MEXICO CITY – First lady Michelle Obama is wrapped up her visit to Mexico with a round-table discussion with a group of young leaders.
Mrs. Obama came to Mexico City this week to launch an international agenda that's about inspiring young people around the world to become civically engaged.
At breakfast Thursday, she planned to talk to the young leaders about their experiences and encourage them to continue being active in their communities.
In a speech Wednesday, Mrs. Obama said responsibility for meeting the world's defining challenges soon will fall to the younger generation.
Obama stepped into a sea of screams, cheers, and squeals of delight that filled the sun-splashed courtyard of an elementary school yesterday in Mexico’s capital. Dozens of 6- to 12-year-olds welcomed her with a show.
One group dressed as Aztecs performed a ritual dance. Another group did calisthenics; Obama’s cause at home is a campaign against childhood obesity. Others entertained with a lively twist-style dance.
Obama joined in at one point, clasping hands and singing along with students at Escuela Siete de Enero, in one of Mexico City’s poorer neighborhoods.
“That was beautiful, everything you did,’’ she said.
The two-day visit is her first to Mexico.
Obama went to Mexico to launch an international effort to engage young people everywhere and encourage them to become leaders and problem-solvers in their communities.
Nearly half the population in Mexico, for example, is younger than 25. Worldwide, people ages 15 to 24 make up 20 percent of the population, she said in a speech that amounted to a call to action.
Addressing some 2,000 invited high school and college students at Universidad Iberoamericana, Obama said ordinary citizens, including young people, must step up to help governments and world leaders solve everything from poverty to climate change.
“The fact is that responsibility for meeting the defining challenges of our time will soon fall to all of you,’’ she said.
She was due in San Diego later Thursday to visit a community farm and promote her campaign against childhood obesity.
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