Barranquilla, 29/09/2021

• ​The 'Mambrú, esto es otro cuento' ('Mambrú, this is another story') strategy of the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN) seeks to help prevent the involvement of children, adolescents, and young people in different forms of violence and strengthen protective environments to enhance their talents and skills.
• In alliance with the City Council of Barranquilla, 'Mambrú' provides support to 296 minors from different educational institutions in the city, through the Secretariat of Government. 

Thanks to the support of the City Council of Barranquilla, 'Mambrú, this is another story', came to the capital of the Atlántico to assist children and young people in strengthening their life projects through virtual and face-to-face workshops that promote leadership, self-care, risk factors and protective environments, inter alia. 

13 workshops have been held virtually and in face to face in Barranquilla to date, with the support of the didactic material 'Mambrú en casa' ('Mambrú at home') which, through stories, tales, and experiences, makes children and young people take advantage of their time and motivates them to strengthen their talents and dreams from their homes.

"This type of texts are important because they make students aware of healthy environments, the importance of the rights of others, the importance of demanding their own rights, so it is very important for the training and personal development of students" said Bolisander Mesa Barrios, principal of the educational institution Rodolfo Llinás. 

In the 'Mambrú' activities, the ARN team of professionals develops life project exercises in a playful way with the minors, in order to contribute to generate guarantees of non-repetition of cycles of violence, so that they grow up in healthy environments and away from violence. 

According to Andrés Felipe Stapper, ARN's Director General, “With 171 interventions of this strategy, the ARN has benefited 8,141 children and young people in 29 departments of Colombia since 2010, Mambrú has contributed to prevent the involvement of children and young people in different forms of violence and has strengthened transformational leadership of children and young people in the communities", he said. 

Jeniffer Villarreal, Barranquilla's Secretary of Government, assured that “This alliance of the ARN with the District of Barranquilla through 'Mambrú' seeks to generate spaces around the children of our city for their personal growth process. In addition, with the 'Mambrú at home' booklets, children will know the problems of their environment and will be spokespersons for other children so that they do not fall into actions that violate their rights". 

The City Council of Barranquilla, through its Social Management and Government Secretariat units, and the ARN, are carrying out this strategy in the schools Alberto Assa, Rodolfo Llinas, José Consuegra, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, 176 Juan Mina and it will be extended to other educational institutions until the end of the year. 

Six interventions with the 'Mambrú' strategy have been implemented since 2010 in the department of Atlántico, benefiting more than 250 minors. In 2018, the strategy worked in the Rebolo neighborhood of Barranquilla creating the dance group 'Orgullo Rebolero', where girls, boys and young people have participated in events such as the inauguration of the Central American and Caribbean Games 2018, Children's Carnival 2018, 2019 and 2020, among other shows, strengthening protective environments for them and keeping them away from risk factors.