Last week, the launching phase of the Social Innovation Laboratory began in Cali, Sucre neighborhood, and Santander de Quilichao, El Porvenir neighborhood, in collaboration with Corporación Viviendo and the Colombian Ministry of Justice and Law. This initiative is part of COPOLAD III’s support to the Colombian drug policy, one of the central axes of which is the change of narratives.
The objective of the laboratory is to generate a space for experimentation in public policies on drugs, with a focus on young people in vulnerable situations. It is a broad theme that will allow going beyond consumption and experimenting in areas such as social inclusion, for example, through gastronomy.
After an initial collection of information by the Agirre Center and COPOLAD III team, the local teams, Corporación Viviendo, the Ministry of Justice and Law and the Secretary of Health in Santander de Quilichao organized two sessions to make a first contrast of the narratives identified in the two territories. The sessions were attended by community leaders, institutions, state security forces, drug users and families, and community-based associations and organizations, among others.
As next steps, the local teams will
1) initiate the monitoring of existing and new listening channels in each of the territories
2) reinforce the mapping of strategic actors and initiatives
3) systematize the potential areas of opportunity identified.
A second visit is planned for February 2024 to conduct a shared analysis with the community of the new information gathered by the teams.
