Abrazo
Paz
Cultivating Nonviolence and Compassionate Leadership in Ribera de Chapala
AbrazoPaz (Embrace Peace) is a transformative, community-based organization born in the west of Ribera de Chapala, Jalisco, dedicated to fostering nonviolence and compassionate leadership in young people and their communities.
About
AbrazoPaz envisions a community where relationships, compassionate action, and leadership contribute to a resilient culture of peace. By investing in youth, mentorship, and intergenerational collaboration, we aim to restore trust, foster cooperation, and inspire local change. We invite individuals, families, and community partners to join us — to embrace peace together, nurture each person’s potential, harness our power with heart, rooted in wisdom, and integrity to address social and environmental challenges of our time.
Our Mission
To foster nonviolence and compassionate leadership in young people and their communities, cultivating a culture of peace rooted in relationship—within, among one another, society, and the environment.
Livier Ayón, MSc, Applied Social Psychology, is a director, facilitator, and Chevening Scholar. She founded AbrazoPaz in Jalisco, Mexico, creating an intergenerational, multidisciplinary program that cultivates peace, leadership, and community engagement. Grounded in personal and collective experiences of resilience amid challenging circumstances, Livier emphasizes deep listening, empathy, and engagement with local realities. Anchored in mindfulness, nonviolence, embodiment, and trauma-informed approaches, she collaborates with international partners, including the Metta Center for Nonviolence and the Right Use of Power Institute, bridging creativity and restorative approaches to advance youth-focused community transformation.
Livier Ayón
Founder
Our Programs
To respectfully enter and appreciate the community’s talents and resources, reinforcing what already works locally, AbrazoPaz begins with a Community Participatory Process that ensures relevance and effectiveness.
Raíces Vivas: Core Intensive Camp
Monthly weekend camps where youth participate in experiential learning focused on:
Social and emotional development, mindfulness practices, and communication skills.
Understanding relationships at a personal, interpersonal, and community level.
Nonviolence, leadership, and the “Right use of power®”.
System awareness and mindful engagement with the environment.
Growing practical capacity by applying the learnt experiences in their local community.
Long-term Mentorship Program
Each youth leader is paired with a trained adult mentor, providing guidance, support in different areas of life, and relational continuity throughout one year.Mentors guide youth in applying lessons from the Core Intensive Program into everyday life and community interactions.
Additional Benefits
Increased awareness of how violence is perpetuated and abated
Improved ability to reduce violent behavior, becoming positive influences in their lives, families, and communities
New skills to support and implement the understanding of peace education and its advantages
Contact
If you have any questions or comments, please send us a message
Support Our Mission
Abrazo Paz is dedicated to fostering a culture of peace by promoting nonviolence, compassionate leadership, and social-emotional education among young people and their communities.
Make a one-time or monthly contribution with a credit or debit card instantly via PayPal
By Check, Money Order, or Cash
IMPORTANT: so that we can identify your donation, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with: your street address, e-mail address, the amount of your donation, and the name of the organization to which your donation is to be designated.
US or Canadian Dollars
To make your contribution using a US or Canadian bank check, you can either mail your check to our US postal address, or drop your check off at our local mail drop location in Lake Chapala.Make your check payable to “Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities AC”.For us to identify the non-profit to which your donation is to be directed, you must include a note in which you state: your name, your street address, your email address, and to which charity the money should be directed once we receive it.To send it from the U.S. or Canada (NOT Mexico), mail your check here:Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities
5802 Bob Bullock, Ste. 328C-4A
Laredo, Texas 78041
Mexican Pesos
To make a contribution using a check drawn in Mexican Pesos, you can either bring your donation check to our local bank branch, or drop your check off at our local mail drop location in Lake Chapala.Make your check payable to “Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities AC”.DEPOSIT AT BANK:
Banco BX+
Located in the Commercial Plaza at Hidalgo #227
San Antonio Tlayacapan
(next to the Coca-Cola bottling plant)Ask the teller to deposit your donation into the following account:Account name:
Foundation for lake Chapala Charities, AC
Account number: 706-036
Cash
If you are in Mexico, you can make donations in cash by visiting our local bank branch and depositing your donation directly into our account.Our bank details:
Banco BX+
Located in the Commercial Plaza at Hidalgo #227
San Antonio Tlayacapan
(next to the Coca-Cola bottling plant)Ask the teller to deposit your donation into the following account:Account name: Foundation for lake Chapala Charities, AC
Account number: 706-036
DROPPING OFF CHECKS (USD/CAD or Mexican Pesos):
For us to identify the non-profit to which your donation is to be directed, you must include a note in which you state: your name, your street address, your email address, and to which charity the money should be directed once we receive it.Place your check and the note in an envelope, marked “Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities Box 4-A,” and drop it off at the front desk at HandyMail, Hidaldo #159-C, San Antonio Tlayacapan (one block east of Super Lake an the carretera).Alternatively, you can give your envelope to a member of our Board of Directors.
By Wire Transfer
For us to identify the non-profit to which your donation is to be directed, you must send an email to [email protected] in which you state: your name, your street address, the amount of your donation, and to which charity the money should be directed once we receive it.
USA Domestic
You can send your contribution in US dollars via domestic US wire transfer from your USA bank account or financial account to our correspondent bank in the USA.IMPORTANT: donations provided in this way must be made with "For Further Credit To" instructions, and can only be made in US dollars.To make a donation via USA domestic wire transfer with "For Further Credit To" (FFC) – US dollars only:Currency: USD (U.S. Dollars)
Transfer Type: Domestic U.S. wire transferBeneficiary Bank (Receiving Bank):Bank name: Bank of America
ABA routing number: 026009593
Bank telephone number: (800) 446-0135
Bank address: 4 New York Plaza, Floor 15, New York, NY 10004
Account name: Banco Ve Por Mas, S.A.
Account number: 6290926907For Further Credit To (FFC):FFC Name: Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities
FFC Account number: 706351
FFC Address: 5802 Bob Bullock, Ste. 328C-4A, Laredo, Texas 78041
Purpose of payment: Charitable grant
Mexico
If you are a donor in Mexico, you can send your contribution by making an electronic transfer of funds from your bank account or financial account in Mexico to our bank account in Mexico.To make a bank-to-bank electronic funds transfer within Mexico:Name of bank: Banco Ve Por Mas SA
Bank account number: 706036
CLABE code for transfers: 113180000007060368
Name on the bank account: Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities AC
Other International
All contributions originating from the USA must be made via domestic USA wire transfer. We cannot accept donations from the USA via international wire transfer.For donors located outside of the USA who wish to contribute via international wire transfer, please click here to contact us to receive the proper instructions.