Fabretto’s Contribution: Turning Global Vision into Local Action

At Fabretto, we align with UNESCO’s vision by translating these global principles into locally grounded, youth-centered education programs. We believe education is most powerful when it is shaped with youth—not just for them—particularly in rural communities where access and opportunity remain limited and young people know best what their communities need.

A key example of this commitment is CaTec (Capacidades Técnicas in Spanish), a youth development program methodology designed to help rural Central American youth thrive.

Each CaTec course includes climate-smart training in agricultural techniques and rural entrepreneurship, hands-on learning activities that reinforce real-world application, skill-building in communication, critical thinking, science, and a strong community service orientation that fosters leadership and civic engagement. In CaTec centers, youth co-design school gardens and share what they are learning with their families. In this way, CaTec becomes a space where education is co-created with youth, grounded in their ideas and aspirations.

Through CaTec, youth develop practical and leadership skills while also being supported to stay in school, strengthening retention and academic performance in rural secondary education programs and reinforcing their role as active contributors to their communities.

This program has been implemented in Honduras for 3 years. In 2025, 471 youth participated in CaTec, reaching 16 rural communities. Fabretto trained 17 community facilitators, who guide youth through learning-by-doing activities. The program achieved a 92% graduation rate in 2025 – a big achievement in contexts where often fewer than half of youth continue their secondary education. Together, CaTec students planned and carried out 11 community gardens and 7 pig-raising projects to learn first hand how to produce vegetables, tend the land, and raise animals – all to use what they learned to support their families and communities.

 Milestone in Youth-Led Education: The First CaTec Graduation in Guatemala

The first CaTec graduation in Guatemala, celebrated at Xchool Ixim, marked a meaningful milestone for youth-led education. Surrounded by families, educators, and community members, the ceremony reflected the collective effort and pride behind this achievement. As the first CaTec graduating class in the country, students showed what is possible when rural youth receive dedicated support, engage in learning connected to their lives and communities, and are trusted to lead. More than a graduation, the moment signaled the beginning of a new chapter for youth leadership and opportunity in Guatemala through Fabretto’s work.

Co-Creating Education: From Global Vision to Community Impact

On the International Day of Education 2026, UNESCO calls on governments, organizations, and communities to recognize youth as active partners in co-creating education. Through CaTec and our work with partners like Xcho’ool Ixim, Fabretto sees what this looks like in practice: young people helping define priorities, leading projects, and using what they learn to strengthen their communities.

When young people are empowered to co-create their education, they become agents of change: transforming their communities and shaping a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Donate today through this link to help expand youth-led education and create a lasting impact in rural communities.