A good start in working life: Training and job placement for marginalized young adults

Project background

Many young adults living in the poorer districts of Soacha fled from rural areas before the civil war and are trying to build a new existence in the city that lies on the outskirts of Bogotá. However, they lack vocational training, a network and the knowledge of how to conduct themselves in job application situations. As a result, the unemployment rate of young refugees in Colombia is 58 percent. Frustrated, some become receptive to the promises of criminal gangs, while others make their living as poorly paid day labourers.

Project goals

Internally displaced young adults from Soacha earn their living through formal employment and actively contribute to a culture of peace.

• 270 young adults undergo professional training, of which at least 60 percent of those in formal employment earn the legal minimum wage and are socially insured.

• 270 young adults learn to deal with their experiences of violence and find a way to cope with their emotional injuries.

• 180 young adults learn their rights and du- ties as citizens and contribute as trained ambassadors of peace actors to non-violent coexistence in families and residential areas.