Ten episodes of the radio drama “Owner of Your Dreams” were produced. There were five episodes in Spanish and five in Maya Q'eqchí language (the same ones), each half an hour long, which were broadcasted once a week by the Shekina community radio.

The recording of the radio drama involved seven bilingual actors and actresses, four adolescent girls and young women, and three young men, who used popular language for easier comprehension by the listeners.

The radio drama was written and coordinated by a young woman graduate of the PACE Women program, who is also a trainer for the programs Play Forward, PACE Girls, and PACE Women, thus having extensive knowledge of the program's content.

The radio drama was based on the four modules of the PACE Women program, which were also covered in the radio programs. Therefore, both the drama and the radio programs strengthened the life skills and leadership development of the participating young girls and women. This year's programs involved 257 adolescent girls and young women from Southern Petén, Guatemala.

The radio drama was broadcasted by Shekina radio, which, according to its audience survey, reaches one million inhabitants and has a tuning of 18,000 people from Maya Q'eqchí and Mestizo communities and marginal urban areas of the Petén department. Thus, the impact of this activity extends beyond its target population.

Fifteen episodes of the bilingual Spanish-Maya Q'eqchí radio program “The ABC of Sexuality” were broadcasted, continuing the topics addressed in the radio drama “Owner of Your Dreams.” These topics were based on the four modules of the PACE Women program: 1. Communication; 2. Problem Solving & Decision Making; 3. Time & Stress Management; and 4. General and Reproductive Health.

Each program lasted one hour, was broadcasted once a week, and was conducted by bilingual announcers from the AMA Association who graduated from the PACE Women's Curriculum program. The program was also broadcasted via Facebook Live on the AMA Fanpage, reaching more adolescent girls and young women throughout the Petén department.

In each program, a significant number of women interacted mainly through AMA's Facebook page and WhatsApp, providing comments on the topics and expressing appreciation for addressing these themes, which are not commonly heard on the radio and are very important to them.

During the programs, inter-institutional spots were also broadcasted about violence prevention and COVID-19 biosafety measures. These spots were produced by the AMA Association and institutions such as the Indigenous Women's Defense Office (DEMI) and the National Civil Police (PNC).

The program reached 6,000 people through the AMA Facebook Fanpage and was also shared by news pages on Facebook like NotiSur, Orgulloso de ser Poptuneco, Publichal, and Yo soy de San Luis Petén. This allowed it to reach more adolescent girls, young women, and people in general from different communities and marginal urban areas of Guatemala, Belize, and the United States, as evidenced in the program's communication records.

• Radio Drama “Owner of Your Dreams”
  257 adolescent girls and young Maya Q'eqchí and mestizo women from Southern Petén, Guatemala, participated in various programs of the AMA Association during the year 2021.
• Broadcasts of the bilingual Spanish-Maya Q'eqchí radio program “The ABC of Sexuality.”
  3,000 adolescent girls and their Maya Q'eqchí and mestizo families tuned into the radio program.

• 18,000 people from Maya Q'eqchí and mestizo communities and marginal urban areas in the Petén department, who are listeners of Shekina radio in Southern Petén, were sensitized through the radio drama.
• 6,000 people were reached and sensitized through the AMA Facebook Fanpage during the live broadcasts of the radio program.

Volunteering:
257 adolescent girls and young Maya Q'eqchí and mestizo women from Southern Petén, Guatemala, participated in various programs of the AMA Association during the year 2021.

During the development of the program, young women listeners expressed that thanks to the radio drama and radio programs, they now knew more about their rights and the importance of better time management to avoid neglecting important tasks. This often caused them to feel exhausted and neglect other activities, such as their own care and wellbeing, due to not prioritizing their activities.

The radio drama allowed the AMA Association to innovate in its activities, as this was the first time AMA produced a radio drama. This methodology is easy to replicate and very popular, especially among women in rural areas, thereby creating a significant impact on the population.

Moreover, community radio is a key ally in reaching young Maya Q'eqchí and mestizo women from remote and vulnerable communities, where radio is the main, and sometimes the only, means of communication, making its reach significant.

Teachers indicated that it was a beautiful program and that the radio drama provided them with a lot of learning, as they listened to it and encouraged their students to do the same. During interactive training sessions, it was observed that the students indeed listened to the drama and would often discuss it, mentioning the names of the protagonists and the realistic situations they faced.

The collaborators of the AMA Association are now familiar with the methodology of radio dramas, which has helped them strengthen their leadership skills, teamwork, and innovate in the activities they carry out.

