Youth in Action in Rural Guatemala

Almost a year ago I was on my way to one of the most wonderful adventures I have ever experienced. It happened with a youth initiative called COJDECA (an acronym that translates to the Youth Council for the Development of Cerro Alto), located in rural Guatemala. It was an opportunity to truly understand what youth empowerment is all about and its high potential to improve living conditions in, I would say, any country of the world. It was also an occasion to see how cooperation among people from different countries is a key factor for development.

On April 1st, 2008, I flew to Ciudad de Guatemala where I met Matt at the airport (friend, colleague and co-founder of COJDECA), and afterwards a group of COJDECA members and staff gave us a very warm welcome. COJDECA is a youth-driven initiative aimed to improve young lives in Guatemala and the communities in which they live. It started off four years ago as the Guatemala Youth Empowerment Project, thanks to an international exchange opportunity Matt had when he was an undergrad student in the USA. COJDECA currently serves over 50 youth in the small village of Cerro Alto (“high hill” in Spanish… does this give you any idea about the landscape?), where it offers leadership and active participation opportunities to the youth of the surrounding area, so that they have good alternatives to joining gangs or drinking alcohol, just to give you a few examples. I was very excited to visit them at last! I had heard so much about them, and was eager to know how they lived, and to understand their dreams, aspirations and challenges.

The night we arrived in Guatemala City, staff members William and Adolfo, as well as COJDECA’s President Edson, took us out to dinner to “Pollo Campero” (the most popular fast food chain in Guatemala… or at least I think it is!); and once we were completely stuffed, they drove us to Chimaltenango, a small city located approximately two hours away from Guatemala City. The next day, very early in the morning, William took us to Cerro Alto and that was when the adventure really started! Cerro Alto is in the middle of the mountains and you can see a couple of volcanoes from there (yes! Volcanoes! How cool is that?). Alongside the road, I saw a many flowers and tree plantations, beautiful woods and humble houses, one of which was Edson’s house, where we were going to stay for five days.

Edson is 22-years-old and lives in a small house with eight of his family members, including his wife and child. While we were there, Matt and I got the chance to play with some of his little brothers and sisters, as well as try his mom’s traditional home-cooked meals. I was struck by the generosity and warmth of his family, even though they live under very difficult conditions. I also realized they had the capacity to enjoy life and be optimistic without letting their circumstances affect them. I wanted to capture part of that in this picture, where some of Edson’s siblings are playing happily in their patio with a bubble maker Matt gave them as a gift. I was touched by how they were able to have fun with the simplest things. So many other youth (including me), sometimes complain about being bored while having much more than they do for entertainment.

Just like Edson’s family, COJDECA members were so kind and warm to us, that they made us feel a part of the group right away. Additionally, they have something that is common among empowered youth: drive and motivation. They work with a very small budget, p by The Youth Factor, a U.S.-based non-profit formed by an international team of young professionals who work with promising grassroots youth initiatives around the world to further develop resources, evaluation, training, and networks. (I’ll be writing about Youth Factor on my next blog post, so stay tuned!) COJDECA organizes activities that give young people a space to have fun while also developing leadership skills. For example, they organize soccer games for men and women. Matt and I got to play with them! I had a blast with the girls’ team and I still have the uniform I was wearing in this picture - the youth gave it to me as a gift.

I love COJDECA because it is a great example of how youth can do a lot even with few resources. It also reflects how youth from different countries can work together to make this world a better place for everyone. It shows that much can be done if young people take their lives in their own hands and become active agents of positive change in the world.

Have you heard about rural youth initiatives in Guatemala or any other country? What are your thoughts about youth empowerment and how can we use it to tackle our world’s challenges and opportunities?