By Elemir Steven Sará Mendoza

BAQ Social Projects Manager, GOYN Barranquilla

Barranquilla, Colombia's Golden Gate, is a mosaic of contrasts: on the one hand, a vibrant city thriving with entrepreneurship and culture; on the other, a territory where social inequality continues to mark the fate of thousands of young people. Barranquilla's youth not only face the uncertainty of unemployment or lack of access to quality education, but also carry a legacy of limited opportunities.

According to the GOYN Barranquilla report, 4 out of 10 young people are disconnected from the educational and labor systems, an alarming figure that translates into postponed dreams and an urgent challenge for the city. But here, amidst the breeze of the Magdalena River and the rhythm of Carnival, we don't stand idly by; that's why we decided to create opportunities. Through GOYN Barranquilla and our organization, Sembrando Sueños, we have built networks, promoted initiatives, and designed strategies that are changing the lives of hundreds of young people.

One example is "ConectARTE: paint, dance, and take action," a project that uses art and dance as tools for social transformation. Here, music isn't just music: it's resistance, it's identity, it's a cry of hope. 65% of young people who have participated in ConectARTE have found new opportunities in education or technical training, demonstrating that art not only beautifies, but also dignifies and empowers.

Narrating Change with Data

Numbers tell a story, but life adds nuances. According to the 2022 Latin American Development Bank's "Inherited Inequality" study, access to opportunities continues to depend on where you were born and the family you grew up in. 70% of young people in vulnerable situations have greater difficulty accessing higher education, perpetuating the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

Faced with this reality, we have brought the voice of youth into decision-making spaces, participating in public policy roundtables and national forums where solutions no longer come solely from the government, but from young people themselves.

We are not just statistics. We are names, stories, paths that cross in a city that refuses to leave its youth behind. In the neighborhoods where we work, 40% of young people report feeling more empowered to make decisions about their future after participating in our programs.

Furthermore, we have opened spaces for dialogue with the private sector and universities to generate new pathways to training and employment. Because we know that change doesn't happen alone: it's built collectively, with strategic alliances and the conviction that we are the generation that breaks down barriers and transforms realities.

A Call to the Youth of Mexico and Latin America

This isn't just the story of Barranquilla. It's the story of many cities in Latin America where young people continue to search for their place in the world. Therefore, from this corner of the world, the city's youth want to turn the world around. We call on the youth of Mexico and the continent: let's build our own opportunities together, raise our voices, and turn our ideas into action.

Because true transformation doesn't begin with official speeches, but in the streets, in the neighborhoods, in the community projects that rewrite the destiny of our territories day after day.