Valentín Montenegro Albornoz ‘28 has received a Projects for Peace grant to bring a civics education program to adolescents in Argentina.
The award will enable Montenegro Albornoz, a Political Science and International Relations major, to work with the organization “Voces de la Ciudadania” to bring civics education, media literacy training, and critical thinking skills to secondary schools in the Argentinian province of Santiago del Estero. Years of political and economic instability in the country have led to students having low civic understanding and distrust in institutions, as they also receive political information primarily through social media, which is increasingly AI-generated.
“There is a clear fear among students that has led to a disinterest in politics, and this is where the peace in our community suffers,” says Montenegro Albornoz. “Politics provides structured, non-violent mechanisms to manage issues that affect everyone, but when people disengage at an early age, their capacity to participate meaningfully later on is diminished.”
Projects for Peace is a global program that partners with educational institutions around the country to identify and support young peacebuilders. They grant $1.25 million each year to 125 student leaders to develop innovative, community-centered, and scalable responses to the world’s most pressing issues.