David Andrade , Colombia
David is the CEO of Fundación Qubo Soluciones Sociales Innovadoras, which works with victims of armed conflict to promote development and inclusion. Their programmes target adolescents and their families as well as victims of armed conflict to disincentivise child labour through sports and gastronomy. Fundación Qubo has helped over 120 at risk young people gain employability skills. Fundación Qubo primarily targets young people who live in deprived areas in order to help give them an opportunity to develop their skills and gain support.
Fundación Qubo's flagship programme is PazArte el Balón which contributes to peacebuilding by reducing youth unemployment. Diverse groups of young people take part in a regular football club to facilitate cohesion and camaraderie. Through PazArte el Balón young people are taught entrepreneurial skills and provided with mentorship and support. Participants are purposefully placed in groups with people who have different backgrounds and opinions on social issues to encourage them to understand each others perspectives. The participants learn to put aside their differences and to work together on their particular project or venture. One example of such a project is BuSingers, a talent management agency for musicians who perform on public transport in Colombia. PazArte el Balón also organises sessions where people volunteer to talk to young people about sexual health and reproductive rights and the dangers of youth crime.
David has had an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. When he was a child his mother was unemployed, so David started a small business selling cakes to fund his school tuition and later his university fees. These experiences highlighted that when young people are faced with a challenge and guided in the right way, they can create innovative solutions to their problems. This is part of what inspired the formation of Fundación Qubo. At the One Young World 2017 Bogotá Summit, David was able to meet the director of Colombia Joven and is now planning a sustainable partnership with them moving forward which will help him to scale up his operations. Fundación Qubo has also benefited from the exposure he gained whilst at the Summit through speaking with media outlets and being a Johnson & Johnson Scholar, which has helped to raise the profile of the Foundation in Colombia.