Colombia - My body, my home : including vulnerable youth through innovative arts-based education

Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena of the Indies) is a city on the Northern Coast of Colombia. A tourist destination and economic centre in the Caribbean region, it is one of the most populated urban areas in the Country. As in other urban areas, outward prosperity can mask painful contrasts in wealth distribution and access to services. An estimated 70 percent of the population of Cartagena lives below the poverty line (CIA World Factbook 2009). Higher school drop-out rates, poor school performance and a displaced and commonly demobilized youth escaping from war zones in rural areas have contributed to an unfortunate increase of violence and poverty levels.