Airbus Flying Challenge Mexico program wins award

The first edition of the Airbus Flying Challenge, the signature Airbus Foundation youth development program, was awarded the Best National Volunteer Program  in Mexico by the United Way-Fondo Unido during the NGO’s annual assembly in December.

The Mexican Flying Challenge, launched in September 2019, lasted eight weeks and reached 170 students from the Joaquín Gallo Monterrubio Elementary School. At the heart of effort were 30 Airbus volunteers that met with the children weekly to raise awareness about the aerospace industry, strengthen their academic development and reinforce soft skills. 

This edition of the Flying Challenge marked the beginning of a collaboration between Airbus and Fondo Unido to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to underprivileged students in Mexico. The program was expected to launch it’s second edition at the start of 2020 but the efforts were halted due to schools closing as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Airbus and Fondo Unido are currently working to launch a virtual program.

The program, customized specifically for Mexican students along with the Secretary of Public Education of Mexico City, features a unique curriculum focused on space exploration. Overall, 76 percent of students attested they had a clearer view of their future vocation, 77 percent saw an increase in their confidence and 71 percent showed more enthusiasm and engagement in learning.

The Flying Challenge is a global program that has benefited close to 5,000 students since its launch in 2011, with the participation of more than 1,900 Airbus volunteers worldwide. Aiming to inspire young people at risk of dropping out of school to continue their education, find their professional vocation and realize their dreams.

Mexico was the second country in Latin America to launch the Flying Challenge after Brazil, where the program was in 2018 in Itajubá, home city of Helibras, the Brazilian subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters.