{"id":6759,"date":"2026-06-11T18:13:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T00:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/?post_type=jovenes-en-el-mundo&p=6759"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:16:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T00:16:05","slug":"juventud-y-cambio-hacia-una-transformacion-sistemica-en-tiempos-de-elecciones-en-colombia","status":"publish","type":"jovenes-en-el-mundo","link":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/jovenes-en-el-mundo\/juventud-y-cambio-hacia-una-transformacion-sistemica-en-tiempos-de-elecciones-en-colombia\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth and Change: Towards a Systemic Transformation in Times of Elections in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alexandra Villafa\u00f1e Rojas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sociologist and member of the GOYN Advisory Group in Barranquilla<\/strong><\/p>\n

Within the context of the current dynamics unfolding in our country, a highly relevant issue regarding political participation is youth political participation. It is no secret that the current Colombian context is immersed in a sea of tensions, where society as a whole is expressing differences, concerns, and reflections regarding the future of the country.<\/p>\n

Without a doubt, this is a crucial moment for our nation; the various unions, organizations, and parties are trying to defend their positions to the very end, one of these groups being the Youth. To this day, Young people move throughout the country, through collectives, movements, organizations, foundations or as individual thinkers; they make their positions and convictions known by putting creativity and intellectual autonomy into action<\/strong>They mobilize, march, paint murals, use social media, etc. But the most significant thing here is the collaborative work and the support networks that they all provide each other.<\/p>\n

So, how does this affect the future of the country?<\/strong> Simply put, young people are an important and very large sector in the political sphere, especially during election times. In 2021, young people represented 24.81% of all inhabitants in Colombia, that is, almost a quarter of the population. Of these, approximately 41,000 young people ran as candidates in the Municipal and Local Youth Council elections, and approximately 1.27 million young people voted. By 2025, the number of candidates in the same elections had risen to 45,183.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although the figures are not extremely high compared to election results for other offices (council, house of representatives, mayor, governor, etc.), and considering youth political participation in previous years, the figures are becoming more significant, as they indicate that more and more Young people are showing interest in participating in advocacy spaces from different sectors: women's groups, LGBTQ+ communities, environmentalists, Afro-Colombian communities, among others. This is happening in Barranquilla alone.<\/strong> 367 youth groups were identified, comprising over 5,000 young people (Nuestra Barranquilla), many of whom, from their different perspectives, seek to actively participate in the city's political development processes.<\/p>\n

Innovation and social transformation are the hallmarks of the various youth groups, because they don't settle for the conventional or lukewarm positions that have prevailed for so many years; they seek to go further, to ensure their voices truly have political and social impact. They are the protagonists of a systemic transformation that seeks to redefine ideologies, stereotypes, and stigmas deeply rooted in our society.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it is worth noting that one of the main tools for dissemination and expression during campaign periods is the media, which makes perfect sense. We are in the digital age, where young people maximize their technological and creative skills to create mechanisms for continuous empowerment through posts on various social media platforms, primarily Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.<\/strong>Young people no longer need traditional formats to stay informed about political issues (print media or television at fixed times), so their participation is highly linked to modern digital spaces. This, in turn, brings to the forefront the debate about the need for a transformation in traditional media, where It's no longer just about providing information, but about providing contextualized information<\/strong>This is precisely what has generated distrust in these formats, especially among young people.<\/p>\n

In a democratic society, the media has a great responsibility, and it is crucial that it continually renews itself and adapts to new audiences. What can be done to strengthen democracy with the input provided by journalism and attract the attention and two-way participation of young people? \u201cThe media delivers information that must be balanced, and above all, it must tell the truth\u201d (Osvaldo Sampoyo).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Based on the above, the conclusion is that young people are becoming increasingly critical, reflective, and seeking intellectual autonomy that reflects their ideals and who they are as individuals. In this sense, and considering the current debates surrounding the upcoming presidential runoff on June 21st, young people play a fundamental role in decision-making regarding the country's future; every day more of them join the struggles and coordinate efforts to defend common interests. We see, for example, the recent surge in the K-pop and ARMY communities, which have actively joined the presidential elections through social media in support of the candidacy of Iv\u00e1n Cepeda and Aida Quilcue.<\/p>\n

As a reflection, and from my perspective as a young citizen, I believe that politics should not be offensive, regardless of one's stance on the matter. However, I do think it's essential to act with logic, coherence, and rationality; to defend interests based on knowledge, not ignorance; and finally, to abandon the individualistic mindset that has been the primary cause of wars, divisions, and dystopias in Colombian society.<\/p>\n

Literature<\/strong><\/p>\n

National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE. (2021). Youth in Colombia https:\/\/www.dane.gov.co\/files\/investigaciones\/notas-estadisticas\/dic-2021-nota-estadistica-juventud-en-colombia.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

National Civil Registry. (2021). Youth Council Elections., Young People Choose Young People https:\/\/wapp.registraduria.gov.co\/electoral\/Elecciones-consejos-juventud-2021\/<\/a><\/p>\n

National Civil Registry. (2025). https:\/\/www.registraduria.gov.co\/45-183-candidatos-participaran-en-las-elecciones-de-los-Consejos-Municipales-y.html#:~:text=En%202025%2C%20la%20Registradur%C3%ADa%20cancel%C3%B3%20119%20c%C3%A9dulas,nacimiento.%20Lunes%2029%20de%20diciembre%20de%202025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unisim\u00f3n News. (2024). There can be no democracy without a free press: participants of the panel on the influence of the media on Colombian democracy.<\/p>\n

Our Barranquilla. (2026). Mapping Report of youth groups in Barranquilla. https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/jpaltahona\/image\/upload\/v1778700614\/INFORME_DE_MAPEO_DE_ORGANIZACIONES_JUVENILES_BARRANQUILLA_2026_compressed_e7a17340ac.pdf<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"imagen_principal_b":"http:\/\/juventudes.mx\/wp-content\/uploads\/jet-engine-forms\/27\/2026\/06\/FOTO-ART-ALEX_B.png"},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6759","jovenes-en-el-mundo","type-jovenes-en-el-mundo","status-publish","hentry","category-participacion-y-politica-democracia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jovenes-en-el-mundo\/6759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jovenes-en-el-mundo"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jovenes-en-el-mundo"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juventudes.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}