Empowering Adolescents to become Citizen Scientists in the Vulnerable Neighborhood of El Pozón in Cartagena, Colombia
El Pozón in Cartagena, Colombia (August 2024-July 2025)
Project Description
El Pozón, in Cartagena, has witnessed rapid urbanization and glaring social disparities. This area, which originated as an informal settlement in 1969, still grapples with a lack of essential services, pervasive poverty, and unfavorable living conditions.
The citizen scientist walked their communities with the discovery tool, recognizing the elements in their environment that diminish and facilitate their health and wellbeing. The adolescents met and discussed their findings and prioritized the projects they wanted to carry-on. We used Artificial Intelligence to enhance their solutions and to prepare them to present their findings to the stakeholders and decision makers.
Guiding Question
What are the elements in your environment that diminish or facilitate your health and wellbeing?
Population Characteristics
20 Adolescents (13-17 years old) from two different communities in the neighborhood El Pozón, Cartagena, Colombia. One in the surrounding of the public school IE Nuestro Esfuerzo (n=11) and the other one in a man-made island called Isla de Leon (n=9).
Insights
Twenty adolescents (13-17 years old) participated from two different communities in the neighborhood El Pozón, Cartagena, Colombia. One in the surrounding of the public school IE Nuestro Esfuerzo (n=11) and the other one in a man-made island called Isla de Leon (n=9). Over 17 data collection time points, 408 photos and narratives taken with accompanying ratings (positive or negative for the community).
Strengths Identified
- Themes being identified and prioritized by citizen scientists in Isla de Leon ones are currently in progress.
- In the surroundings of IE Nuestro Esfuerzo, they value The Casa de la Cultura, which is a cultural space that has an eco-friendly architecture in which they attend to enjoyable community events.
Identified Areas for Improvement
- Themes being identified and prioritized by citizen scientists in Isla de Leon ones are currently in progress.
- Six themes were identified during community meetings in the surroundings of the IE Nuestro Esfuerzo. Of the themes identified, three themes prioritized by the citizen scientists in the surroundings of the IE Nuestro Esfuerzo include:
- Waste management
- Stagnant water
- Flooding
People and Collaborators
Project Lead(s): Eduardo de la Vega Taboada
Collaborating Organization(s) / Institutional Partner(s): Universidad de los Andes
Funding Source: Fogarty Center from The National Institutes of Health
Point of Contact for More Information: Eduardo de la Vega Taboada - eduadlv@stanford.edu