My name is Natalia González and I am 20 years old. My family and I live in the Potrero Grande neighborhood and I am part of the Rumbo Joven program of the Alvaralice Foundation. I am a very creative, artistic, critical, empathetic, and a socially-aware young woman. And I truly understand the power and potential I have in society. I am an authentic and very sensitive woman, and despite every problem I’ve gone through in my life, I feel that I have reached a point where I can fight for what I want and I decide to have my future in my hands. Colombia is full of young people like me who are building a better future with resistance, strength, and patience.
We are building the future today, with strength and conviction
Colombia is a country with a lot of young people, whose dreams and expectations are high. The youth are the main force in the country and we have a very strong vision of the future—we dream of a better Colombia. We dream of a country that offers us more and better opportunities, a country where violence is not the trend of the day, with more education and fewer weapons, and where the police and military forces unite with the people against corruption.
We want a country that includes everyone, without distinctions, as established by our constitution. We want a country where we can reach our full potential, with worthy and fair opportunities, so that we can aim for a better tomorrow, being better professionally, economically, and socially. We want a country where no one is judged by their way of life, where we can be the best version of ourselves, without making the same mistakes of the past. We want a country where we can create a better future for ourselves and generations to come.
We want a Colombia with decent well-paid jobs without exploitation and where someone without experience is given opportunities. We also want a country where sexual education is not a taboo. All of these conditions are necessary for Colombia to achieve a high level of development, without ignoring our culture and reaching a stable political, economic and social balance.
We want a country where we can choose our future and not be restricted by being born in a certain place or in a certain way. We want a country where, without being censored or labeled as misfits or thugs, we can freely defend our opinion and point of view, where society believes in our ability to lead and make decisions. A country where we all have more information and knowledge at hand, (at least more than before), without being considered arrogant. A country that supports the hopes of its revolutionary youth, who want nothing less than a positive transformation and greater opportunities.