In 2025, I had the opportunity to participate in the GenerAccion Paz training programme, a space where I met with young people from different places to share experiences, dreams, and concerns surrounding disarmament. Listening to their voices and commitments awakened a conviction in me: young people not only can, but must, be protagonists of a safer world. That reflection was the seed that later drove me to bring the message of peace to my community.
With that motivation, and with the support of the Honorable City Council of Cuilápam, Guerrero, and the civil association OaxSport, I organized the First Walk for Peace, in which more than 200 people participated. The goal of the Peace Walk was to raise awareness about the importance of sport as a tool for building peace. The event also promoted environmental awareness by exchanging toy weapons for trees, a symbolic action to educate children and young people about the impact of violence and the importance of preserving nature. That morning, the runners wore white shirts as a symbol of hope and unity, sending a common and powerful message: the creation of spaces for peaceful coexistence is fundamental to strengthening values such as respect, solidarity, and social commitment.
The community's response was a turning point. When the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), through its Youth4Disarmament programme, launched the StepUp4Disarmament 2025 Challenge in July, I decided to join, drawing on my previous experience with the walk and the certainty that citizen participation could grow and have an even greater impact.
On August 24, 2025, Cuilápam, Guerrero, was the scene of an extraordinary event. More than 1,000 runners, walkers, entire families, children, youth, and adults joined together in the "Step Up 4 Disarmament" initiative, a day that transcended sports to become a collective act of awareness. The diversity of ages, genders, and regions gathered in one place conveyed a clear message: we are against nuclear weapons, and what we seek, in essence, is peace.
This local action was linked to the international Not One Nuclear Explosion – N.O.N.E. campaign, which aims to raise awareness among the younger generation that they have a role to play in saving the planet from the potentially existential threat posed by nuclear weapons. With firm steps, Cuilápam joined a global movement that rejects the threat of nuclear weapons and defends life and human security.
Organizing an event of this magnitude was not without its challenges. Surpassing the 1,000-participant mark represented a considerable logistical challenge for a small but committed team. However, solidarity made the difference: friends, family, and volunteers contributed time, energy, and enthusiasm. Every person who joined the team, every voice that encouraged the runners, and every helping hand that sustained the organization reflected a common idea: when the community unites, challenges become shared achievements.
Beyond logistics, the event confirmed the value of sport as a powerful tool for preventing violence, strengthening social cohesion, and building community. It wasn't just about running or walking, but about sharing a common purpose, inspiring other young people to get involved, and reminding everyone that peace isn't something we passively await, but rather a responsibility we build step by step, collectively.
As a young person, a member of GenerAccion Paz and a participant in the first ever Youth 4 Disarmament Forum which addressed issues related to nuclear weapons and emerging technologies, this experience reaffirmed my commitment to my homeland of Mexico and to the cause of disarmament. I understood that youth are not just the future: they are the active present that, through concrete actions, is already transforming realities.
Every conversation with the participants, every smile upon crossing the finish line, and every shared applause left us with profound learning. They reminded us that peace is not a distant ideal, but an achievable goal when we work together, from the local to the global.
The Step Up 4 Disarmament event demonstrated that community efforts, when linked to universal causes, can have transformative power. What began as a seed in an international youth programme has grown into a local movement with global impact.
Today I am convinced that peace is built every day: in the family, in communities, in the streets, and in the spaces where youth organize and participate. Our message is resolute: let us continue sowing peace, let us continue moving toward a world without nuclear weapons.