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Thanks to the collaboration between the Ayuntamiento de La Pazthe philanthropic foundation Alumbra Innovations and the International Community Foundation of San Diego, the Hot Afternoons have become a flagship event for the La PazBaja California Sur.
Elizabeth Hammondcoordinator of this event and a consultant in Alumbr Innovationsa, explains that this is a project in which around 20 civil society organizations participate, offering educational, interactive and free spaces for the entire community, promoting the awareness-raising on crucial issues such as environmental conservation, ocean stewardship and community welfare.
"All the stands are with an educational purpose, to call people, to offer didactic, fun, interactive activities and also designed for the whole family," he stresses.
"In all the events we have had an average of between 15 and 20 civil society organizations that come to exhibit their work, what they do throughout the year, and we have taken advantage of the opportunity to take on different themes to exhibit the things that matter to us in the community."
A joint effort for the common good
The most beautiful thing about the Hot Afternoons is the synergy generated between the organizations involved, Hammond says. On the one hand, the City of La Paz provides the means to close streets, ensure civil protection and provide medical resources, while the philanthropic foundations sponsor the activities and convene civil society organizations.
The coordinator stresses that this event is held on the first Friday of the summer months and this year they organized the first two activities with the themes dedicated to the caring for our oceans and to the sudcalifornian youth. This Friday, September 6, the third one was held, with the topic Let's take care of water and land.
Encourage participation and learning
A key aspect of the Hot Afternoons is that it is possible to establish a link between the civil society organizations who work in activities for the collective good, and the citizens of La Pazfrom children to adults.
"It's nice to offer that connection, because they work on many issues of importance to the community, of the importance of sustainability, of being able to live where we live, Baja Sur, this desert ecosystem, which implies that taking care of water is something very important and La Paz is booming right now. It is a very good time to take advantage of these interactions to raise awareness and provide these educational opportunities for people," he says.
Elizabeth Hammond indicates that participating organizations offer didactic and interactive activitieswhere attendees can learn in a practical and fun way about the different topics that are addressed.
He emphasizes that one of the most successful dynamics of the event is the way in which the public is encouraged, especially children, who are given tickets to enter gift raffles if they participate in three activities offered by the organizations at their stands.
The idea of these knowledge fairs, as Hammond also calls them, is not just to inform, but to plant a seed of something quite practical that they can do at home, so that they feel empowered and know that they can also contribute.
Community impact
Although Hot Afternoons is a relatively young event, its impact has been remarkable. Participation has grown by 30% from one event to the next, and the response from the community has been positive, says the consulting firm from Alumbra Innovations.
Although Hot Afternoons was born to connect with the people of La Paz who in summer go out to the malecon to enjoy the "coromuelito"a cool breeze very characteristic of the season that runs in the afternoons, is beginning to affect the collective conscience to create a more sustainable futureWe work hand in hand with all those organizations that work every day for the same purpose.
