In the heart of the UN headquarters in New York, Inazio Lopez spoke with Krista Rivas Gutierrez, a 25-year-old Nicaraguan refugee, during the recently held Youth Forum. For her, this event is not simply a meeting; It is a symbol of hope and opportunity for youth around the world.
“For me, being here is something very meaningful and important because it means that they will finally be able to listen to us, we will finally be able to participate and the youth will be able to really be part of something big,” says Krista within the framework of the Forum, organized by the Economic and social Council (ECOSOC). “I always heard the phrase ‘youth is the future of society’, but we are also part of the present.”
Krista, architecture student thanks to a scholarship awarded by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), is an inspiring voice in the fight for refugee and youth rights. His journey toward activism began in Mexico.
“It all started with my experience as a refugee,” explains Krista, who says that when she arrived in the North American country she went through “certain obstacles to be able to access basic things.” But those obstacles did not discourage her.
Education opened the door
Krista Rivas, an architecture student thanks to a scholarship awarded by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), is an inspiring voice in the fight for the rights of refugees and youth.
“The first thing I wanted to do was study, but it was a bit difficult to access education. It is understandable, because in our region the countries were not used to receiving so many refugees, they were normally transit countries. “We are still working on updating the policies,” he says.
At first, he encountered many complications, since to access education, he had to study topics that he had never seen in his country, since educational systems change from one country to another. Afterwards, he had to deal with bureaucracy: “something that I think we have all experienced.”
“(Education) was the first experience that really opened the doors for me to be able to join this world. Then, thanks to a scholarship given to me by UNHCR, I was able to continue my studies. Today I can continue studying, I am an architecture student.”
After going through the obstacles, he began to collaborate with other people who also “experienced the same or even worse things, such as the language barrier, discriminationand many other problems”, so he decided to join “to raise his voice for them and for me too.”
Help from all areas
Committed to the rights of young refugees, Krista firmly believes in the power of youth as a driver of change.
“We can be part of the decision-making spaces, just as we can be in the field helping people directly. We are capable of doing anything. We have a voice, we have talent and we can do whatever we want to do with our lives,” she states with conviction.
For those who want to commit to a cause and advocate for their activism, Krista offers words of encouragement and guidance: “Speak up. An honest voice is much louder than a group of people. Don’t lose your fear, keep going, trust yourself.”
“Just join in, and don’t let anything stop you,” he insists.
Krista’s path has been full of challenges, but also significant achievements. Her testimony is a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusion and support for refugees and youth around the world.
The support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has been fundamental, demonstrating the positive impact that international solidarity can have on the lives of refugees.
Krista’s voice, along with that of other committed activists, is a source of inspiration for thousands of people and hope for a more just and promising future for all.
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