Basketball is very popular in rural communities. The court is the center of town, across from the Palacio Municipal, or town hall. Matches are held, both formal and spontaneous, among school children, in festivals, and in context with other community events. Obtaining a court, or ensuring it is properly maintained, are among the main demands voiced by youth.

Music is also important in indigenous communities, partly as a result of the Church as it set out to evangelize the indigenous communities, as well as their own ancestral traditions. For children and young people band music is an extracurricular activity and form of recreation representative of their cultural origins. Music is now being considered as part of the secondary curriculum, and is an extracurricular activity offered through solfeggio teachers, who work mainly with the boys.

Dance has been incorporated into school activities and has been promoted by the teacher-training schools as a way to regain and preserve the culture of the state's many ethnic groups. Each community and each neighborhood has at least one group of children and/or youth who practice and enjoy performing their traditional dances.

In view of the environmental conditions of Oaxaca, environmental action groups have been organizing, and have become active throughout the state, especially in the last ten years. Supported by adults or at their own initiative, many groups of young people are now engaged in reforestation efforts, reclamation of streams, and road maintenance, among other activities.