At its heart, this project is about listening to and working with young people to understand and address the root causes of violence, develop more effective and rights-based local security strategies, and strengthen institutional accountability through youth-centred evidence and actionable knowledge.
About the Project
A Participatory Approach to Urban Security
This project aims to tackle urban violence and enhance local responses by co-producing knowledge with young people. We focus on communities affected by poverty, marginalisation, and the presence of gangs or criminal networks in Medellín and Cape Town.
By centring the voices of youth and working alongside local actors, the project seeks to generate practical insights into how cities can become safer and more inclusive - without undermining the rights and wellbeing of their youngest citizens.
Research Questions
Our work is guided by four core questions:
- What are the local dynamics that make young people vulnerable to violence and criminal group influence?
- How do current violence reduction strategies affect youth rights and their exposure to harm?
- What interventions can reduce vulnerability while protecting the rights and wellbeing of youth?
- Which indicators matter to young people when assessing local security policies and prevention programmes—and how can these be used to increase institutional accountability?
Who We Are
This collaborative project is led by researchers and practitioners from three countries:
Alexandra Abello Colak
London School of Economics and Political Science
Alexandra is the UK Co-Investigator on the project and works with the team in developing the methodological strategy for co-producing knowledge with young people in both cities. She contributes to data analysis and facilitates knowledge exchange across case studies and with broader audiences.
Alexandra brings extensive experience in participatory methodologies, peace research, and complex systems thinking, which she has applied to the study of violence, human insecurity, and urban crime in Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Africa.
Gareth A. Jones
London School of Economics and Political Science
Gareth is the Principal Investigator (PI) on the project, and will be focused mostly on the research design, knowledge exchange and impact. His previous ethnographic research has focused on young people in Mexico, including work on urban violence and gangs, and in South Africa on whiteness and elites.
Julián Muñoz
Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
Natalia Maya
Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
Ashton Botha
University of Cape Town, South Africa
We work closely with local institutions, community-based organisations, and young people themselves to shape the research and inform future strategies.
Funding & Support
This project is funded by the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD).
Contact Us
Are you working on youth inclusion, local security, or violence prevention?
We welcome opportunities for collaboration, learning, and exchange.
Contact:
Alexandra Abello-Colak – A.L.Abello-Colak@lse.ac.uk
Gareth A Jones – G.A.Jones@lse.ac.uk