ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ways in which young people in Medellin Colombia are using the methodology of participatory social documentary (PSD) and audiovisual narratives to generate processes of spatial social empowerment. The young participants are part of the processes of community communication called “Ciudad Comuna” in Medellin, Colombia. By using PSD, they are contributing—from the inquiry to the retrieval of community based stories—towards building a more critical view of the everyday social realities. The audiovisual narratives and the digital technologies with which the videos are made help to articulate a participatory methodology that gives voice to marginalised communities, outlining personal barriers such as gender, status or geographical location. We argue that these tools allow young people who participate in Ciudad Comuna to develop greater sensitivity to assume a more permanent social and political commitment to the task of reporting situations of social inequality and spatial injustices experienced by the inhabitants of “las comunas” through PSDs. Furthermore, the process awakens a conviction of the possibilities offered to young filmmakers by alternative media in order to transform local areas. We conclude that integrating media, and particularly the audiovisual as a means of expression and reporting, can generate bonds of unity among the inhabitants of the territory, and help overcome structural barriers and re-configure youth in the collective imaginary.
Keywords: youth collectives; communitarian communicators; urban peripheries; participatory social documentary (PSD)
