We youths must take part in the political lives of Latin American governments because we can speak in first person about our experiences, and our needs. We have rights and garantees and have the right to determine our own choices. But to make informed choices we need access to education, health care, harm reduction policies, jobs and finally, democratic venues for the expression of our identities and culture.
The article brings up the experience of a young Colombian who lives in a comuna (slum), reporting his experience with drugs, use of firearms and the power hierarchy in the armed groups.
The third article of Exit Bulletin shows that the personal history of young Colombians at risk is intimately related to the organized armed violence, as well as the government programs to reduce it.
The article is a fantastic report of the situation of girls and young women in at risk situations. Family breakdown, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and 'machismo' (male chauvinism) in society makes this report the synthesis of the phenomenon lived by girls and young women.
A pinhole camera, a cell phone. Young photographers and children learn the arts and crafts that tell their stories, fighting stigma and promoting social inclusion in the peripheries of a number of cities in Latin America. It is a question of abandoning prejudices, taking a second look through the looking glass, and finding a new world both familiar and unexpected, hidden in plain sight.
Latin American countries have been receiving anti-drug policy models with open arms, policies based on a “war” that has been raging for close to 40 years now, with deplorable results. Throughout this war and in the spirit of cowboy movies, we have witnessed the appearance of emergency laws, elite police commandos, special courts, maximum security prisons, working groups and anti-drug czars. What are the next steps?
Daniel Mejía, co-author of the study along with Pascual Restrepo, notes that Plan Colombia has had little success in lowering the influx of cocaine to the United States, but it has improved security in Colombia.
The cities of Bogota and Medellin have invested in strengthening their public library system, creating libraries that go beyond merely checking out books, veritable civic centers that combat social exclusion and lower levels of violence.
“We do not believe in repressive security measures that manage conflict and lead to an erosion of rights, more arrests, more weapons. We believe in a new paradigm: Conflict Transformation.” J. Laffitte, director of AFSC Latin America, conducting experiments in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.
Rice, pie, bread, wine and energizing drinks made from coca. Is it possible? The Colombian Coca Leaf Festival showcases the various ways the coca bush may be used as an alternative for the gastronomic, economic and cultural sovereignty of indigenous peoples.
The third article of Exit Bulletin shows that the personal history of young Colombians at risk is intimately related to the organized armed violence, as well as the government programs to reduce it.
A pinhole camera, a cell phone. Young photographers and children learn the arts and crafts that tell their stories, fighting stigma and promoting social inclusion in the peripheries of a number of cities in Latin America. It is a question of abandoning prejudices, taking a second look through the looking glass, and finding a new world both familiar and unexpected, hidden in plain sight.
