By Gina Pezzano | Project Facilitator
Colombian youth are not future leaders - they are present leaders taking action now thanks to the support this program has received from donors like you. UNINORTE, with support from Partners of the Americas and Global Giving, provided a unique opportunity for 20 students to formulate and lead projects addressing social problems in their communities and to contribute to the strengthening of youth volunteerism and group solidarity in Colombia at a time of tremendous challenge and opportunity.
Prior to working in their communities, the program creates important spaces to allow university students to discuss social problems and to learn more about the social realities they face. These spaces also provide a forum for students to actively participate in their communities by applying well known strategies for alleviating the problems they discuss. As such, UNINORTE’s Barranquilla program has formed the necessary alliances to advance students’ volunteer participation in local projects with high social impact on vulnerable groups in the region.
To meet these objectives, students in the Caribbean region of Colombia were first organized in a Training and Reflection Group. Upon concluding their training, they worked with seven different civil society organizations to learn about programs in different areas of Barranquilla that address different social needs. They were charged with designing, training and leading activities to help address these needs.
The seven projects in which the students participated include:
1. The Best of Barranquilla, Thanks to You: A citizen participation project that involves 150 merchants in the recuperation of public spaces in the Los Caños region of Barranquilla. Entity: DAMAB.
2. Social Leadership and Citizen Participation: A project to train 32 community leaders in citizen participation methodologies in Malambo, a community of 192,000 inhabitants, including citizen oversight and monitoring of public servants in order to protect their rights. Entity: Foundation Huellas de ACESCO.
3. Artisan Women of South Barranquilla: A training project for 29 women artisans who produce crafts for export to improve their entrepreneurial skills and ability to develop producer cooperatives. Entity: Triple A.
4. Movies and Culture: Promotion of community cultural activities conducted by Cinemateca del Caribe , as part of an education strategy in poor neighborhoods in Barranquilla. Entity: Cinemateca del Caribe .
5. Partners in Education for Barranquilla: An alliance of private enterprises that construct new schools in impoverished sectors of the city. Entity: ARGOS.
6. Youth with a Future: A project to improve the quality of life for youth from low socio-economic backgrounds through the development of social skills and healthy habits. Entity: Children International.
7. Youth with the Right to Have Rights: A psycho-affective recovery project for 75 children and youth from at-risk neighborhoods in Barranquilla. Entity: CEDESOCIAL.
Your continued support will help these projects advanced. Donations will go to those projects with the greatest need and impact. However, you may also specify a specific project for support.
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