Former YouthLead Ambassador Camila Peña, of Columbia, was in the process of working on a communications project for her neighborhood in Santa Marta when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and dismantled her priorities.

She was able to use the YouthLead online platform as an organization tool, giving her the ability to act fast and create crucial social media campaigns to help young Colombians understand safety measures and protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had an idea to work with younger persons [in Santa Marta, Colombia to have] a young collective of communications … My social media campaign, at first, was based on making a series of podcasts about young people and changes [underway] here in my country,” Peña said.

Her ambassadorship started in January 2020 and she wanted to make an impact by empowering young people to change their lives and those of their communities by telling positive stories. She believes communications is a powerful tool to spark social change, unify communities, and build trust amongst citizens.

“I have been working in positive communications. I believe that the way you communicate things can change the reality of the places where you are working,” Peña said.

However, the focus of her project was diverted for a short time. COVID-19 made congregating risky and she had to transition all of her in-person activities to cyberspace.

“It turned out that COVID was a major issue [and we needed] to promote COVID awareness through social media and communications in ways that young people could actually understand. It was necessary to be aware of what was happening all around the world and also to protect their community,” Peña said.

So, during her term as a YouthLead Ambassador, Peña pivoted from her original project idea to working on COVID-19 related social media campaigns with a group of young leaders. “I'm working with, since three years ago, one of the neighborhoods that is like one of the poorest here in the city I'm living in now, Santa Marta, on the Caribbean coast. And what we did was, well, a lot of social campaign video tutorials,” she explained.

From videos on proper handwashing to activities to keep yourself busy during self-isolation, Peña and others kept practicality top of mind. “There are communities where people needed to go out and work because they couldn't stay in their houses during the confinement because they needed an income. So what we did was like, OK, you need to go out go to work or go to the street and sell something? Then be aware that you have to protect yourself, that you have to protect your family, that you have to wash your hands.”

She also had words of advice for other young changemakers who are interested in becoming an Ambassador or considering joining the platform. “It’s a very good way to know about resources, to engage with other young changemakers, interact, exchange ideas, also to promote what you're doing because it's a platform with a lot of these members from all around the world, and maybe you can work together with other people in other places that are doing the same thing,” Peña said.

For more information on Pena and how she and her peers helped feed 2,000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.