from the many ideas and programs developed along the way in San Miguel, such as partnerships with Computadores Pro Jóvenes and the Warren Hardy language school which have each developed special programs designed specifically to help these ambitious students.

From the start, Guanajuato embraced Jóvenes Adelante with open arms. "There are all these great people here who are supportive of our idea to give scholarships to local students: men and women, Mexicans and gringos," said Amanda. "It's a wonderfully diverse group. And an enthusiastic one! We've already planned our first fundraiser, on November 22. One of our local Guanajuato members, Raymundo Hernandez, has donated the use of his Museo de Cera (Wax Museum), just across the street from the Alhóndiga de Granaditas museum. Musicians from Vera Cruz have volunteered to travel here to entertain us with Huasteca music. We'll have wine and cheese. And some of our students from San Miguel who are attending university here in Guanajuato will be there to help us let people know more about our organization."

At the fundraiser, Amanda will introduce Enaid Savage, who was nominated to the VP position. Enaid brings impressive credentials to the job. Active on several civic and social services boards in the US, she wrote college internship programs for Hewlett Packard. She plans to help JA students boost their social confidence and acquire vital networking skills. Like JA students, Enaid rose from an economically disadvantaged household to achieve such success that she was able to retire young. "Education was the baseline for my success," Enaid said, "and I believe we need to transmit whatever success we've achieved to others."

Proceeds from the first fundraiser for JA's Guanajuato branch will support students from the Municipio of Guanajuato. The new branch will be searching for talented local students, such as current San Miguel scholarship recipient Yarib Torres Martinez.

Yarib is a nineteen-year-old dynamo who is a full-time student of International Business at the University of Guanajuato. In addition to her full course of study, she works as a restaurant hostess five hours a day, seven days a week, and hopes to find a second job during Guanajuato's upcoming Cervantino Festival.  No stranger to hard work, Yarib hails from a family that has always been long on love and support but short on money. She started work at thirteen, babysitting and helping teach Spanish and crafts at Centro Mexicano Bilingue. Besides money, she gained an impressive mastery of English.

"I feel very grateful for the help JA gives me," she said. "My goal is to someday have a good job and then I'll help my family and others. It's important to think you could be something that could inspire people around you."

Yarib's determination and ingenuity are legend. Last year, while maintaining a 9.0 grade average, she worked eight to ten hours a day. That enabled her to fly to Europe, which she did with guidance of her proud mentor Dianne Romaine. Yarib visited friends she made through her work at the language school, staying in Norway, Italy and France, learning about new cultures and increasing her awareness of the scope of international business. Now, after she finishes her undergraduate studies, her goal is to pursue a master's degree in another country.

"I don't stop until I get the things I want," declared Yarib. "I'm like that. I've always been like that."

"She is definitely like that," says Dianne.  "JA students often start a cycle that reminds me of my own," Dianne adds. "I had to struggle for my education. My dad had emotional problems and my mother was on welfare. After I graduated, my mom, who was in her forties, went to college. She ended up becoming a national-award-winning teacher of math."

The success JA fosters expands exponentially. As JA students achieve, siblings, classmates, and even their own parents become inspired to continue learning. "Our students inspire us," said Amanda. "We fall in love with these kids. Their success is our success.

Jóvenes Adelante is always looking for sponsors and volunteers to provide scholarships and assistance to more students. The number of new awards is determined by the amount of funds donated by individuals and foundations and by the success of fundraising events. If you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring a student or making a contribution, please visit the JA website: www.jovenesadelente.org or write jovenesadelante@gmail.org.

THIS JUST IN: Jóvenes Adelante, Guanjuato, has just achieved its first sponsorship! Current mentors David Pearson, Linn Murphy, and Leigh and Marilyn Stowell will share the cost of a full scholarship for a student to be selected by the branch next April.

L-R: Dianne Romaine (a JA mentor), Amanda Ruiz (Past President of JA ), Yarib Torres Martinez (JA student), and Enaid Savage (former VP of GTO branch).

by Jan and Jerry Rife