The ‘Rumbo Joven‘ Employability Program’s main objective is to help young people living in Cali’s most vulnerable neighborhoods to find decent, stable and formal employment. The neighborhoods where we work have high rates of poverty, deprivation and violence. Thanks to the program´s training and support, over two thirds of participants have successfully taken on jobs at different companies in the Valle del Cauca region, improving their life projects and their families´ welfare.
During January, the ‘Rumbo Joven‘ program signed up a new group of 75 young people and is currently starting its training activities that will take place over the next five months at our partner’s institution: the Somos Pacífico Cultural and Technological Center in the Potrero Grande neighborhood and the San Buenaventura University’s San Francisco de Assisi Community Development Center located in the neighborhood of Siloé.
The new group, made up of young people between 18 and 30 years old, will take part in activities that develop their socio-emotional and occupational skills, as well as receiving certified training in customer service and personal finance. The training program will run until June.
“Rumbo Joven isn´t just about getting people employed. It aims to support young people in developing their careers and own. It takes time to develop healthy living habits in the neighborhoods where they live, and also to empower young people to be agents of change within their communities. “We don´t set out to meet our targets and leave, we focus on providing young people with the tools so they can continue their personal development”, says Leonardo Fabio Navarro, the project’s coordinator.
This program is carried out thanks to our partnerships with donors such as the Tinker Foundation and EMpower, and with the collaboration of organizations like Comfandi and the WWB Colombia Foundation.