Desafío América Latina Original: Youth across the region create solutions to combat counterfeiting
Let's make the original matter. Driven by that conviction, Junior Achievement Americas implemented, together with Mercado Libre and the International Trademark Association (INTA), the first edition of Desafío América Latina Original, a regional educational program that invited high school students from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico to become agents of change in the face of one of the most pressing problems in digital commerce: counterfeiting.
Over several months, students worked in teams to understand the real impact of buying counterfeit products — the risks to health, safety, and the economy, and the connection to organized crime — and designed their own proposals to promote the value of authenticity and drive more responsible consumption decisions in the digital world.
The program was driven by Mercado Libre, the leading e-commerce platform in Latin America, and INTA (International Trademark Association), the global association bringing together trademark owners and intellectual property professionals in more than 180 countries. Implementation across the four countries was led by Junior Achievement Americas, with the support of corporate volunteers who served as mentors, speakers, and jury throughout the process.
The challenge set out to increase awareness of intellectual property and brand protection among young people, foster a more secure digital ecosystem, equip participants with essential skills for their future (critical thinking, innovation, teamwork, and communication), and promote more responsible digital consumption among the next generation.
Organized in teams, students went through a multi-stage innovation journey that began with an introductory webinar led by specialists on the topic, followed by a Design Thinking workshop to deeply understand the counterfeiting problem and a Business Model Canvas session to structure their proposed solution. From there, teams moved into a pitch workshop and video production stage to communicate the idea they developed, before competing in national competitions, from which one winning team emerged per country. The journey culminated in the Regional Final, where the four national teams presented their proposals to a panel of professionals who evaluated value proposition, innovatio, presentation, and teamwork .
Throughout the journey, teams were guided by volunteer mentors from Mercado Libre and INTA, who supported the development of the projects through to their final presentation.
More than 280 high school students from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico took part in the program, alongside their teachers and corporate volunteer mentors, throughout this first regional edition.
The winning team: CAZA
Team "CAZA," from Mexico, was crowned winner of the regional final of Desafío América Latina Original, held on June 17, after besting the finalist teams from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Their proposal — software to detect counterfeit brands on digital sales platforms — was recognized by the regional jury for its innovation, feasibility, and presentation.
Each of the four national teams brought a distinct approach to tackling counterfeiting. In Argentina, team "New Original," from Instituto Cultural del Encuentro in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, set its sights on a problem close to home: counterfeit jerseys of the national soccer team. Their answer was a clever mix of luminescent inks and verification codes designed to expose fakes at a glance. In Brazil, team "By Trust," from ETEC Zona Este in São Paulo, took a different route, building an awareness campaign that meets young consumers where they already are — social media and an interactive platform where they can learn about counterfeiting, verify whether a product is genuine, share their own experiences, and earn badges for spreading the word, badges the team envisions eventually unlocking real benefits from partner companies. And in Chile, team "Prisma Collective," from Liceo Bicentenario Isidora Ramos de Gajardo in Lebu, set out to make choosing original products feel effortless, designing OG Essence, a fashion platform that uses technology to offer a secure, personalized shopping experience while reducing piracy, supporting genuine brands, and encouraging a more conscious, authentic way of dressing.
With the close of this edition, Desafío América Latina Original leaves a concrete legacy: more than 280 young people who now better understand the value of the original, and who walk away with more than just a certificate — they carry critical thinking, innovation, and teamwork skills to keep being agents of change in their communities.
Learn more about the project at desafiooriginal.lat.
