From Gangs to Growth: Fighting for the Future of Medellín's Teens with Santiago Tobón (podcast)

Listen to the episode with the below player.

Writer, performer, producer Tavia Gilbert introduces the episode:

"Meet Dr. Santiago Tobón.

Born and raised in Medellin, Colombia, Dr. Tobón grew up in the 80's and 90's while the country surged with gang violence. As a kid, young Santiago was lucky to have enough privilege to keep himself safe and to give him a promising future of education and employment.

But there was no denying the impact that gang violence was having on kids — kids his own age. When he graduated from college with a degree in computer science, and got a job working in rural economic development, it was the first time he saw gang activity up close. For four years he witnessed violent conflict around the local drug trade.

Dr. Tobón started to dream of finding a way to stop gang violence and stop kids from sacrificing their lives to gang culture. He wondered how kids could instead find a path to a flourishing future? What could he do to keep gangs from bringing in hundreds of new teenage recruits each year? He decided to arm himself with PhD in economics."

Listen in to hear how:

• Tobón’s research identified 15,000 high-risk kids in Medellín. The focus was on public schools where gang recruitment was highest.

• The surveys from this research illuminated a dangerous misconception — many teens believed gang life offered better financial security than legal careers. “The first thing that we need to do to prevent kids from joining a gang,” says Tobón, “is to identify who are the kids who want to be in a gang. Then, we equip them with skills to decide better on their futures — so that they can remain in school, drink less, and ultimately flourish."”

• An intervention program developed by Tobón and team was launched. A key focus is changing how teens perceive their future careers, showing them real alternatives to gang life.As Tobón explains, “We want them to learn about what’s the actual choice set they have for the future — how to access scholarships and higher education. It’s about helping them plan, dream, and identify obstacles.”

• Kids who received this information from participation in the program showed less interest in joining gangs. “Once they have more information and better tools for planning their future, they decide not to join the gang.”

• Piloting with 50 teens, Tobón’s team has proven the intervention’s effectiveness. Now, with city government support, they aim to scale the program to reach 700 young people — and change lives at an even greater scale.

Looking ahead, the hope is that these efforts will create a generational shift, reducing gang influence and enabling youth to flourish. As Tobón puts it, the goal is simple: “to make better decisions and then to get a good job and have a good family — and perhaps in these new generations, to have this problem of the gangs at a smaller scale.”

Related Blog Posts:

Reshaping Aspirations for Kids in Medellín with Santiago Tobón (video)

The Role of TWCF Champions in Identifying Emerging Researchers in the Economics and Human Flourishing Priority

Reshaping Aspirations for Kids in Medellín: Steering Youth Away from Gang Recruitment

Related TWCF Project:

Childhood Adversity, Misperceptions, and Gang Recruitment

Built upon the award-winning video series of the same name, Templeton World Charity Foundation’s “Stories of Impact” podcast features stories of new scientific research on human flourishing that translate discoveries into practical tools. Bringing a mix of curiosity, compassion, and creativity, journalist Richard Sergay and producer Tavia Gilbert shine a spotlight on the human impact at the heart of cutting-edge social and scientific research projects supported by TWCF.