Desafíos en la consolidación de colectivos juveniles rurales que le apuestan a la comunicación comunitaria

Abstract

This research analyzes the process of consolidating the Nueva Ola Juvenil Collective as a digital community media outlet in the municipality of Ubaté, Cundinamarca, during the second half of 2025. From a qualitative approach and through a case study and the systematization of experiences, strategies were developed including accompaniment, participant observation, interviews, and training spaces with the aim of understanding the organizational dynamics, communication practices, and levels of youth participation within the collective. The findings show that, although there are challenges related to the continuity of participation, project ownership, and internal organization (the capacity for agency), community communication is a strategic space to strengthen active citizenship, territorial identity, and the collective construction of youth processes and the social fabric in rural contexts. The research provides insights to understand the possibilities and challenges of community media as spaces for social transformation and citizen participation in rural contexts, ultimately offering some recommendations aimed at social intervention and the role of the social communicator in these settings.