Mi Camino (My Path) builds on work with former child soldiers in Colombia and the el arbol del amor (The Tree of Love) project - both of which use participatory arts-based methods. 

Animated image of a boy and girl standing opposite each other in a forest An image from Mi Camino

Mi Camino is an interactive, gamified narrative aimed at young people in high risk areas of Colombia who – in the ‘post-conflict’ context - are at high risk of (re)recruitment by non-state armed gangs (NSAGs).

A young person’s decision to join an armed group is often motivated by feelings of low self-efficacy. Mi Camino is intended as an intervention in high risk areas, where it is often too dangerous to talk directly about recruitment. 

Instead, this project aims to explore the psycho-social factors that underpin recruitment and to devise educational materials, building on the success of those that we have used in lower risk areas in projects such as the animated film el arbol del amor (The Tree of Love).

The project was funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and follow-on funding. It took place between May and December 2022.