Program Facilitator Profile: Heddy Villaseñor

A crusader for social justice since her university years, Heddy Villaseñor’s professional life was nurtured in the ideological crucible of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico’s most prestigious university. Her instructors were the product of the 1968 Students’ Movement, a social movement protesting political authoritarianism and promoting social justice which had been sparked by massive government funding for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Inspired to commit her professional life to helping others, Heddy studied to become a psychotherapist specializing in human rights and sexuality. 

The first 18 years of her career were spent in Mexico City, the city of her birth, followed by 3 in Guanajuato. Arriving in Los Cabos 15 years ago, at the behest of friends to run a Montessori School, Heddy was shocked by the lack of opportunities and resources available in the community and particularly by the poor level of knowledge on her specialty subjects, sexuality and human rights. She made a commitment to herself and to her new community to be the change she wanted to see.  

The path to that change involved a chance encounter with the facilitator of a new program being offered by a local San Jose del Cabo charity. The fledgling program sought to educate young girls to be self-aware and taught a one day seminar on sexuality and teen pregnancy. The facilitator had been working with local gynaecologists but the clinical approach was not making an impact. With Heddy’s help a plan was devised and a program launched. That was 15 years ago, the program was Alas, the charity was Liga MAC and the facilitator was Elva Haro.  

Elva and Heddy’s working relationship has flourished in the intervening years. Their mutual respect, work ethic and commitment to the betterment of their community has manifested itself in a now, nationally recognized program of sexuality training for both girls and boys. 

After the success of the Alas sexuality program, Heddy working with some of her male counterparts, put together an Alas equivalent for boys they named, Aguilas (Eagles). Both programs deal with gender equality, gender stereotypes, human and sexual rights, teen pregnancy, relationship and domestic violence, STD’s, and generally fostering healthy relationships utilizing non-threatening and active learning based techniques.

Although Heddy volunteers her professional services, she feels that sharing her knowledge and passion for helping others is it’s own reward. In her own words Heddy describes her relationship with Liga MAC:

“In my opinion Liga MAC is the best AC (registered charity) in Los Cabos, because it is consistent, modern, clear in its purposes of raising the educational level of its beneficiary community because it self-assesses and redirects itself to the reality of the micro, mezo and macro environment. 

In the 15 years that I’ve served Liga MAC, many things have happened, and it is a resilient and admirable organization. Odile, pandemic, confinement, crisis, internal schisms, local governments, tax changes, management teams, technologies and social networks, extreme poverty, shortages and bonanzas and they stay FIRM. 

Where there are success stories, I want to be there. That’s why in Liga MAC, I feel at home. It’s very exciting.”

Recently concluded and following a new format, the most recent Alas and Aguilas program combined their efforts for the first time into a renamed project called “En Buena LID”. En Buena LID or learning by teaching, brought together 22 students (13 girls and 9 boys) under the watchful eye of 3 psychologists. The students were divided into 6 co-ed groups and asked to choose from a list of topics including gender equality, human rights, teen pregnancy, relationship violence. They were then asked to research and prepare a presentation for their fellow students and deliver and film the presentation.  

The new format was well received as evidenced by the following participant comment: “The sex seminar helped us to change the wrong ideas that we had about the subject matter. We learned about our bodies in a relaxed way, where we could speak freely. We could also share the information with other kids. It helped me to develop my abilities, like teamwork. I could identify the areas where I need to improve. Liga MAC’s seminars help us to become leaders”. Daniela Martinez.  

With a new school year starting, the tutoring program conducted by the teachers of Del Valle Centro de Apoyo Pedagogico has also begun. Seventy Grade 7 and 8 students have been divided into smaller groups and will be spending 4 hours per week (2 hours in each subject) until Christmas with teachers of Del Valle. 

As an adjunct to the tutoring program, parents of students in the program must commit to an orientation and community service. Classes are conducted after school from 4:30 to 6:30 and parents have formed a “vigilant parent” chaperone network to ensure that all students are either picked up from class or are delivered to public transportation.

The after school program started on August 18 and will continue all year long on Thursday afternoons. The program is run jointly with the Boys and Girls Club at their facility but involves only Liga MAC students.

