Jóvenes Adelante has an 85% success rate and has over 200 successful graduates. Currently, we serve over 100 students with a goal of adding 25-30 students per year from a pool of 500 applicants.
Jóvenes Adelante, A.C. offers the most robust and comprehensive scholarship support program in Mexico. Each of our students is given a scholarship for four to five years of university plus a new laptop, and supported by an individual mentor, English tutoring, success skills training, and psychological counseling if needed. Graduates are additionally supported through their professional internships and credentialing process. Currently, 106 students are in our scholarship program.
JA has enabled 203 talented, disadvantaged Mexican youth from San Miguel de Allende and its surrounding communities to complete a university education, develop success skills essential to professional and personal success, and increase their socio-economic mobility. From this graduate network, several have now returned to JA as both staff and mentors.
Jóvenes Adelante’s unique approach surpasses financial assistance to ensure student success. Mexico’s average high school graduation rate is 50% and its higher-education graduation rate is 26%. JA’s breakthrough 85% success rate is a testament to our multi-faceted program, which goes beyond financial assistance to foster individual personal growth via ongoing guidance and support.
Most JA students are either the first in their family to go to university or are in the first generation to do so. Especially for our many students who come from the rural campo surrounding San Miguel, this is an extraordinary pursuit, one that often would be out of reach if not for Jóvenes Adelante. Jóvenes students come from over 40 communities in the municipality of San Miguel. Regardless of where in Mexico they go to university, our scholars connect with their JA peers, graduates, mentors, counselors, and staff, forming and benefiting from a wide network of support.
JA students choose their own paths of study. At this time, the most popular fields of study are: information technology, engineering, medicine, architecture, and business. Effective in 2020, JA is also conducting a pilot program to support high school seniors, who if successful, will be automatically admitted into the university program. Jóvenes students often participate in educational exchange programs in Canada and Europe.
Jóvenes Adelante can accept students only when funds have been raised or pledged to pay their scholarship for their entire university career. Payment plans are flexible to accommodate what works best for our sponsors. At the current rate of exchange, the amount to sponsor a student is approximately $199 CAD per month for 60 months, a total of $11,500 over five years.
We hope you will assist us in increasing socio-economic mobility for San Miguel students and their families via higher education. An educated workforce is the only long term means of creating lasting change in Mexico’s economic and political development. The Amistad Canada – Jóvenes Adelante Education Project allows Canadians to support aspiring Mexican students who demonstrate that rare combination of financial need, outstanding potential and commitment, and a demonstrated pursuit of excellence. Since the project was formed, Canadians have contributed approximately $300,000 CAD to JA’s program.
