My interest in civic participation began in my neighborhood. I was 14 years old when the Community Action Board was created in my neighborhood in Vijes, Valle del Cauca, and there was an effort to involve young people. I started there as a board member, and I came to understand that participation is not just about pointing out problems, but also about getting involved in finding solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Jorge Robledo School, I served as a student representative in different grades and later as the school\u2019s student ombudsperson. From those positions, I tried to be a voice for my classmates and to bring specific issues before the principal, the Mayor\u2019s Office, or the Department of Education, including teacher shortages, desks, accessibility, and school-day conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, I participated in youth elections and was elected to the Youth Council at 17. Then, at 18, I was elected to the Vijes Municipal Council, and years later, at 26, I became mayor. It was a gradual process, built through different spaces for participation and with the support of many people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My experience has shown me that one of the main barriers young people face is a lack of trust. Because of our age, people often assume that we lack experience, that we are immature, or that we do not have the skills needed to take on major responsibilities. That distrust does not disappear through speeches. It has to be addressed through training, consistent work, and a willingness to be accountable for the decisions we make. It also requires recognizing that no leadership journey is built alone: behind every process are communities, teams, organizations, and individuals who create opportunities, provide support, and help sustain the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have always said that I was a rebellious young person, but over time I came to understand that rebellion needed a cause. Demanding change was not enough. It was also necessary to contribute and become part of the solution. That belief is what motivated me to remain involved in spaces for participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first spaces for participation are a school in themselves. The challenge is to ensure that these processes do not stop there, but are able to grow and take on new responsibilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>
When a young person becomes involved in their community, they learn to understand its needs firsthand. They begin to see what is happening in schools, neighborhoods, and the municipality. They also discover that social problems do not always have immediate solutions, but that even a small action can make a need visible, mobilize others, or open the way toward a solution. That is why youth leadership requires discipline, the ability to listen, and sensitivity to social issues. It also demands commitment. This work can be frustrating because it is not always possible to solve everything. Even so, every contribution can help ensure that a problem is recognized and addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Young people have an important role in the decisions that affect our communities. Participation does not mean displacing other voices, but ensuring that young people are also present in the spaces where the future of our territories is decided. Institutions have a responsibility in that process. Municipal, departmental, and national governments must create meaningful spaces for participation, listen to young people, decentralize their actions, and comply with youth-related legislation. Youth Councils cannot become merely symbolic bodies: they must serve as spaces for dialogue and influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also important to make visible the forms of leadership that emerge from the grassroots, not only those linked to traditional politics. Today, social media can help bring attention to a need, a community initiative, or a project and, from there, encourage others to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most difficult challenges we faced during my time as mayor was the pandemic. There was no manual telling us exactly how to respond to an emergency of that magnitude. Decisions had to be made amid uncertainty and with the responsibility of serving a community that needed guidance and answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also had to build trust. It was not enough to say that a young team was capable. We had to prove it through our work, take responsibility for the consequences of our decisions, and listen to the community. That process did not depend on one person alone, but on everyone who was part of the administration and the different sectors of the municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My journey began in the classroom and in my neighborhood, but it was only able to move forward because of the people and communities that created opportunities, supported the process, and trusted in young leadership. That is why we need to take these early spaces for participation seriously. With opportunities, training, and real responsibilities, they can grow into processes capable of influencing decisions and contributing to their territories.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mi inter\u00e9s por la participaci\u00f3n ciudadana comenz\u00f3 en el barrio. Ten\u00eda 14 a\u00f1os cuando se conform\u00f3 la Junta de Acci\u00f3n Comunal de mi barrio, en Vijes (Valle del Cauca), y surgi\u00f3 la intenci\u00f3n de vincular a los j\u00f3venes. All\u00ed empec\u00e9 como vocal y entend\u00ed que participar no consiste solamente en se\u00f1alar los problemas, sino tambi\u00e9n…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1890,"template":"","class_list":["post-1883","altavoz","type-altavoz","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/altavoz\/1883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/altavoz"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/altavoz"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/altavoz\/1883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1886,"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/altavoz\/1883\/revisions\/1886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextgenc.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}