City Research Online

Abstract

This study explores how a project inspired by Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) supported the reintegration of former child soldiers in Colombia through collaborative creative writing. Twenty-two adolescents engaged in narrative re-imagination through self-reflection, mutual recognition, authorship and dialogue. Participatory thematic analysis identified four identity trajectories—stronger, altruistic, political and harmonious—linked to empowerment, community, peace, and buen vivir. These positive identities challenged narratives shaped by violence and exclusion. The study shows how participatory narrative practice can extend engagement beyond voice and advocacy, enabling young people to co-author transformative narratives and reimagine socially embedded and morally viable futures through psychosocial reintegration rather than conventional public advocacy.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). Request permissions for this article.
Publisher Keywords:	Colombia, child soldiers, narrative identity, reintegration
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Departments:	School of Communication & Creativity School of Communication & Creativity > Department of Journalism
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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