ISSUP and OAS/CICAD Advance Regional Youth Leaders Network in Latin America

ISSUP and the OAS/CICAD, continues to strengthen its joint efforts to establish and coordinate a Latin American Youth Leaders Network. This initiative brings together youth representatives from 10 countries across the region, each representing their respective ISSUP National Chapters.

The network aims to ensure that the voices of young people are actively heard and meaningfully integrated into global responses to substance use and drug related challenges. A key focus is addressing the vulnerability of youth to drug use and drug-related crime, while fostering a proactive and empowered generation of leaders. Rather than limiting participation to engagement alone, the network emphasizes leadership development and capacity-building among young people.

The third meeting of the network was held today, featuring a dynamic agenda centered on expanding opportunities for youth involvement at the international level. Key opportunities presented included:

• A 5-year fellowship program, offering one position per country, focused on mentorship, skills development, and career guidance.
• An invitation to participate in the Youth Forum to be held in India from November 12–14, where selected participants will represent Latin America and develop a community-based project.
• The upcoming Global Youth Survey being developed by ISSUP, which will be shared in the coming months. Its results will be presented through youth-led webinars and consultations.
• Opportunities for global engagement, including participation in a youth-focused event at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

During the meeting, youth representatives from ISSUP Mexico and ISSUP El Salvador presented their recent activities carried out between April 20–24, highlighting youth-focused initiatives implemented during that week.

The session concluded with a brainstorming exercise to identify priority topics of interest for young people, which will inform the development of a series of webinars.

Key themes identified included:

• Youth influencers in prevention
• Social media use and the type of content consumed by young people
• The influence of social media on youth behavior
• Polysubstance use
• New psychoactive substances
• Drug trafficking and its impact
• The effects of violent and high-risk environments
• Organized crime and criminal networks affecting youth

Looking ahead, ISSUP will continue working closely with CICAD to promote these opportunities among young people, finalize the Global Youth Survey, and schedule webinars based on the topics identified. These sessions will be coordinated and led by youth participants, with technical support from ISSUP and CICAD.

This ongoing collaboration represents a significant step toward empowering young leaders across Latin America and ensuring their active role in shaping sustainable and effective responses to substance use and related challenges.