Colombia’s young people are choosing peace

At a moment when armed groups are actively and forcibly recruiting young Colombians, REDEPAZ is giving young people an alternative path to safety.

In Colombia, young people are being pulled in a dangerous direction. Armed groups are recruiting minors in growing numbers, and proposed legislation that would give citizens freer access to firearms risks making gun culture feel normal. For a generation growing up in the middle of this, the messages they receive about gun culture matter enormously. REDEPAZ – Colombia’s National Network of Citizen Initiatives for Peace and Against the War – decided to change the message.

In March 2025, they launched a communications initiative putting a different kind of language in front of young Colombians: language built on respect and solidarity. At its heart is the Champions of Respect, Scorers of Peace campaign, which does something brilliantly simple. The campaign takes football, something millions of young Colombians already love, and uses it to model what collective joy looks like without hostility or violence. During Colombian league matches, partner radio stations broadcast the campaign’s message to fans of the beautiful game across the country.

But REDEPAZ didn’t just want to broadcast, they wanted to listen. The campaign brought 22 young people together in Bogotá to debate peace, disarmament and the issues shaping their lives. Out of that gathering, three working groups formed – led by young people themselves, and focused on mental health, gender and human rights. These groups are now feeding directly into the initiative’s social media campaign, creating videos, infographics, and stop-motion animations to reach their peers in formats they actually use.

These working groups are laying the groundwork for an Observatory for Peace and Youth Disarmament. A national network of young people who will carry these conversations into their own communities, using creativity, sport and organising as their tools.