🧭 A Future on Hold: A Generation Between Broken Promises and New Possibilities

Study, get a job, start a family, buy a house. For many previous generations, this path was demanding but achievable. Today, millennials face a radically different landscape: yes, they have higher education—many are the first in their middle-class families to attend university—but what once promised a tender future has turned into a cycle of debt, resting on unstable jobs and an unreachable housing market.

The American Dream Has Faded

A recent BBC article describes how this shift began with the booming post-war society and how it slowly crumbled into today’s deep-rooted crisis in the U.S. As heirs of neoliberalism, Latin America experiences this collapse through its own bloodstream. In Chile, Cold War fear tactics, coupled with the promises of economic progress during the dictatorship under a freshly implemented economic model, gave rise to an emerging middle class—trapped between the hope of upward mobility and the reality of growing debt.

Clear indicators back this up: 60% of young Chileans believe it’s impossible to own a home, and 77% are indebted either through student loans (CAE) or consumer credits irresponsibly handed out by banks. As a result, a significant slice of the population is indefinitely postponing parenthood—not from lack of interest, but due to an absence of real conditions: the overwhelming need to juggle work, debt, and childcare. This tightrope walk deepens psychological distress, which bleeds into the workplace. Mental health becomes not only a public health issue, but a commodified one, increasingly difficult to ignore.

🤷 Living with Your Parents Past 30

Moving out isn’t just about emotional growth anymore; it’s a financial obstacle. Jobs that make dignified housing possible are simply out of reach. So we ask: what does it mean to live with dignity in Chile? That’s not a rhetorical question; it’s a real-time image captured in Plaza Italia—ground zero during the 2019 social uprising, a space renamed Plaza de la Dignidad (Dignity Square). The headlines from that year tell the story of a crumbling political class and a demand for historic justice.

From a gender lens, the burden falls disproportionately on women: motherhood becomes an economically charged decision, impacting employment and mental health. The social contract is unraveling, and competition for scarce opportunities among lower-income sectors becomes unsustainable. Poverty takes on new shapes, informal economies rise, and crime becomes more diverse. Is it really surprising when morning TV shows open with footage of yet another violent incident?

🧠 Is Education Still a Key to Social Mobility?

Even with university access, many young people struggle to find stability. But that doesn’t mean education has lost its value—it means it needs reinvention.

Neuroeducation, developmental psychology, and critical pedagogy all agree: investing in education from early childhood, with innovative methods, is key to leveling the playing field. Educational models that are inclusive, active, tech-savvy, and emotionally aware yield better outcomes in building life skills, especially in vulnerable contexts. They foster critical thinking and emotional resilience.

At the same time, public policies that strengthen the public school system, expand digital access, and train teachers in socioemotional and culturally relevant practices can begin to reverse historical inequalities. The issue isn’t just access—it’s quality, relevance, and real-world alignment. That’s the challenge for innovative models that defy rigid ministry frameworks.

🌐 Beyond the American Dream: Towards a Possible Social Pact

If the "American Dream" is obsolete, it’s time to create a new one that fits Latin American realities. One that doesn’t rely solely on personal hustle. Phrases like "if you want it, you can do it" or "work hard and you’ll be happy" need to be retired. What we need are bold policies: real access to housing, labor laws that offer protection in flexible markets, solid care networks, and high-quality public education in a world where innovation—handled with caution and foresight—can drive sweeping change.

In the last decade, as millennials entered the job market, they proved that mobility depends on overhauling the whole social structure. Markets must offer ethical, political, and cultural responses. Without them, an educated and indebted generation will remain one of the most vulnerable links in the chain—all while heading toward an uncertain old age.

So here’s the final question: Can we, as a society, offer the next generation a present that is truly livable and dignified?

📌 Share your thoughts on our Instagram @fundaciondracma and help us grow a network rooted in critical thinking and hope for change.

🌿 Leon XIV: A New Pontificate Between Tradition and the Hope of Change

The election of Leon XIV as the new Pope has generated diverse reactions within the Catholic community and society at large. While some celebrate his commitment to the poor and his pastoral approach, others express concerns about his stance on the role of women in the Church and other contemporary issues.

