A Displaced Youth Develops Skills, Gaining a Foothold in the Job Market

Bogotá, Colombia – Now 18, Jonathan Silva Bejarano had just hours to pack and leave his home in Palo Cabildo, a mountainous, rural community in central Colombia, when violence broke out in this region long-plagued by paramilitary warfare.

Today, he and his mother and younger brother live in Bogotá. Having completed high school, Jonathan never expected to go further with his education, feeling a responsibility to help support his family.

“The biggest problem in Colombia is violence which causes poverty,” he explains. “Because of poverty, youth must help their families and can’t study and get an education.”

Not long ago, Jonathan heard an advertisement on TV for the Conéctate Colombia program, supported through a global youth development initiative of Nokia and the International Youth Foundation. Through the nine-month program, carried out by Fundación Empresarios por la Educación, young people receive life skills and employment training, and gain practical experience through internships at local businesses.

Jonathan applied and was accepted. He attributes his acceptance to the good grades he received in high school and the fact that he and his family were forced to flee their home. “I think it’s wonderful that this program includes displaced youth,” he says. “Just because we’re displaced doesn’t mean we are bad people. To the contrary, we are people who are prepared to endure challenges, having faced many already.”

Through participating in Conéctate, Jonathan has expanded his notion of what he is capable of achieving. He’s learned to be more tolerant of others and open to new ideas. When faced with challenges, he now feels better equipped to identify options. “I’ve learned that nothing in life is free,” he says. “There aren’t that many opportunities so you need to take advantage of them.”

Currently, Jonathan is completing an internship at Copidrogas, a pharmaceutical cooperative where he is applying the IT skills he developed through Conéctate in the areas of accounting and customer service.

His short-term goals are to earn a stable living for himself and his family, and to enable his brother to get an education. “A program such as Concéctate helps young people like me with economic difficulties to study. It’s great. It opens so many doors for us,” he says.

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