Colombia’s Crisis Is an Urban Youth Crisis. Old Solutions Won’t Work
By
Mauricio Cárdenas
Addressing the ongoing unrest will require courage and change
“We want opportunity, not handouts,” a young leader from a working-class neighborhood in Medellín told me last Saturday. The message was clear: If the government tries to solve the social unrest sweeping Colombia by handing out more cash, nothing will improve. The path lies in helping the youth to progress, to channel their talent and follow the path of Colombian cultural icons like J Balvin or Karol G. Our youth don’t belong inside, in their homes, where they have been forced to stay for too long. They belong to the outside world. Their seclusion from society began long before the...
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