This post is a summary of an article published at http://www.worldbank.org/ on June,4th 2012 and written by Gloria Grandolini.
" A microphone, a guitar and a spray can, these are their weapons." These could be the lyrics of a song by the popular Juanes, but the singer-songwriter was actually referring to the work of his foundation, Mi Sangre, which campaigns for a Colombia free from violence. The foundation programs offer Colombia youth, many of whom are victims of violence in the country, the chance to practice the art of singing, painting and composing to exorcize the threat of violence on the streets, homes and schools.
Our support focuses on measuring the impact of this pro-peace initiative with a view to systematizing it and promoting its expansion. "There is only one street into this neighborhood and our young people have assumed it as their destiny... just one path: the path of violence," said a school principal, describing the situation of the local people, who can not cross the boundaries established by the youth gangs in the Medellin neighborhood. "I want to show young people that they can have a future, that they can go to university and be prepared to get a good job. I have made the commitment that every year fifteen of my students will go to college," he said.
In Colombia, where the conflict has continued for more than fifty years, the road to peace is long and full of obstacles. This is especially daunting for young people, after having been victims of abuse and forced displacement, many of them exhibit long-term effects which feed into the cycle of violence.
With innovative cultural initiatives for young people, Mi Sangre NGO helps mitigate the impact of violence, contributing to building safe environment and life skill to give them access to a better education and enhanced opportunities.
During the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the minister of education said that World Bank support will potentially enable the methodologies developed by Mi Sangre NGO to be scaled up nationwide.
Our education team in Colombia is committed to this challenge. The team has developed a rigorous work plan and we will be using blog, the World Bank website and the media to share their progress.
This is the only way we can help make young people`s convictions and aspirations a reality.
Envision - imagine as a possible future.
Exorcize - drive out a evil spirit from a person or place.
Commitment - dedication to a cause or policy.
Displacement - action of displacing someone or something.
Mitigate - make something less severe, painful.
Enhance - increase.
Scaled Up - increase something in size.
Convictions - firmly held belief or opinion.
