Support youth's mental health-social reintegration

Through this project, we supported children and young people affected by forced recruitment, including young offenders, former child soldiers, and at-risk youth, in Bogotá and Meta. Through a narrative-based psychosocial approach, the project focused on healing trauma, preventing re-recruitment, and supporting meaningful reintegration into families and communities.

Reaching Young People, Families, and Caregivers
Over three years, the project reached 525 children and young people and 250 adults, including parents, carers, and frontline staff. Activities are designed to strengthen mental health, emotional wellbeing, and social inclusion, recognising that sustainable reintegration depends not only on the child, but on the environments around them.

Healing Through Story, Art, and Leadership
Children and young people take part in workshops on life skills, emotional regulation, and self-recognition as subjects of rights. Through art therapy, storytelling, and positive leadership sessions, participants were supported to reinterpret their experiences, rebuild self-esteem, and imagine futures beyond violence. These creative and reflective spaces helped young people process trauma while strengthening resilience and confidence.

Strengthening Families and Protective Environments
The project works closely with families and community actors to reduce stigma and create protective environments that prevent reoffending and further recruitment. Sessions with caregivers focused on emotional intelligence, communication, and shared responsibility, helping transform family dynamics and rebuild trust between children and the adults around them.

Youth Leadership and Institutional Collaboration
A key strength of the project is the inclusion of young people as project staff, ensuring relevance, credibility, and sustainability. Strategic partnerships with institutions such as the Juvenile Criminal Responsibility System and UNODC expanded the project’s reach and reinforced pathways for reintegration.

Advocacy and Lasting Impact
Beyond direct support, the initiative contributes to national advocacy efforts for restorative justice, demonstrating the power of community-based, narrative approaches to promote mental health, social inclusion, and long-term reintegration for children affected by armed conflict.

This project shows that when children are supported to heal, reclaim their voices, and rebuild relationships, reintegration is not only possible, it becomes a foundation for peace. Your support helps us continue this work and expand it further, ensuring that children are protected and communities are equipped to support them.  

Links:

• Forced Recruitment in 2025 - What we're doing to prevent it
• Tackling forced recruitment and exploitation in Colombia

In Colombia, thousands of children and young people grow up surrounded by violence, displacement, and poverty; experiences that leave deep emotional scars. Many struggle with anxiety, trauma, and fear, often without access to the mental health support they need. Without this care, children are at greater risk of isolation, gang recruitment, or continued cycles of violence.

At Children Change Colombia, we believe that protecting children means caring for both their minds and their hearts. Through our narrative-based psychosocial project, we’ve created safe spaces where children can heal and reflect.

Activities like Kintsugi (healing through art) and leadership workshops help children rebuild confidence, strengthen community ties, and see themselves not as victims, but as survivors and future leaders. Psychosocial workshops and creative sessions allow them to process trauma, reconnect with their families, and find hope in their own voices.

Supporting children’s mental health is about giving them more than care, it’s about giving them back their sense of safety, belonging, and possibility.

This World Mental Health Day, we celebrate the resilience of the children we work with and reaffirm our commitment to their emotional recovery. Together, we can build a future where every child has the chance to heal, learn, and thrive. Join us in making this future possible, support our project and help transform lives.