Data-informed interventions are steering youth away from gang recruitment in Colombia.
In Medellín, Colombia, a new approach is helping teens escape the pull of gang life and build brighter futures.
An estimated 500–1,000 teenage boys are drawn into organized crime in Medellín each year. With TWCF funding, Santiago Tobón, a Professor of Economics at Universidad EAFIT, leads research and data-driven interventions working to better understand the socio-economic factors driving this phenomenon, with the aim of ultimately reducing gang influence over time.
Watch the video for insights from Tobón and hear firsthand experiences from teens participating in this transformative program. You'll also find out how the program has attracted support from the city of Medellín.
Medellín has long grappled with the legacy of violence tied to its history as a drug trade epicenter. At its peak in the early 1990s, the city’s homicide rate soared to 400 per 100,000 residents, leaving deep scars on the community. Though violence has decreased since then, organized crime still poses challenges, particularly among vulnerable youth.
For many teenagers in Medellín, joining a gang is not a forced decision but a choice influenced by economic and social factors. Tobón’s research shows that these teens are drawn to gangs by the perception that they offer higher incomes, greater respect, and more social success than legal career paths.
To address this issue, Tobón’s team has focused on identifying schools with the highest risk of gang recruitment. By merging decades of school and arrest records, they developed a risk score to pinpoint where interventions could have the greatest impact. This strategic approach allows them to target teens before they are fully integrated into gang life.
One of the key components of the intervention is reshaping how teens view their career options. 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.”
To achieve this, the program uses a combination of vocational training and behavioral techniques. Teens are presented with realistic career paths ranging from construction work to professional roles like engineering and medicine, alongside the economic realities of gang involvement. This information challenges misconceptions about the long-term benefits of gang life and introduces teens to opportunities they may not have considered.
A pilot initiative with 50 teens is currently underway, focusing on two key areas: providing vocational training and fostering behavioral change. Through a series of 10 sessions, participants gain practical skills while learning to set goals, overcome challenges, and envision a future outside of organized crime. Early results suggest that these interventions are helping teens make more informed decisions about their futures.
After the pilot program, the city of Medellín is committed to funding 2 groups of 300 students over the next 3 years. The success of this program has sparked interest from policymakers in other cities, including Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City, who are eager to replicate Medellín’s model. While challenges remain, Tobón remains optimistic about the potential for long-term change. Success, as he defines it, will be measured by metrics such as school retention, avoidance of criminal justice involvement, and higher education participation.
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: Steering Youth Away from Gang Recruitment
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