The imagine youth project was launched fourteen years ago. Since then, it has grown internationally. The first partner project in Brazil was added ten years ago. Today, it comprises four youth groups on three continents that work together to promote greater respect and less discrimination.
A brief look at imagine international Colombia by Xenia Jehli, Organizing Committee imagine international.
In addition to the high level of youth participation and networking work, raising awareness is at the heart of imagine international. Key topics such as discrimination, exclusion, co-determination and diversity are common to all groups. However, the thematic focus of the young people’s awareness-raising work depends on their needs and circumstances. A core theme of the group in Colombia is the right to the city and the territory.
Overcoming invisible borders
In the metropolis of Medellín, young people are still severely affected by the consequences of the drug wars. Unemployment and, as a result, poverty and violence are ever-present. The city is criss-crossed by so-called invisible borders, mostly streets or crossroads at the end of a drug gang’s territory. Accidentally crossing these borders can mean death under certain circumstances. Certain squares or parks are also claimed and therefore avoided by the population.
Making public spaces usable again
One of the aims of imagine Colombia is to reoccupy precisely such places by organizing public events there together with other groups under different auspices. They invite people to become aware of their own neighborhood and the actors in it and to stand up for their own rights. In addition to the discussion platforms, the young people want to counteract this with a variety of music and dance performances.
What makes a good life?
The right to territory and its co-determination is closely linked to the key question of “Buen vivir”: What makes a good life, what common needs exist and how can we meet individual needs? Imagine Colombia also explores these and similar questions every two weeks with young people from other projects in the city.
imagine Colombia has a central function
This has already resulted in several video clips in which they present important findings from the collaboration and bring them to the wider public. In this way, year after year, they carry a positive message to young people, who are a strong demographic group in Colombian society. The general feedback from visitors to workshops, training courses, events and the festival encourages the group in its work: imagine has become the focal point for youth dialog in the region thanks to its networking and the chosen key topics.
