This program integrates continuous and personalized accompaniment in which each young person has their Youth Resilience Plan.
With the objective that youth, men and women of the country have access to tools to empower their resilience, the program Resilient Youth together with the social leader Johana Bahamón and the captain of the Colombian team and ‘Ambassador of Resilient Youth’, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, launched the campaign “Let’s go for that one.” It is a communication crusade led by 34 youth groups that seek to disseminate the Youth Resilience Plan.
Thus, eight thousand young people from 30 municipalities in the country are accessing training opportunities, use of free time, employment and entrepreneurship through the program Resilient Youth, from the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and ACDI/VOCA.
The manager of networks and healthy relationships of the program, Ana María Mendoza, explained: “The Youth Resilience Plan is the route that each young person travels with the accompaniment of psychosocial professionals to strengthen their life project through a comprehensive process in six dimensions of being: individual, family, community, educational, friendships and economic empowerment, in order to reach their maximum potential and the development of skills”.
“We want young people to bet on their life projects, dreams and ideas. That’s why we ask them: do you want to empower your skills? Let’s go for that one! Do you want to find study, employment or entrepreneurship opportunities? Let’s go for that!, we can achieve it”, commented Jorge Botello, artist and director of Fundación 5ta with 5ta Crew from Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, which is part of the 33 groups that participated in this co-creation.
There are 130 young people from Bogotá and Soacha, who are carrying out their Resilience Plan, and 20 more from the Adolescent Criminal Responsibility System, SRPA, who accessed economic opportunities in the Resilient Youth Program, through Internal Action, an organization founded by Johana Bahamón.
In the presentation of ‘Let’s go for thatexpressed: “For more than ten years I have learned what resilience is in prisons with people who are transforming their lives, but during these years I have learned that it also lives in every young person. I am glad to be part of this #CollectiveEffect in which we work to generate second chances, but also the first ones for many young people in our country”.
For his part, soccer player Juan Guillermo Cuadrado stated: “Resilience is overcoming difficult moments and when it is done in a group it is better. On March 20, we beat the German team for the first time and we were only able to do it because we stayed compact. Each player worked for the team. And the same thing happens in life, when we trust ourselves and rely on our families, friends and communities. I invite the youth to maintain discipline in their life projects, always in a collective effect.”.
Thus, based on the six dimensions of the Youth Resilience Plan, the 34 communication groups created “¡Let’s go for that!” “We saw how the Resilient Youth program has been accompanying the youth of our territories and we also wanted to join that #Collective Effect. So we get together and co-create’Let’s go for thata campaign that encourages youth to go ahead for their dreams and projects”, emphasized Botello.
Among the actions that the 34 youth communication groups will be leading, there are initially eight events in Medellín, Cúcuta, Cartagena, Arauca, Caquetá, Vista Hermosa, Tumaco and Quibdó, cities and municipalities where ‘Resilient Youth’ is present. They will be community integration activities in which the Resilience Plan will be discussed through cinema-forums, conversations and playful games.
About the Resilient Youth Program
The Resilient Youth Program is the first of USAID Colombia dedicated to raising the potential of 14,000 young people in 30 municipalities of the country until 2025, creating protective environments that enable access to economic opportunities, training, and the use of free time. The foregoing, generating connection bridges between families, communities and public and private entities so that youth have leadership and sociopolitical participation in favor of their communities and territories.