Understanding community-based practice to promote the psychosocial wellbeing of young people in violent contexts in Buenaventura, Colombia

Abstract

Colombia’s history of political violence and internal conflict has impacted the psychosocial wellbeing of the population, particularly children and young people. Not much is known, however, about whether age-specific and culturally appropriate services exist, nor about the role of community organizations in this. This research took the city of Buenaventura as a case study in order to address this gap in knowledge. As a major Pacific coastal port, Buenaventura is of economic importance. At the same time it experiences high levels of poverty and exclusion, especially its large population of minoritised Afro-Colombian and indigenous people, and has been significantly impacted by violence during decades of armed conflict and operational paramilitary and neo-paramilitary groups. Based on semi-structured interviews and group discussions with show that these organizations develop strategies that contribute to the emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents, through enabling collective scenarios for a nonviolent daily life, supporting emotional expression through artistic practices and therapeutic psychosocial actions, and drawing on traditional practices of Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian Pacific. This article develops a deeper understanding of age and culturally informed approaches to emotionally supporting young people in violent contexts, that is of broader relevance in a context of increasing global conflict.