Jeicoth is a young man who has lived all his life in Roció, a neighborhood in the heart of Bogotá. El Roció is just ten blocks from the residence of the President of the Republic, but as recently as 10 years ago it was unsafe territory for tourists.

For the young people of El Rocío, tourism seemed like robbery. They felt invaded by tourists and didn’t see any way that tourism could benefit them. However, in a neighborhood where the opportunities for young people were crime, jail, or the cemetery, their attitude towards tourism changed when they saw how it could be an instrument for good.

Jeicoth and his friends share a passion for hip-hop and graffiti. Through both, they have a vehicle to express their way of life and describe the emptiness they feel in their environment. Hip-hop and graffiti motivate them to transform their daily reality into something meaningful and hopeful.

Along with other people his age, Jeicoth decided to put together a tour where they were the stars of the story. Tourists were interested in having more direct contact with the community, and giving their own tour allowed the local youth to showcase their neighborhood and art. It also gave them a real, alternative income that broadened their independence and the decisions they were able to make about their lives.

Not satisfied with their success, Jeicoth and the other young people wanted to go further. Their goal was to make tourists reflect on the social stigma that came along with being raised in a crime-ridden neighborhood. They transformed a basic tour about history and heritage into a cultural exchange that put their resilience at the center. Through their efforts, these young people achieved what they once thought was impossible: a real economic alternative that enabled them to develop personally, artistically, and professionally.

Since then, the project has grown to involve their families. Mothers, siblings, and other young people in the neighborhood took up the new opportunities available, selling food and handicrafts.

Today, more than three years after the project began, there are new challenges due to the pandemic. The setbacks and uncertainty have motivated young people like Jeicoth to reinvent themselves again. In 2020, with the help of $1500 from VSocial, they bought printing machines and launched a T-shirt brand to ensure they had new opportunities.

Thanks to this venture, three families and a total of 18 people were able to pay their rent and living expenses. They sold 11 shirts a day and made 20,000 Colombian pesos, an income of approximately $60. Half of this money was set aside for new investments, such as producing music videos for their songs and promoting other urban brands. An Instagram account was created as a platform to show local talent to people in Colombia and around the world. It has 94,000 followers.

Parchese a los Populares continues to work daily to improve the community, using art as a tool to transform a place of crime and conflict into peace. Their goal is to extend their reach and connect 100 young people from the neighborhood so that they all have a choice when it comes to personal and professional development.

Jeicoth is a young man who has lived all his life in Roció, a neighborhood in the heart of Bogotá. El Roció is just ten blocks from the residence of the President of the Republic, but as recently as 10 years ago it was unsafe territory for tourists.

For the young people of El Rocío, tourism seemed like robbery. They felt invaded by tourists and didn’t see any way that tourism could benefit them. However, in a neighborhood where the opportunities for young people were crime, jail, or the cemetery, their attitude towards tourism changed when they saw how it could be an instrument for good.

Jeicoth and his friends share a passion for hip-hop and graffiti. Through both, they have a vehicle to express their way of life and describe the emptiness they feel in their environment. Hip-hop and graffiti motivate them to transform their daily reality into something meaningful and hopeful.

Along with other people his age, Jeicoth decided to put together a tour where they were the stars of the story. Tourists were interested in having more direct contact with the community, and giving their own tour allowed the local youth to showcase their neighborhood and art. It also gave them a real, alternative income that broadened their independence and the decisions they were able to make about their lives.

Not satisfied with their success, Jeicoth and the other young people wanted to go further. Their goal was to make tourists reflect on the social stigma that came along with being raised in a crime-ridden neighborhood. They transformed a basic tour about history and heritage into a cultural exchange that put their resilience at the center. Through their efforts, these young people achieved what they once thought was impossible: a real economic alternative that enabled them to develop personally, artistically, and professionally.

Since then, the project has grown to involve their families. Mothers, siblings, and other young people in the neighborhood took up the new opportunities available, selling food and handicrafts.

Today, more than three years after the project began, there are new challenges due to the pandemic. The setbacks and uncertainty have motivated young people like Jeicoth to reinvent themselves again. In 2020, with the help of $1500 from VSocial, they bought printing machines and launched a T-shirt brand to ensure they had new opportunities.

Thanks to this venture, three families and a total of 18 people were able to pay their rent and living expenses. They sold 11 shirts a day and made 20,000 Colombian pesos, an income of approximately $60. Half of this money was set aside for new investments, such as producing music videos for their songs and promoting other urban brands. An Instagram account was created as a platform to show local talent to people in Colombia and around the world. It has 94,000 followers.

Parchese a los Populares continues to work daily to improve the community, using art as a tool to transform a place of crime and conflict into peace. Their goal is to extend their reach and connect 100 young people from the neighborhood so that they all have a choice when it comes to personal and professional development.