Beginning in the first semester of 2025, the Rumbo Joven (Youth on Course) program opened in Candelaria, a neighboring municipality of Cali, to continue fomenting youth development and empowerment through employability. Since its beginning in 2014, the program has become a key launchpad for more than 2000 youth in the city of Cali, providing the tools needed for employment and personal advancement.
Rumbo Joven (Youth on Course) has its origins in the Tecnocentro Cultural Somos Pacífico (“We are the Pacific” Cultural Technocenter), dedicated to innovation and youth development in Valle del Cauca’s capital city. From its inception, notably positive results have been achieved. Its impact has been so significant that in recent years it has expanded to other communes in the city of Cali and surrounding regions, such as Siloé, San Nicolás, as well as to other municipalities, such as Jamundí, reaching greater numbers of young people seeking to transform their futures.
Now, Rumbo Joven (Youth on Course), as a part of the Compromiso con Valle (Commitment to Valle) initiative, has arrived in Candelaria, offering local youth the opportunity to gain access to formal employment, develop soft skills and prepare for the labor market. Supported by a solid structure and its significant trajectory, the program promises to continue to be a fundamental tool for social and economic inclusion.
Program beneficiaries have access to diverse services, including career orientation, technology training (ICT) and psychosocial coaching. The variety of skills emphasized allows the youth of Candelaria to find their appropriate development path, be it in work or in life.
The results obtained in areas in which Rumbo Joven (Youth on Course) has operated demonstrate the initiative’s effectiveness. Participants have improved their employment opportunities and developed purposeful life goals. Thanks to program partners’ support, and an alliance among diverse educational institutions, local organizations and private enterprise, the program has bridged the gap between youth and real employment opportunities.