We don't want to be told about the future: we want to be part of it

Being the fourth woman to preside over the Honorable Deliberative Council of Las Heras since the return of democracy is, for me, much more than an institutional fact. It is also the result of a path traveled by many women who, before us, dared to occupy spaces that for a long time seemed reserved for others, as well as a change that society was demanding: other perspectives, other ways of relating to one another, of communicating, of understanding and building politics, that would give way to a new society, with greater openness, participation and an understanding of the new needs the world was demanding in every sense.

That's why, when we talk about the transformation Uspallata is undergoing and the mining development that is beginning to open a new productive stage in Mendoza, we also have to talk about ourselves. About the women who want to be there. About those of us willing to train, to ask questions, to study and to take on this challenge that lies ahead.

The president of the Deliberative Council, Noelia Delpir, at the Young Business Development Mining Forum.

Some time ago I challenged myself and specifically sought out the opinions of young people. I also decided to take on my own responsibility, to train and complete a Specialization in Mining Business Management: I learned about geology, logistics, law, among so many other topics. I did it because I understood that, faced with a process of this magnitude, it is not enough to repeat what others say. We have to educate ourselves in order to participate, decide and build with judgment and responsibility this new industry that is joining the province's productive matrix, alongside winemaking, agriculture and many others.

And there is something that particularly excites me: the women of Uspallata are already showing that they want to be protagonists.

The work being carried out by Mujeres de Cobre, an organization born in Uspallata, is concrete proof of that. Women who organize, who train, who seek out tools and who understand that opportunities don't arrive on their own — you also have to prepare yourself to be able to seize them.

Mujeres de Cobre, the organization of Uspallata neighbors that is beginning to write its history in Mendoza's mining sector.

Their work represents the determination and conviction of a community of women who want to get involved, learn and build their own place in a transformation that is already underway.

Along the same lines, the training programs being promoted by PSJ Cobre Mendocino and Impulsa Mendoza are essential, because every training opportunity opens a door.

For a long time, mining was viewed through a predominantly male lens. Today we have the chance to change that story.

Women don't want to be spectators of the productive transformation of our territories. We want to be technicians, professionals, suppliers, entrepreneurs, workers, businesswomen and leaders. We want to be at the tables where decisions are made and also in the places where every project is built.

Noelia Delpir celebrates the organization of women in Uspallata to work in mining.

That's why we must also think about development in a comprehensive way.

The Master Plan promoted by the Municipality of Las Heras, Uspallata's strategic location, the bioceanic corridor, National Route 7 and the opportunities that may arise around new investments compel us to look beyond a single economic activity.

We need to integrate existing opportunities, family businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises, larger-scale investments and new value chains, so that our young people find in Uspallata opportunities to stay and build their life projects there.

Mayor Francisco Lo Presti during the Public Hearing for the PSJ project. Las Heras has also prepared a Master Plan for activities complementary to mining.

21st-century mining needs trained workers, but it also needs prepared communities. It needs women and young people equipped with tools. It needs local suppliers, strengthened businesses and people capable of seizing the opportunities that may arise. A place where our young people don't have to leave to find a future.

As a woman, as President of the Honorable Deliberative Council and as part of a community that is discussing its future, I want the women of Las Heras to know that there is a place for them in what's coming.

Don't wait for someone to invite you in.

Prepare yourselves. Ask questions. Learn. Dare.

Because perhaps in a few years we will look back and understand that this was not only the moment when Uspallata began to discuss a new development model. Perhaps it was the moment when many women decided that the future also carried their names.

That is the future I want for Uspallata.

That's where we're headed.

That's where we are.

*Noelia Delpir is President of the Deliberative Council of Las Heras, Mendoza.