Miguel, a member of Forjar Oportunidades, received training thanks to Cotelco Valle del Cauca and Compromiso Valle. He says that being able to study and acquire new knowledge for free is one of the greatest benefits of the program.

A Miguel has always liked to study. That is why, last year, after actively participating in the national strike in Cali, he went to the traffic lights at the Puerto Madera resistance point and there, somehow, he helped to control the mobility of the sector in exchange for some coins that would allow him to save to be able to pay for what he likes to do so much and that, due to lack of resources, he had not been able to do.

Then, one day at the traffic light, Miguel was approached by an acquaintance who asked him if he wanted to stay there begging for money all his life or if he wanted to study. And I answered her: "But I am precisely asking for money at this traffic light to be able to study, to which she replied that she was going to recommend me a program called Forjar oportunidades", says this young man of 21 years, born in Medellín and raised in Cali since he was 3 years old.  

"I immediately started researching about the Sidoc Foundation and the Compromiso Valle alliance, but I mainly inquired about what it means to forge an opportunity. At that moment I understood that an opportunity is many things, something that looks for you, that finds you and that you have to take advantage of," says Miguel.

Empathy, Miguel's flag

Miguel is also an artist, he likes music, rap, and through this he has developed a value that is a kind of flag in his life: empathy. "I have always thought that if we talk about opportunities, they should not only be for me, but for many people," he says.

That is to say, Miguel explains, "if they give me an opportunity, I try to generate other opportunities. For example, if they tell me to sell handicrafts, I immediately make them, but I don't sell them, rather I put together a work plan so that other people can sell them and have an income. I always think about my own benefit and that of others, because I want opportunities for everyone.

It was because of aspects such as those described by Miguel above that he was motivated to join Forjar Oportunidades. "I say that this country is not doing very well because there are no opportunities, and that is precisely what this program is about, forging opportunities, looking for those young people who need them," he says.

Miguel's training process

Within that universe of opportunities that Miguel talks about, he recently opted for one: a course in Basic Hotel Reception, offered by the Valle del Cauca chapter of the Hotel and Tourism Association of Colombia (Cotelco), within the framework of the alliance with Compromiso Valle.

"I feel that it is easy for me to learn, that is why I entered the training with Cotelco and without hesitation I took advantage of this opportunity that Forjar is providing. In less than 20 hours you can learn many things, such as how to serve people, who in this case are called guests, as well as check-in and check-out. But I have also learned the hotel terminology in English, and this topic was not in my plans", says this young forger, who adds that the course has allowed him to develop a little more his favorite value, which is empathy.

Miguel tells the young people who are in the program and those who may enter in the future to take advantage of this type of opportunity, "because being able to study and acquire new knowledge for free is one of the greatest benefits of this type of project, beyond the economic assistance that can be offered and understanding, of course, the needs of each person. Forjar Oportunidades is doing everything very well and for this reason I am grateful for the psychosocial care, the training routes and so on".

In the medium and long term, Miguel's project is to have a foundation. "I want to generate employment opportunities based on recycling. I have analyzed and seen that many people recycle to consume psychoactive substances, leaving aside their health and food. So I would like to set up a kind of community canteen, where the food is paid for with recycling, but also where the community can contribute recyclable material so that others can feed themselves. In addition, that same recycling would contribute to the self-sustainability of the project. And here, of course, I would apply everything I have learned in Forjar Oportunidades, Compromiso Valle and Cotelco, that is my wish", he points out.