By María Luisa Aguilar Urrea, Rotary Club Nuevo Medellín, Colombia
Imagine seeing young people trapped in the relentless cycle of violence and addiction every day. This heartbreaking reality is common in the Comuna 5 of my city, Medellín, Colombia. Moved by this harsh reality, our Nuevo Medellín Rotary Club felt compelled to act, which led us to create Emprendepaz.
Emprendepaz is a transformative project that was born out of our passion for empowering at-risk youth in our city. The project provides them with personalized guidance, mentoring and sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities, to steer them away from violence and give them the tools they need to embark on a path of economic self-sufficiency. Furthermore, our goal was not only to transform individual lives, but also to revitalize entire communities.
Our project needed an estimated US$50,000 in funding, so we decided to present it at the Colombia project fair to find an international Rotary club partner. Local Rotary districts organize these events to connect their clubs with international Rotary visitors interested in supporting service projects, learn about community priorities, and make new friends. Local clubs showcase their projects, and visitors can identify those that best fit their club or district’s goals.
The project fair proved to be an essential platform for introducing Emprendepaz to an international audience, giving us the opportunity to connect with potential partners committed to peacebuilding and economic development. We wanted to show international visitors how our project would create positive opportunities for participants. We opted for a narrative approach, telling the story of a young person from Medellín and how their life was positively transformed thanks to Emprendepaz. This approach was key to establishing valuable relationships and securing crucial financial commitments to move the project forward.
“When I came to Emprendepaz, I was selling drugs and hiding from the police. I was on the wrong track. I couldn’t find work. Thanks to this program, next year I will finish high school and now I live peacefully and with my family.”
-Tania Andrea Hernández Acosta (Emprendepaz 2023 participant)
The project fair was a catalyst for the success of our project, introducing us to potential partners who wanted to support us and the communities we serve with the necessary funding. Members of the Miramar Pines club in Florida attended the project fair and, along with other Florida clubs, decided to partner with us and provide $10,000 in funding. Another visitor from Chicago, driven by passion and commitment to the cause, decided to donate another $5,000, an amount that was maximized by a matching gift from Rotary’s World Fund at the time. A Rotarian from Los Angeles was contacted about the project by an international visitor to the fair, and from day one we have received their support. This collaboration not only secured the financial resources needed to move the project forward, but also strengthened our ability to initiate significant social change in the city of Medellín as a result. In addition, the visibility gained at the fair opened the doors to future collaborations, friendships and new opportunities for expansion.
The success of Emprendepaz has not only benefited the youth of Medellín, but also the participating Rotary clubs. At the fair, clubs saw the opportunity to develop valuable communication, negotiation, and international relationship management skills. The key to our success was not only in the fair itself, but in the continuous follow-up and effective communication with local and international sponsors. This constant effort reinforced the clubs’ commitment to the project, generating a sense of pride and ownership that translated into sustained and enthusiastic support.
The project fair played a crucial role in the success of Emprendepaz, and demonstrated that together we can go further by building lasting relationships and creating a strong network of support that will continue to benefit future initiatives.
We encourage other Rotary clubs to actively participate in project fairs. These events provide an invaluable opportunity to showcase projects, build international partnerships, make new friends, learn about another culture, and obtain the resources needed to bring to life initiatives that have the power to transform lives and communities. Check out where upcoming project fairs are taking place.
source:
Comments