Valentina Testa
Pronouns: She/her
Organisation: Argentinian Youth Organisation for the United Nations (OAJNU)
Country of Orgin: Argentina
Profile
Valentina Testa volunteers at the Argentinian Youth Organisation for the United Nations (OAJNU). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and studies public sector innovation. After beginning and ultimately quitting Law studies, she was encouraged by a friend to join OAJNU. While initially uninterested, her perspective changed as she collaborated with them on different activities. She has been a part of the organisation for over a decade, with six years spent working at the Córdoba headquarters, the city where she was born and raised. She served as president in 2021 and 2022, and is now a representative of Córdoba in the Assembly of Associates and a member of the National Gender Commission for OAJNU. The organisation focuses on democracy, social inclusion and human rights, working on projects to engage the young in activism and to encourage critical thinking. Valentina said that becoming involved with OAJNU led her away from her traditional Catholic upbringing and values, completely changing the trajectory of her personal and professional life.
Story
Valentina Testa said that joining OAJNU gave her purpose. She said that as she grew up, she was surrounded by traditional Catholic values at school. She was not aware of social justice, citizenship responsibilities and unequal opportunities. She said that when she found OAJNU and began working with them, something ‘woke up inside of [her]’, making her question things. As a result of new exposure to people with open minds and the work at OAJNU, Valentina began deconstructing ideas she had received during her childhood. Her ‘whole person changed.’
The organisation OAJNU is dedicated to developing critical thinking in young people. It is a trait deemed integral to transforming youth into active citizens. Founded in 1995, OAJNU began mainly as a United Nations Model but grew to develop other projects, including simulations and debate activities, many of which were presented in schools. The goal is to empower youth to enhance their capacities and awareness of their rights so that they can take action and contribute to democracy, inclusion and the promotion of rights. Valentina describes Argentina as a highly politicised country, but she said that among the country’s policymakers and representatives, young people are not fairly represented. So OAJNU functions under the idea that ‘you don’t have to wait until some adult or politician brings the solution to this topic; you have the power to start by yourself and do something.’ It is in this context that OAJNU wants to awaken interest in social justice among young people. OAJNU makes a conscious effort to pay attention to issues particularly impacting young people, such as gender perspective, mental health problems, access to education, youth participation in politics and human rights, all of which have received more attention since COVID-19. When an issue is not properly addressed by the government, OAJNU includes it in their agenda with the aim that young people will become aware and inspired.
Valentina said that OAJNU does face a major structural challenge, however. As a volunteer-based organisation, it is unrealistic to expect a person to always be in the same position. Therefore, the roles switch every year. When this happens, it halts the flow of some projects. For example, someone working in communications might have developed a strong social media presence and have organised press activities, but the next person may not be similarly motivated or might have a completely different perspective. Another challenge is the lack of expertise in acquiring sponsors or promoting, which Valentina said hinders growth in terms of a project’s scope, as well as its input and structure.
Despite these challenges, OAJNU has a positive impact on the communities it serves and on its volunteers. Valentina said OAJNU changed her life by allowing her to discover herself, be free and learn to accept that not everything she was told growing up is true. Most of her friends she has today are from OAJNU. She speaks about the power to want to do something, which she now carries with her in every space in her life. ‘The will to do something is the basis of everything,’ is a sentiment that Valentina wholeheartedly embraces. It is reflected in her passion for OAJNU and exposing young people to new ideas that they may strongly connect with and become inspired to fight for.