A Pontiff with Roots in America

Robert Francis Prevost, now Leon XIV, is the first American pope and also a Peruvian national. His experience in Latin America, especially Peru, has influenced his pastoral vision and commitment to marginalized communities. In his first address, he stated:

“Together we must be a Church that builds bridges.”

This statement reflects his intention to continue the legacy of inclusion and dialogue promoted by his predecessor, Pope Francis.

The Role of Women in the Church: Progress or Pause?

One of the most debated topics is Leon XIV's position on the role of women in the Church. The new pontiff has expressed that the ordination of women would not solve the Church's problems and could create new challenges. The perception within the Catholic community that advocates for the integration of women in leadership positions creates tension regarding the progress made under Pope Francis.

Organizations and communities affiliated with our institution that promote the active participation of women in ecclesial leadership roles see this position as a potential stagnation in the path toward a more inclusive Church. However, Leon XIV's leadership promises continuity , albeit without setbacks.

A Church in need of transformation

The new pontificate of Leon XIV comes at a time of great challenges for the Catholic Church: controversy, a crisis of faith in different regions of the world, and the urgency of adapting to a constantly changing world, allowing the Church to continue to be a beacon of reference for society.

At the FundaciónDracma, we reaffirm our commitment to education, gender equality, and the promotion of women's active participation in all spheres of society and the Church. We hope that the new pontificate of Leon XIV, considered a deeply spiritual man with a missionary sensibility and a defender of an episcopate close to the people of God , will be an opportunity to advance toward a more inclusive, dialoguing Church, committed to addressing the challenges of today's world.

The current role of women in society and the Church: a future with hope

The recent death of Pope Francis invites us to pause and reflect on the changes his pontificate inspired and the paths we still have to build. At the farewell Mass organized by the Apostolic Vicariate of Aysén, Chile, Margarita Estévez Ramos , founder of the Dracma Foundation , gave a heartfelt speech in which she reflected on and elaborated on one of Francis's greatest concerns: the recognition and promotion of the role of women in the Church and in today's society .

Las Iglesias del mundo realizaron misas de despedida al Papa Francisco

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis was clear and courageous in his words:

"The Church recognizes the wise contribution of women to society through their sensitivity, intuition and unique abilities" (Francis, Evangelii Gaudium , 2013).

Furthermore, he did not hesitate to point out that

"Women in the Church are more important than bishops and priests" (Interview in Il Messaggero , 2014), recognizing a dignity and leadership that had historically been made invisible in many ecclesiastical structures.

In her speech, Margarita Estévez Ramos recalled how Francis promoted significant changes in the Vatican's institutional architecture, opening up leadership positions that, for centuries, had been reserved solely for men.

These gestures were not, as he himself emphasized, an attempt to modernize in the face of new social norms, but rather a profound response to the recognition of women's capabilities and irreplaceable contributions in all spheres of ecclesial and social life.

Today , thanks to these changes, the presence of women in decision-making positions in the Church is beginning to become normalized. Breaks are opening up in historically masculine structures, and with them, new modes of dialogue, discernment, and community building.

Margarita Estévez, our founder, emphasized in her speech that these transformations not only look within the Church, but reflect a broader movement: the desire for a society where women and men can develop on equal terms .

As an institution whose mission is to promote and empower women in diverse workplaces, we want to firmly emphasize that this task begins with the education of girls and boys , teaching them from an early age that talents, leadership skills, and sensitivity are human gifts, not assigned by gender.

The challenges persist. Cultural, institutional, and social resistance still exists that hinders women's full participation, especially in decision-making. However, as Pope Francis pointed out at various times in his life, "transforming structures is not a matter of speed, but of depth."

We embrace the hope conveyed by the recently deceased Supreme Pontiff. An active hope, one that is not satisfied with small symbolic gestures, but rather commits to a real transformation, one that builds a Church and a society where female leadership is not an exception, but a natural part of community life.

The death of Pope Francis leaves us with a legacy: belief in the transformative power of sensitivity, in the strength of dialogue, and in the importance of walking together—men and women—toward a more just, more humane, and more integrated future.

📌 Through these articles, we follow the current process of the Catholic Church, the foundation of our spirit and vision.