Colombia: Encouragement and education of youths

Background

45 million Colombians live on square footage of 1'141’748 km² and one fourth of them are youths. According to estimates of the UN 24 million people are living below the poverty level and 9.5 million in absolute poverty. Colombia is exposed to violence since its independence 1819. The current civil war between government, paramilitaries, great land owners and guerrillas is persisting since almost 50 years. Victims are among the civil population. An estimated 3.6 million are internally displaced persons, fugitives in their own country.

Present alternatives to violence

The 1'430 youths participating on the YMCA Colombia program „Encouragement and education of youths” derive from the lower social classes. Often they were exposed to violence in their own lives and some of them fled to the city because of an armed conflict. Their life holds not a lot of perspectives.

YMCA shows alternatives. The program enables the youth to express themselves verbally and with creativity. They can learn concrete knowledge in manual and functional areas. Their self-confidence is strengthened, and their leader potential elevated.

With the help of groups and networks they are learning to solve conflicts constructively, to esteem themselves and others, work on projects together and take on responsibility in their own environment. They get involved with a friendly living together in their own quarters and boost the social development in their communities.

Gain self-confidence and perspectives due to education

The program is implemented in the cities Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Armero-Guayabal, Pereira and Bucaramanga through YMCA. It consists of the main areas Holistic Education (Coexistence and Peace, Health, Vocational and Academic Education, Leadership and socio-political Education), Participation and Organisation, Employment and Strenthening of the Youth networks.