A young woman project technician, who wrote the radio drama, has strengthened her learning in developing radio dramas, as she wrote a story based on the modules of the PACE Girls program. This has also helped boost her self-esteem, as she had always dreamed of becoming a writer.

The staff is also better prepared for translations, as the radio drama was translated into Maya Q'eqchí language by a young woman project technician from AMA and reviewed by an authorized translator from the Academy of Mayan Languages, who gave their approval.

The AMA Association has been promoting educational, awareness-raising, and advocacy activities through community radio, specifically targeting adolescent girls and young women from marginalized urban zones and remote indigenous and mestizo communities with difficult access. Radio is a key ally in reaching these vulnerable populations, which have limited access to basic services like health and education.

In this context, the AMA Association has been developing the radio program “The ABC of Sexuality” over the last five years. It is an educational space for dialogue and influence through community radios Shekina and U’tan Kaj. This program is widely recognized by young women and the entire Maya Q'eqchi’ and mestizo communities of the Petén department, Guatemala.

This has made it a key tool in promoting gender equality, violence prevention, COVID-19 prevention, fostering leadership, active participation, and women's human rights. The program serves as an open forum where participants openly discuss the aforementioned themes with cultural relevance, as it is broadcast considering the Maya Q'eqchi’ native language and the customs of the existing communities.

Therefore, it is considered opportune to use this space to promote life skills development in young women, which will also include broadcasting the radio drama “Owner of Your Dreams” as an innovative addition to the radial methodology implemented by AMA. This will undoubtedly strengthen the educational processes that have been promoted.

Marta Nohelia Coc Caal is a 15-year-old Maya Q'eqchí adolescent girl living in poverty in the hamlet of La Cumbre, San Luis, Petén. She began volunteering with the AMA Association in 2020.

During her volunteering, Marta expressed her desire to contribute to the education of girls and women. She joined AMA because she wanted to make a difference and mentioned that she always listened to the radio programs, learning a lot from them, including things she hadn't learned in school. She frequently expressed her interest in participating in the radio.

As a bilingual adolescent girl showing great interest and leadership qualities during her volunteering, Marta was invited to join the cast of the radio drama, an opportunity she accepted, feeling privileged and eager to contribute to the wellbeing of girls, especially indigenous ones.

From that point, Marta became the youngest collaborator at AMA, being part of the cast that recorded the radio drama. Notably, she performed exceptionally well, demonstrating responsibility and seriousness despite her young age, and showing better performance than some of her peers during the recordings.

Following this experience, Marta was invited to participate in the Play Forward and PACE Girls programs, challenges she also embraced. She prepared thoroughly, which allowed her to become a trainer in the program conducted in her home hamlet of La Cumbre. Her involvement significantly strengthened the program, as the adolescent girls knew her and could relate to her.

Marta also occasionally served as a trainer in Actelá Nuevo Horizonte, another community where the program was conducted. Additionally, she participated as a guest on the radio program on several occasions.

The changes brought about by this program have been significant for Marta, who is now an empowered adolescent girl contributing to the development of adolescent girls and young women in her community and in the Petén department of Guatemala.

Sandra Raquel Villalta Caal, a 28-year-old young woman, is a collaborator of the AMA Association. She participated in the PACE Women program in 2018 and, due to her interest in story writing, was chosen to write the radio drama “Owner of Your Dreams.”

Sandra shares her experience: “There are opportunities that come only once in a lifetime, and it's up to each of us to make the most of them. So, when I was asked if I wanted to be part of the AMA Association's team, I didn't hesitate to say yes. The work they do in violence prevention for adolescent girls and young women is very valuable. They not only support girls and women to develop physically and emotionally and to empower themselves with their rights, but they also provide support and development opportunities to their collaborators. An example of this is the chance they gave me to write the radio drama 'Owner of Your Dreams.' Writing this work was a dream come true for me, as it allowed me to fulfill one of the dreams I've had since childhood.

This work also gave me the opportunity to showcase my talent, which wouldn't have been possible without the support of the AMA Association. Making this radio drama public through them has positively changed my life. I am now more confident in my abilities and realize that there are more people who value my talents.”

Sandra continues, “Now I can speak more confidently to adolescent girls and young women, telling them not to let anyone say they can't achieve their dreams because they can see in me how dreams can come true. Despite living in a place known as conflictive and violent (Las Plantas neighborhood), I've had the chance to realize my dreams. I also know that through the radio drama, I've been able to raise awareness about the realities many adolescent girls and young women face in our country's communities and rural areas, which can help bring about positive changes for them.”

““I feel happy, empowered, and confident in myself. This is what this project has brought to me,” concludes Sandra.