Ibagué youth participation in the 2021 National Strike

Abstract

During the period of April 28 to July 2021, atypical social mobilizations took place in the city of Ibagué. These mobilizations were led by young people, among other actors, whose aim was, base don various demands, to group themselves into a particular claim,  and become an opposition movement. This paper aims to provide an approach to the understanding of social mobilization from the perspective of young people, therefore the methodological strategy was guided by the collection of theoretical information. This information was also gathered on an experimental basis from four young active participants in the mobilizations. Key study results show that young people join the social movement through experience, and based on learning, they build their identity, that is, their agendas, their contenders, their demands, and their historicity. Finally, at the national and regional level, the context of opportunities to mobilize is cyclical, that is to say, the 2021 Strike is part of a mobilizing process, which sometimes reaches greater or lesser intensity depending on the opportunities of the context.