The Colombian Ministry of Culture recently recognized the Cronicando journalism workshop, an initiative of the TenarisTuboCaribe Foundation and the Gabriel García Márquez Foundation for New Ibero-American Journalism (FNPI), for its contribution to the peace-building process. This workshop has taken place the past three years working with children and adolescents from the Nelson Mandela neighborhood. Its innovative methodology is aimed at social transformation through journalistic training.
The workshop began in 2016, initially with a group of 35 children and adolescents from the Nelson Mandela neighborhood in Cartagena. By the end of the project, the participants created a club called El Nuevo Gabo, an out-of-school space functioning as a collective laboratory for content creation. The objective of the club is to train people in the art of storytelling, based on the investigative and narrative techniques used in journalism. Since its inception, more than 150 children have benefitted from the program.
“It has been very gratifying for the company to see this project being singled out for national recognition. Commitment to the community is one of our priorities. It’s an honor to be able to contribute to the peace-building process in a country like Colombia, which has been hit so hard by conflict.” Roberto Varela- Director of TenarisTuboCaribe Foundation.
During the first two editions of “Cronicando”, the emphasis was on written journalism. Among the journalistic products produced by the young reporters is a mural newspaper and the publication of the newspaper Voces del Barrio, where those taking part told stories about their community, which they researched and wrote themselves. In total, 2,000 copies were distributed in the different sectors of their neighborhood.
“This award reinforces our conviction that storytelling has a truly transformative role. Through the workshop with the children, we can strengthen the civic skills required to build the peace that people want to achieve so much.” Ricardo Corredor- Executive Director of the FNPI (The Gabriel García Márquez Foundation for New Ibero-American Journalism)
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