Through conversations with community elders and the dreams and aspirations of youth leaders, “La Mochila de los Sueños” is a youth-led documentary that traces the histories, traditions, and cultures of seven different communities in Colombia’s northern department of La Guajira. It sews the common thread between them all: the devastating impact of conflict and displacement. At times deeply personal, the documentary exemplifies the communities’ resilience, their desire to preserve traditions, to see themselves represented in history, and to build the building blocks of a brighter future. On this #YouthDay, we’re proud to give the youth-led work that follows the wider audience it deserves.

As the documentary shows, Colombia’s youth – many of them indigenous Wayuú – are enthusiastic about the prospect of peace in the region, key to mending old wounds from decades of strife and war.

In Colombia, the armed conflict between the guerilla factions (FARC, EPL, ENL, etc.) and the government has been one of the longest-running in the hemisphere, and for those who have lived it first-hand, it has touched every aspect of their lives.

One of our programs, entitled “Rompiendo Fronteras”, has been working towards teasing through the very violent and turbulent history their families have lived through by teaching 49 young people from different communities in La Guajira on food security, health, human rights, social entrepreneurship and care for the environment in innovative and culturally-sensitive ways. In doing so, it has developed the capacities of youths in each of these areas, as well as in communications, which culminated in the making of this documentary. In March 2020, the youths graduated after an 18-month program, having identified areas of possible growth for themselves and their communities. 

Overwhelmingly, the initiative, seeks to build a more resilient and united community. Implemented in partnership with Programa de Desarrollo y Paz del Cesar (PDPC), the program’s name literally translates to “breaking barriers”, and it is designed to do just that: break the chains of the past. As you’ll see in the documentary, many of the community leaders want to impress on the youth the need to rediscover their shared ancestry and traditions as a means of moving forward and re-building their collective identity. 

While this years’ theme for #YouthDay is engaging youth in transforming food systems (which MI Americas does in other projects, like our Mangrove restoration and Haiti food security programs), the enterprising spirit of the youth of La Guajira was so inspiring that we thought it was essential to share.

Developing youth capacities has been at the forefront of MI Americas’ priorities from the very beginning, and with “La Mochila de los Sueños”, the youth of La Guajira are putting their community’s road to recovery in the foreground. Take a look: