By Randy Marquez

GOYN Alumni

Young people in Barranquilla face structural challenges in education, employment, and socio-emotional health, which shape their life trajectories and their integration into society. Based on reports GOYN Barranquilla 2024 and Panorama of Youth in Barranquilla 2025This article analyzes the situation of young people in the city from the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu, particularly the concepts of habitus and capital. It is complemented by regional data from ECLAC and Ayuda en Acción (2025), which reveal that one in four Latin American youth aged 18 to 24 are neither studying nor working, reinforcing the urgent need for inclusive policies and transformative narratives. It argues that unequal access to cultural, social, and symbolic capital shapes a limited habitus, but that emerging narratives—such as the category of “youth with potential”—and the strengthening of social connections allow for the transformation of this habitus.

1. Introduction

The debate on youth in Latin America has been marked by the tension between stigmas and potential. In Colombia, the label “nini”—young people who neither study nor work—reinforced a negative narrative for years, associated with inactivity and dependency. In contrast, reports GOYN Barranquilla 2024 and Panorama of Youth in Barranquilla 2025 They propose a semantic and conceptual shift by introducing the category “young people with potential” (GOYN, 2024; NuestraBarranquilla, 2025).

Beyond language, this shift reflects an effort to recognize the capabilities and resources of young people. This article analyzes how young people in Barranquilla experience the interaction between habits and resources, and how transformative narratives can open new possibilities for action.

2. Theoretical framework

Pierre Bourdieu (1991) defines habitus as a set of enduring dispositions that guide how individuals think, act, and perceive the world. Habitus is shaped by early experiences, the family, educational, and social context, and while it does not absolutely determine, it conditions the horizons of possibility.

Habitus is related to the accumulation of different types of capital (Bourdieu, 2002):

• Economic capital: financial and material resources.
• Cultural capital: knowledge, skills, academic qualifications, and forms of expression.
• Social capital: networks of contacts, family and institutional ties.
• Symbolic capital: recognition, prestige, and legitimacy.

These forms of capital, in interaction with social fields (educational, labor, political), determine the position of young people and their possibilities for social mobility.

3. Youth in Barranquilla: a local analysis

3.1 Education and cultural capital

The GOYN 2024 report identified that less than 50% of young people who completed secondary school managed to enter higher education. In 2025, this phenomenon was conceptualized as educational fragmentation, with a 45% dropout rate before completing higher education (NuestraBarranquilla, 2025). This breakdown limits the accumulation of cultural capital, reproducing a habit that normalizes dropping out.

3.2 Employment and social capital

Access to employment depends heavily on social networks. In 2024, it was estimated that over 40% of young people were unemployed or working in the informal sector. By 2025, it was reported that 6 out of 10 would find employment through family or friendship networks (NuestraBarranquilla, 2025). This social capital, while valuable, perpetuates informal employment paths and restricts mobility. The report recommends strengthening vertical ties with institutions and businesses.

3.3 Socio-emotional health and vulnerability

Youth mental health is one of the most critical issues. The 2025 Panorama reveals that 50% of homicides and 60% of suicide attempts are among young people. This data shows how violence permeates youth culture, reducing expectations and reinforcing existential insecurity. Here, social capital in the form of support networks becomes crucial for sustaining life trajectories.

3.4 Participation and symbolic capital

Both reports acknowledge the existence of over 200 active youth groups in Barranquilla, which are invisible in official metrics. In 2025, 681% of young people expressed a willingness to participate in city issues, demonstrating a participatory habit and a search for effective institutional channels. Spaces for youth representation, such as the Youth Advisory Group (YAG), provide symbolic capital that legitimizes and amplifies the youth voice.

3.5 Transformation Narratives

The shift from the category of "NEETs" (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) to "youth with potential" represents a change in the collective narrative. It was proposed as a discursive idea in 2024; in 2025 it was consolidated as an official category. This change redefines the established norms, recognizing young people as agents of change rather than passive recipients of policies.

4. Youth in Latin America: a regional approach

The phenomenon of young people who are neither studying nor working is not limited to Barranquilla or Colombia. Regionally, the data reveals an equally worrying reality. According to a study by Ayuda en Acción and ECLAC (2025), one in four young people between the ages of 18 and 24 in Latin America are neither studying nor working for pay. This equates to approximately 30 million people in the region.

4.1 Magnitude of the phenomenon

This is a structural problem that affects the entire region, not an isolated case.

4.2 Gender inequality

Women are overrepresented in this group, mainly due to unpaid care work and barriers to accessing formal employment.

4.3 Structural limitations

The most affected young people come from poor or vulnerable households, which restricts their access to higher education, quality jobs, and strong social networks.

4.4 Relationship with habitus and capital

From Bourdieu's perspective, this phenomenon reflects a habitus conditioned by structural inequality and limited access to cultural and social capital.

4.5 Connection with Barranquilla

The case of Barranquilla fits into this dynamic: educational fragmentation and dependence on family networks to access informal employment are local expressions of a regional phenomenon. The category of “youth with potential” is emerging as a narrative alternative that can be replicated at the Latin American level.

5. Discussion

The interplay between habits, capital, and narratives allows for a better understanding of the situation of young people in Barranquilla and Latin America. Youth habits, marked by structural inequalities, tend to reproduce limited trajectories in education and employment. However, access to cultural, social, and symbolic capital opens up possibilities for transformation.

In this context, the narrative of “young people with potential” becomes a symbolic resource that modifies social perceptions and young people's self-perceptions. This change does not eliminate inequalities, but it expands the scope for action and highlights the need for public policies aimed at strengthening capital.

6. Personal experience and collective articulation

My personal journey from being a YAG member in 2024 to becoming a GOYN Alumni reflects these dynamics. In that process, I accumulated cultural capital (leadership and storytelling training), social capital (alliances and contacts), and symbolic capital (recognition in international settings).

This experience was deepened through collaboration with the YouthES Platform (https://juventudes.mx/), where network building, showcasing local experiences, and exchanging collective knowledge strengthened the symbolic capital of Barranquilla's youth in regional and global arenas. The commitment to connecting young leaders with organizations and participatory platforms demonstrates that habitus transformation doesn't occur in isolation, but rather through collective processes that amplify the youth voice.

7. Conclusions

The 2024 and 2025 reports show that the problem facing young people in Barranquilla lies not in a lack of skills, but in unequal access to resources. The ECLAC regional study confirms that this situation is widespread throughout Latin America: one in four young people aged 18 to 24 are neither studying nor working for pay.

Transforming this reality involves two tasks: ensuring structural conditions to expand cultural, social, and symbolic capital, and consolidating narratives that recognize youth potential.

The concept of “youth with potential” is not just a semantic shift, but a tool for redefining collective habits. Recognizing this is the first step toward building a city and a region where youth are seen not only as a generation at risk, but as protagonists of social transformation.

References

– Bourdieu, P. (1991). The practical sense. Madrid: Siglo XXI.

– Bourdieu, P. (2002). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Madrid: Taurus.

– GOYN Barranquilla. (2024). GOYN Report Barranquilla 2024. Barranquilla: GOYN.

– Our Barranquilla & GOYN. (2025). Panorama of Youth in Barranquilla 2025. Barranquilla: GOYN.

– ECLAC & Ayuda en Acción. (2025). Regional study on youth in Latin America. Santiago, Chile: ECLAC