Fundacion Ser para Ser

Fundación Ser para Ser (FSPS) was founded in Cali, Colombia, to accompany adolescents and young people, whom we call "Valientes," in transforming their own lives and communities. Our work is concentrated in comunas 13, 14, and 15 in eastern Cali, a region marked by high rates of school dropout, teenage pregnancy, gang recruitment, substance use, informal employment, mental health challenges, and urban violence. FSPS was co-founded by Andrew Silva Tocora, our Executive Director. This year, we celebrate ten years of working directly with young people in eastern Cali, nine of them as a formally established foundation.

Since our founding, FSPS has grown from a small, informal, volunteer only initiative into a structured organization with a dedicated staff and a growing base of trained mentors and volunteers, all working under our own framework, the Metodología Valiente. This methodology guides young people through four interconnected pillars: identity and purpose (Who am I?), life skills (How do I relate to others and my environment?), life project design (What will I do, and how will I achieve it?), and opportunity networks (ongoing support as they pursue their goals). Rather than a onetime intervention, the methodology is designed as a four-year accompaniment process that walks alongside each Valiente over time, from early adolescence into early adulthood, with cohorts of Valientes moving through the four pillars together as a peer group. Over time, we believe lasting change comes not from short term aid, but from sustained presence, mentorship, and community, helping young people see themselves as protagonists of their own future rather than as victims of their circumstances, knowing that their context does not define who they are or they potential.

Valientes join our programs primarily through relationships with local schools, community leaders, and referrals from families already connected to FSPS, which allows us to reach adolescents who are genuinely embedded in the communities we serve rather than recruiting from a distance.

At the same time we work with the Valientes, we work closely with their families, since we understand that a young person's transformation cannot be sustained in isolation from their household. Through workshops on different topics like personal finances and entrepreneurship, psychological support, and guidance on intrafamily conflict, we treat the family as a central unit of change rather than a secondary audience. It requires a growing network of Valientes and families who actively want a better life for themselves and for everyone around them, and who become agents of change within their own neighbourhoods rather than passive recipients of aid.

This philosophy is put into practice through interconnected programs. Soroca, our flagship program, accompanies adolescents and their families through long term, relational formation processes that address the structural barriers common in eastern Cali, including school dropout, teenage pregnancy, exposure to violence, and substance use. Tribu uses sports, including rugby and ultimate frisbee, as a tool for community building among young people, strengthening social fabric, discipline, teamwork, and a sense of belonging that many of our Valientes do not otherwise experience.

Over the years, FSPS has accompanied + 220 young people through our formation processes, built lasting relationships with local schools, universities, community organizations, and local institutions; and developed a reputation in eastern Cali as a trusted, relational alternative to purely assistentialist models of support. More than 90% of the Valientes who join our flagship program remain in it through completion, a retention rate we consider central proof that our relational, long-term approach genuinely resonates with young people and their families. Our approach is intentionally long term and relational rather than transactional. We do not measure our work only in services delivered, but in the depth and continuity of the relationships we build with each Valiente and their family over years, not months.

Looking ahead, FSPS is focused on deepening the impact of its existing programs, strengthening our family and community engagement components, and continuing to refine the Metodología Valiente so that, over time, other organizations working with vulnerable communities could adopt our model.