Each new school year Liga MAC’s Co-ordinator of Social Services, Consuelo Espinosa, presents a 12 week program to Liga MAC’s freshman students. This year 32 Grade 7 students will be briefed on proper school etiquette such as showing up for class on time and well presented, the importance of participating in Liga MAC’s programs, and being respectful of others.

A “new” old event has resurfaced at Flora Farm this November 2. The popular Dia de Muertos Altar Competition event is being reintroduced after a two year pandemic hiatus. Local businesses team with a local charity to build a Dia de Muertos themed altar. 

Liga MAC has been chosen by one of our long time supporters, Eduardo Sanchez Jewelry as their charity of choice. Tickets for the event are on sale online through flora-farms.com. Guests are asked to vote for their favourite altar in 3 categories: Most Original, Most Traditional, Overall Favourite. The winners will receive $1,000 USD in prize money.

The official invitation is about to be released for this fun opportunity to golf at the renown private Querencia Golf Course. The event will take place on November 17, 2022 and always sells out. As well as a round of golf, tickets include a buffet dinner and an opportunity to bid in a silent auction. All proceeds benefit Liga MAC’s student support program. For more information email Linda Myers at lindalgklas@aol.com.

Tacos, Tostadas & Tequila

Our final 25th Anniversary event will be held on November 29 at Habaneros Bistro at El Encanto Inn from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. Only 200 tickets will be available for the event and will be sold through Liga MAC’s website (ligamac.org). Chef Tadd Chapman has invited 4 other local chefs to prepare their versions of tacos and tostadas. 

The entry ticket will include 4 food tickets and 3 beverage tickets and sell for $75 USD or $1,500 pesos. Entertainment, raffles and games will round out this fun evening. Watch for more details in next month’s update, on Liga MAC’s website and via Facebook and Instagram.

Plans have been finalized and approved by the Building Committee and Liga MAC’s Board of Directors. City planning review is in progress and approval expected shortly. With a project start date of early November, construction procurement planning has commenced. 

Last month we released some of the approved Learning Centre drawings and floor plans. This month and in future monthly updates, we will focus on specific floor plans and explain their function. The plans accessed at the link below, are of the ground floor classrooms and highlight the flexible functionality of the space. When the partitions are in place, 3 classrooms are available for use. Partitions can expand or contract as needed to provide 1 large and 1 smaller space or 1 auditorium sized space.

To view project plans, please click HERE

The year is flying by and we are now on to October with its beautiful harvest moons. COVID has now decreased significantly in the municipality and transmission rates are very low which is why as of the 28th of September mask use is no longer mandatory other than in medical settings, schools and airports in BCS. We are no longer seeing hospitalizations due to COVID and hopefully we will continue to see the transmission rate stay low despite the change in policy regarding masks. 

We are basically in the clear from hurricane season and luckily the storms that passed us this year did not do much damage in our municipality although they did affect the northern part of the state badly.  All of the rain has increased stagnant deposits of water, making perfect places for mosquito breeding. 

Dengue fever is endemic in BCS and we have seen a slight rise in cases. It is caused by the sting of the aegypti mosquito and symptoms include severe headache, joint pain, muscle pain and high fever, hence its pseudonym, ¨Breakbone fever¨.

Although not contagious other than through the sting of the mosquito, it is important that you see a medical professional to avoid complications. You may have noticed noisy trucks driving around your neighbourhood spraying, this is to decrease the mosquito population. 

Parting Comments

A recently published article in the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, noted that “every day 1,000 Mexican teenagers become pregnant” some as young as 10. To combat this social dilemma, the Mexican government launched the National Strategy for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (ENAPEA) in 2015 with a goal of eradicating child pregnancies and reducing the rate by 1/2 by the year 2030. 

Unfortunately, their goals will fall woefully short. Children having children not only curbs their educational opportunities but often leads to poor health outcomes, low earning potential, gender inequality, and gender violence. 

In light of these statistics, programs like Alas and Aguilas with input from professionals like Heddy Villaseñor, put our students ahead of the curve. We are proud of Liga MAC’s groundbreaking programs and amazing volunteers. 

And as Heddy points out, teamwork, resiliency, and the ability to assess a situation and find solutions are what allow Liga MAC to keep its students focused on their future success.

With sincere gratitude and hope for the future,

Maria Lindenberg, President

Liga MAC Board of Directors