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Alejandra Gaviria (matachito)
Female, 20 from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Joined TIG: February 10, 2006
My name is Alejandra. I was born in a small city in Colombia (well, small by Latin American standards, as it has a population of 1 million). During my university years, I worked with several human rights groups. About 2 years ago, police entered onto the campus and several students were killed. This wasn’t an isolated incident either, as students from other public universities have also been killed after police altercations. You have to realize that in Colombia, it’s not only the guerillas that are using violence; the state is also using legal and illegal forces and committing human rights violations. So, we created many campaigns, events and protests to raise awareness about not only this incident, but also human rights abuses in general by the police and the military. Of course, these actions implied many security problems for our group, as the government wasn’t very pleased with what we were saying.
It was a very complicated and conflicting moment in life for me, and it was around this time that I found out about TakingITGlobal through Damian Profeta, the TIG Spanish Language and Engagement Coordinator. I saw his TIGblog, and I thought, “Hey, I should have one too!” Now, I have almost 7500 posts on my TIGblog! I think the main reason I use it so much is because it provides me with a platform to express myself. But unlike a diary, other youth from around the world can access my TIGblog and read my thoughts and opinions on the issues that I care about, and they can provide feedback, which I really enjoy receiving. I also find that my blog has been a great way to foster partnerships and collaborations: many people have read my blog posts and contacted me, as a result, to see if we could work together on an idea or project. Blogs are also a great way to spread awareness about local and national issues to a global audience, and this is especially true for TIG. Latest blog posts are featured on the TIG country pages and are like news updates as to what youth think about what’s going on in their country.
Actually, I remember once, I wrote in my TIGblog about women and how they are affected during armed conflicts. A month later, many local and national journalists read the post and started calling me for interviews! They wanted to know more about my thoughts on this subject and about my experience in Colombia. It was a very special experience for me because through TIG, I was not only able to voice my experiences, but also to gain recognition for my opinions!
I eventually left Colombia and moved to Argentina. I realize that the reality here is very different from that of Colombia, but here too, there are many societal problems. I started working with an organization called Asociacion Vientos del Sur, which aims to encourage youth participation; currently, we’re focusing on using art and culture to inspire youth and to make them think about human rights issues in Latin America. I also found there is a huge problem with young refugees here in Argentina, especially those from Africa, who face a lot of discrimination and are economically very disadvantaged. Through TIG, I started to become more informed about ICTs and their importance, so I got the idea to start a project to offer ICT courses for these refugee youth. I established a project page for this initiative, and I got in touch with other organizations, through TIG, that were interested in collaborating with me. In this sense, TakingITGlobal offered a very, very important platform to connect to other individuals and groups who share similar interests.
I was also able to connect with the AccionArte network through TIG, which aims to use theatre, painting, and other forms of art as tools to involve youth on social work and activism. We managed to get a bunch of TIG members from Uruguay, Spain, and Italy together to have a meeting to discuss these issues in person, and for me, it was a very memorable experience.
I have met so many inspirational figures through TIG, and I have also made many friends. Damian, for example, has taught me a lot of things and was one of the people who helped me get settled in Argentina. He’s not just a colleague or partner in our projects, but a true friend, and I feel that you can really find friends for life through TakingITGlobal.
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