Manifiesto We All Can Change the World 7th World Urban Forum MedellĂn, April 2014. Created by Mi Sangre foundation and EAFIT´s Children University as part of the campaign I can Change the World by UN Habitat
Authors: Pedro Echeverri Restrepo Susana Roldán Restrepo Mariana Toro Ramírez Santiago Alfonso González Simón González Zapata Andrés Ospina Patiño Isabella Betancur Patiño Miguel Ángel Hoyos Londoño Paulina Marín Estrada Laura Estefanía Echeverry Cadavid Elena Velásquez Vélez David Andrés García Céspedes Samuel Urrea López María José Cadavid Moll Daniela Pérez Ontibón José Fernando Restrepo Vallejo
Santiago Mora Tamayo Jacobo Cárdenas Echeverri Nicol Estefany Quintero Arboleda Juan Felipe Agudelo Vélez Emmanuel Cardona Rendón Dilan Vera Echeverri Andrea Vargas Morales Laura Rojas Ramírez Jacobo Restrepo Vásquez Sofía Villada Moreno María Isabel Cardona Ramírez Camilo Arboleda Ibarra Juan Sebastián Mantilla Hoyos Sara Gutiérrez Bahamón Laura Roldán Restrepo Pedro Calderón Escovar
Tomás David Giraldo Miranda Celyn Yissel García Zuluaga Sofía Castañeda Gaviria José Manuel Yépes Cano Johan Alejandro Castro Zapata Alejandra Bedoya Gallego Maripaz Pérez Barrientos Romario Arriaga Madera
Introduction We are 40 boys and girls between 8 and 12 years old, living in different neighborhoods of Medellín and nearby municipalities. We elaborated the manifesto ‘’We All Can Change the World’’ after a three days’ workshop in which we identified the different perceptions we have about our city. We started by recognizing what we like and what we don’t like about Medellín: We like the sport activities and the animals that live in the city. We like the days of the fairs and the culture, which is present in many places. We don’t like the thefts, the displaced people, and the population living on the streets. We don’t like the noise generated by the vehicles and the factories, also we don’t like the heavy traffic and the pollution present in the city and the river.
Then we discussed about the principal problems we found in MedellĂn. For us, there are two types of problems: environmental and social. Environmental: The water of our city is contaminated by toxic waste from laboratories and industry, also with garbage and human waste. The air is polluted with smoke from the vehicles, aerosols, gasoline and the enterprises. Social: The corruption, inequality, the conflict, and violence. Our city has invisible borders that don´t allow people to walk between some places. Additionally, there is corruption and inequality, and when someone has the power, makes other people feel inferior by thinking just in himself due to greed, generating steals and lies. Finally, we proposed some ideas to solve these problems.
Manifiesto
We All Can Change the World
Regarding the environmental problems we propose the following solutions:
1.
More clean environments, green and open spaces. For this:
• We will buy ecologic products. • With our families and friends we will seed new trees and protect the existing ones with the purpose of generating more oxygen. • When we walk with our pets we will correctly dispose their wastes. • We request the adults not to burn the forests with cigarettes and bonfires. • We ask the government not to give permission to build in the green zones of the city. Also not to allow the city to grow horizontally, because if instead, the city grows vertically, we won’t lose field areas. • We will diminish our consumption for not to produce garbage and discourage the high production of the companies.
2. Protection of the water and clear production of energy. For this: • We will take the shower with cold water and reduce the consumption of this resource. • We will share with our families, friends and teachers all we know about taking care of the water and reduce the spending of energy. • We demand the government to make the generation of hydroelectric energy a cleaner process. • We propose the companies and the government to generate funds to research in new methods to clean the river.
3. Less polluting transport systems. For this: • We will use the bicycle for going to school; hence, we will need new cycle-routes for moving through the city without generating contamination. • We invite our parents and other adults to use the cars carrying more people inside. • We will use the buses and the over-ground train (public transport). • We propose the industry to create an ecologic fuel for the vehicles.
Regarding the social problems we propose the following solutions:
1. To advertise and practice what we have saved in our hearts. For this: • We will identify our negative emotions and understand them to avoid harming other people. • We will evolve from good intentions to actions.
2. Listen to other people with the
purpose of getting to solutions we can´t get by ourselves. For this: • • • •
We will learn to listen and dialogue. We will put ourselves in the situation of the others. We will seek new solutions collectively. We request our leaders to learn to listen and not to follow the path of greed.
3. Bear in mind the problems of other
people. For this: • We will understand that each person has the same necessities and rights, such as health, household, nutrition, education and a job. • We request the government greater education opportunities for the people involved in conflict and violence. • We will recognize that the problems of the others are also our problems. • We propose to convert the invisible borders into links of friendship. • We will make a march of children against inequality.
We, the children, need the support of our parents and other adults to pursue these ideas. It´s important for you to listen our voice because we do think in what happens in our society. Also we are the ones that will live our future, that’s why we don’t want adults to take decisions without taking us into account. We have different ideas and solutions that may seem illogic, but it’s just because we spend our time playing and looking for fun, and this allows us to think further. With game a person can learn more than with seriousness. Adults think the world in a more punctual way and have very closed ideas. We are sure that the kids, with our imagination, can generate creative ideas and solutions to the problems of Medellín, which are also our problems.