On July 10, the University of Toronto Laidlaw Scholars participating in the Makesense program flew from Toronto, Canada to Medellín, Colombia. The journey took a full day, with a bright and early start at 6:00AM from Union Station. From Toronto we flew to Panama City, and then to Medellín. Our first impression of the city was a descent into the town centre from the airport, located in the mountains. By 19:30 when we’d arrived, night had fallen. Lights dotted the mountainsides surrounding Medellín, and it seemed as though the sky had descended and covered the city in stars. Overly romantic imagery, but if you ever visit Medellín you will know my words are accurate. 

Our first week consisted largely of learning about Colombian history, gaining a broader understanding of the social, economic, and political climates. The first step was to learn some Spanish. With the help of Jorge, a teacher with jovial personality and infinite patience, we gained some rudimentary skills to communicate. We visited Comuna 13 and Villa Hermosa, two communities on the mountainsides in Medellín. Comuna 13 has historically been a site of violence, poverty, and social unrest; however, in the past decade and a half, the community has converted to a tourist attraction due to its vibrant street art and infrastructure developments. Public escalators reduce the time and effort is takes to scale the mountainside, increasing access to economic opportunities and resources for those isolated in the mountains. After interacting with the city both from academic and more personal perspectives, looking clinically at the issues the country as a whole has faced as well as how conflicts have affected individuals, I feel better equipped to move forward in my Leadership in Action project.

At the tail end of the first week, Makesense introduced us to the organizations we’ll be working with for the duration of our stay in Colombia. We entered a classroom on the 6th floor of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, our host university for the program, and met Lizeth. Standing at no more than five foot one, dressed in pale pinks and with a genial face, you’d never guess she heads up one of the most successful and impactful tour companies in Comuna 13. Zippy Tour, the company she runs with her husband, started the first bilingual tour of Comuna 13. They’ve run into their fair share of issues, ranging from “peace taxes” from the local gangs that control the area to the hit on tourism through the COVID-19 pandemic, but the tour is back and stronger than ever. Now, the main problem facing the company and community is their success.

The community, with its narrow, labyrinthine streets and still fragile social infrastructure, is not equipped to handle the influx of tourism. The waste management in the area is collapsing, and the noise and light pollution from increasing nightlife is rendering the community unliveable. As of yet, there has been no attempt to regulate tourism in the area or catalogue its impact, so issues are escalating. Our goal over these six weeks is to figure out the extent of tourism’s impacts in Comuna 13 and hopefully provide policy advisements and next steps for residents, tour companies, small business owners, and tourists to promote sustainable and collaborative tourism. 

The other scholars in the program bring such diverse skillsets and knowledge to the program, and have been a ton of fun to work with so far. I’d also like to thank the team at Makesense, Evelyn and Daniella, for their commitment to helping us learn about Colombia and for their guidance. We would be lost without them. I’m looking forward to working with the team here for the next month and a bit, and I have full confidence that we’ll create a phenomenal product with lasting impact, on top of undergoing tremendous personal growth. Now, onwards and upwards, and see you in a week!