How Zapopan became a city of children

Zapopan, a metropolis successful the Guadalajara metropolitan country and 1 of the wealthiest municipalities successful Mexico, is besides 1 of the country’s astir child-friendly cities.

This is mostly acknowledgment to the information that done initiatives that scope from inviting children to assistance plan nationalist parks to offering workshops for parents and caregivers, Zapopan’s authorities has placed kid improvement astatine the halfway of its administration. The metropolis archetypal announced its volition to get a Unicef Child-Friendly City certification successful 2016, during the mayoralty of Pablo Lemus, present the politician of Jalisco.

Zapopan is simply a hotspot for color, beingness and family. (Fernando Carranza/Cuartoscuro)

As the country’s archetypal metropolis to measure itself a metropolis of children, Zapopan’s nonsubjective is to warrant young residents cardinal rights specified arsenic health, education, security, culture, athletics and participation, creating spaces and policies designed from the position of children. 

To recognize the initiative’s interaction and however it works, Mexico News Daily spoke with Marcela Preciado García de Quevedo, caput of the Ciudad de Niñas y Niños (City of Children) program.

“Our extremity is to marque definite everyone wrong the municipal authorities acts with 1 thought successful mind: that we are gathering a metropolis wherever children live,” Preciado said. 

The Jesuit University of Guadalajara (ITESO) postgraduate explained that too the programs they tally arsenic an office, their occupation focuses connected bringing a puerility position to different areas of government. 

Marcela Preciado García de Quevedo, caput of Zapopan’s Ciudad de Niñas y Niños program. (Gobierno de Zapopan)

“For example, successful the country of ​​entrepreneurship, we promote them to bash workshops for children — similar a kid’s situation — who are processing something,” Preciado said. “Or, if the country of grooming and acquisition connection wants to see a kid position successful their programs, we amusement them however to bash it done nationalist libraries, municipal centers oregon the Luciérnaga libraries.”

Luciérnaga libraries are a exemplary inspired by a Korean programme that encourages learning and subject done play for marginalized communities. Zapopan’s extremity is to person 19 of these libraries. It presently has 17, and the metropolis reports that these person benefited implicit 173,000 people.

The programme besides seeks to support kids from home violence, kid maltreatment and quality trafficking done acquisition workshops aimed astatine parents and caregivers. 

But Preciado’s occupation isn’t lone focused connected high-achieving programs. Her bureau besides oversees regular attraction enactment that could perchance interaction children. 

“If the Public Works Office is pruning a tree, my occupation is to marque definite that workers are mindful that kids mightiness walk by adjacent that tree, reinforcing the value of information measures,” she said.

Thanks to Zapopan’s absorption connected puerility — which has been recognized and supported by Unicef —  the municipality earned a nationalist Child-Friendly City (CAN) grant by the Mexican Network of Child-Friendly Cities (RMCAN) successful 2024, successful the class of Community Development. The accolade was awarded for Zapopan’s Help Desk for Children and Adolescents.

The city’s parks besides supply a harmless abstraction for children to fto loose. (Gobierno de Zapopan)

“Through this work desk, we perceive to the children’s suggestions and amusement them that they don’t person to hold until they are adults for america to perceive to them,” Preciado said aft receiving the award. 

Through this desk, children tin capable retired a “magic sheet” expressing what they would similar to spot successful their community, from murals connected parkland walls to caller playground instrumentality and more. This initiative, which launched successful 2022, has heard and addressed the concerns of 2,000 children.  

Zapopan is besides the archetypal entity successful Latin America to survey children’s level of happiness. The city’s Child Welfare Survey, archetypal conducted successful 2022, assesses education, societal fabric, play, wellness and culture, among different indicators. According to the latest survey, conducted successful December 2024, 9 retired of 10 children successful Zapopan are happy.  

But for Preciado, the biggest accomplishment has been raising consciousness astir the captious value of the archetypal 5 years of a child’s life.

“Personally, this is simply a large accomplishment due to the fact that it is during these years that the top fig of encephalon connections occur,” she said.

While different municipalities successful Mexico are moving towards ensuring a harmless and steadfast manner for its youngest residents, Preciado said that Zapopan continues to beryllium the lone municipality successful the state that prioritizes children’s wellbeing successful its section budget. 

“There’s nary different municipality similar Zapopan,” she said. “No different municipality allocates truthful galore resources to children.”

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was calved and raised successful Guadalajara and covers business, culture, manner and question for Mexico News Daily. You tin travel her manner blog Dunas y Palmeras.