Author: Maria Fernanda Sotelo Fuentes

The Summer School on Climate and Green Skills brings together university students from London and Los Altos de Chiapas to develop practical knowledge, explore employment opportunities and green entrepreneurship, and formulate proposals relevant to their local contexts. This initiative is supported by the British Council and HSBC through the Climate Skills Global Collaboration Grants program.  

Its approach recognizes scientific knowledge and the ecological wisdom of indigenous communities as complementary. The program includes modules on nature-based solutions, climate justice, leadership and social entrepreneurship, gender equality, disability, and social inclusion. 

As part of the coordination efforts by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with other development agencies operating in Mexico, the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance (Interfaz IKI) project helped deliver a training module and hosted faculty and students from London Metropolitan University at the GIZ Mexico offices. Subsequently, the exchange continued with an immersion at the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) and field visits.  

The visit to Mexico highlighted an initiative that bridges academic education and community knowledge, while also showcasing some of the climate solutions being implemented through the lens of international cooperation.  

Its potential to expand the scope of climate action lies in young people’s ability to apply and share these lessons, while recognizing the diversity of contexts and the autonomy of communities over their own knowledge. 

Faculty and students from London Metropolitan University and Daniela Valera, Technical Advisor at GIZ Mexico. Credit: GIZ Mexico.

As part of efforts to encourage climate change mitigation measures and promote more resilient communities, a photovoltaic system was installed at the “Venustiano Carranza” Elementary School in Isla Aguada, in the municipality of Carmen, Campeche, on Thursday, July 7, 2026.

The installation represents a significant step forward for the school community, as it will improve the school’s energy conditions, reduce electricity costs—which currently account for more than half of monthly operating expenses—and provide more suitable spaces for the academic development of students through access to sustainable infrastructure and clean energy.

The project includes a system of 30 photovoltaic modules, each with a capacity of 615 watts, for a total capacity of 18.4 kilowatts peak, connected to the electrical grid, with an approximate investment of 600,000 Mexican pesos. The system also includes the installation of an electric vehicle charger, which provides an additional benefit to the community.

During the event, state officials, education representatives, and community members highlighted the importance of bringing sustainable technological solutions to coastal communities and educational institutions, promoting actions that contribute to social well-being and climate change mitigation.

The panel included M. in C. Biol. Jocelyn Durán Murrieta, head of the Campeche Secretariat of the Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Energy; Jorge Negrín Santini, Lic., undersecretary of Planning, Programming, and Statistics at the Campeche Secretariat of Education; Jorge Alfonso Dzib Qui, M.A., director of the Morning Session; Gabriela Chablé Cantún, M.A., director of the Afternoon Session; and Sébastien Proust, C., coordinator of the UNDP Small Grants Program.

The project received technical support from the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance Phase IV, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in collaboration with the aforementioned institutions, to promote community-based distributed generation and serve as a model for a comprehensive project, strengthening local capacities toward a just and inclusive energy transition. It was also highlighted that these types of initiatives generate benefits that extend beyond the energy sector by raising environmental awareness, promoting a culture of sustainability among younger generations, and being replicable in other communities.

Delivery of a photovoltaic system at the “Venustiano Carranza” Elementary School. Credit: Lorena Espinosa – GIZ Mexico.

Handover of the photovoltaic system at “Venustiano Carranza” Elementary School. Credit: Lorena Espinosa – GIZ Mexico.

Photovoltaic system at the “Venustiano Carranza” Elementary School. Credit: Sebastien Proust.

Community communication is a social process based on dialogue, listening, trust, the exchange of knowledge, and collective participation. Its purpose is to bring about meaningful and lasting change. The idea is to move from the inside out: it begins in community gathering spaces, building consensus and strengthening capacities, and then extends to other organizations, authorities, and stakeholders involved in land management.

With this vision in mind, for the past two years Procuenca, with support from IKI Small Grants, has been working alongside six ejidos in the upper part of the Valle de Bravo–Amanalco watershed in the State of Mexico on the project “Operational Plans for Climate-Resilient Ejido Communities.” This initiative seeks to integrate climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation measures into land management processes, thereby strengthening the communities’ capacity to address current environmental challenges.

Communication has been a cross-cutting theme of the project, facilitating spaces for reflection, learning, and collective action. It all began with a fundamental question: What do we mean by the common good? Building on this, participatory dialogues were held throughout 2024 that served as the basis for developing operational plans aligned with the needs and priorities of each ejido.

Through workshops and participatory exercises, an assessment was conducted on the management, use, and conservation of natural resources. This process made it possible to identify issues, recognize strengths, and evaluate the social and environmental benefits associated with integrated land management in the face of climate change. As a result, the 2025 Ejido Operational Plans were developed for San Jerónimo, San Juan, Agua Bendita, Amanalco, San Bartolo, and San Lucas. This experience reinforces our belief that tools such as dialogue, participation, and the recognition of local knowledge are just as important for community resilience as environmental conservation and restoration actions are for the conservation of these territories.

Workshop for ejidos on pest identification and prevention. Residents of various ejidos in the Amanalco–Valle de Bravo watershed, State of Mexico. Credit: Fondo Procuenca.

Workshop on pest identification and prevention. Residents of various ejidos in the Amanalco–Valle de Bravo watershed, State of Mexico. Credit: Fondo Procuenca.

Ejido members and brigades from different ejidos identifying pests in the forest. Agua Bendita Ejido, Amanalco, State of Mexico. Credit: Fondo Procuenca.

Intergenerational dialogue. Workshop on pest identification and prevention, Agua Bendita ejido, Amanalco, State of Mexico. Credit: Fondo Procuenca.

Intergenerational dialogue. Workshop on pest identification and prevention, Agua Bendita Ejido, Amanalco, State of Mexico. Credit: Fondo Procuenca.