WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2024 21 where each one could learn both from the mentors and their peers, fostering a reciprocal process (Figure 2). The event also featured dynamics such as speed networking, which allowed participants to exchange ideas and contacts quickly and effectively. This dynamic strengthened the idea that, just like a network of intertwined threads, each individual connection contributes to collective growth, both for the participants and the professional community. Attendees reflected on how these interactions can be applied to their professional development and how the relationships built during such encounters can be valuable in the long term. This type of event demonstrates the importance of creating spaces that promote the exchange of knowledge and the building of networks between experts and young professionals. Mentoring and networking not only enrich the educational experience of students but also contribute to strengthening the professional community. The event “Weaving Networks: Passions that Connect, Voices that Inspire” has been key in consolidating a unique platform for learning, sharing, and growing in the professional field. For this reason, similar events are expected to be held in future regional congresses of the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter, further strengthening the achievements made in Medellín. Notes Maria Angelica Barrera Ospina,* Student Member, WAS Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Board. * Corresponding author: mbarrerao@unal.edu.co References DuBois, D. L., and Karcher, M. J. (2005). Youth Mentoring: Theory, Research, and Practice. In D. L. DuBois and M. J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of Youth Mentoring (pp. 2–11). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412976664.n1 On September 25, 2024, within the framework of the VIII Latin American Conference on Native Fish Farming, the XI Colombian Aquaculture Congress, and Latin America and Caribbean Aquaculture-LACQUA 2024, held in Medellín, Colombia, the event “Weaving Networks: Passions that Connect, Voices that Inspire” took place. This event focused on the development of students’ interpersonal and professional skills, offering a unique space for reflection through personalized mentoring and networking activities on the challenges and opportunities in the workplace, as well as consolidating connections that will guide the new generation of aquaculture professionals. The event included eight working groups, focusing on key areas such as aquatic organism nutrition and feeding, reproduction and hatchery, sustainable aquaculture, as well as socioeconomics and agribusiness. Other crucial topics discussed included progress and efficiency in global aquaculture production, and essential factors for ensuring not only productivity improvement but also the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. With the aim of strengthening the capacities of the 64 attending students, leveraging the experiences gained throughout the event, this space also sought to establish a mentorship model that could be used and replicated in future events or similar activities (Figure 1). According to Dubois and Karcher (2005), an essential attribute of mentorship is that the mentor has more experience or judgment than the mentee; mentors, with their knowledge and background, provide strategic guidance that helps students acquire valuable tools for their academic and professional growth. This type of mentorship, vertical in nature, is characterized by the relationship where a more experienced individual guides the less experienced ones. However, the event also promoted horizontal mentorship, where the students themselves, by sharing experiences and perspectives, contributed to mutual learning. In this space, students interacted with each other, generating a collaborative environment of growth and support, LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN CHAPTER ARTICLE: Weaving Networks: Passions that Connect, Voices that Inspire — The Power of Creating Networks to Build the Future of Latin American Aquaculture Maria Angelica Barrera Ospina FIGURE 1. Sixty-four students participated in the Weaving Networks working groups in Medellin. FIGURE 2. The event also reinforced the importance of horizontal mentorship and networking among students.
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