Three Opportunities for the New Congress to Better Represent Young People
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
On July 20, the 2026–2030 Congress of the Republic takes office in a country where 78.3% of young people do not feel represented by this public institution.
Fundación Corona is sharing with newly elected members of Congress an agenda built through four years of advocacy work, focused on three priorities: strengthening upper secondary education, expanding youth participation, and consolidating spaces for dialogue between young people and Congress.
Among the organization’s recommendations is the continuation of the Youth Special Commission, a cross-party body created in 2022 to promote youth participation and representation in the legislative agenda.
The 286 members of Congress taking office today have an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between democratic institutions and a generation of young people eager to participate, contribute, and help build solutions for the country. Young people are essential to the legitimacy and future of Colombian democracy—not only because of their demographic, economic, and electoral significance, but also because of their ability to drive new agendas and leadership for national development.
Yet, according to the 2024 Latinobarómetro, 78.3% of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 do not feel represented by Congress, while only one in four believes that politicians care about their opinions, according to the 2023 AmericasBarometer.
In response to this reality, Fundación Corona—drawing on evidence from the Young People in Society study, developed in partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE), Fundación Bolívar Davivienda, and Cifras & Conceptos, as well as its experience working with legislators from different political parties—presents a policy agenda to the new Congress in several areas where lawmakers play a critical role in transforming opportunities for young people.
"Today, we have evidence, lessons learned, and concrete experiences that allow us to understand where the main barriers facing young people lie and which decisions can generate real transformations in their opportunities. That is why we want to place this knowledge at the service of the new Congress, contributing to an informed, ambitious public agenda capable of driving meaningful change," said Daniel Uribe, Executive Director of Fundación Corona.
First Opportunity: Make Upper Secondary Education a National Priority
Grades 10 and 11 represent one of the most decisive moments in young people’s educational trajectories and in defining their life projects. However, this is precisely where the Colombian education system shows some of its greatest weaknesses: net enrollment in upper secondary education reaches only 50.3%, according to the Ministry of Education, and only one in four young people achieves adequate learning outcomes across the four core areas of knowledge.
The underlying reason is structural: upper secondary education in Colombia is neither compulsory nor supported by a clear identity around which education authorities, teachers, and communities can coordinate efforts to help young people develop the skills they need to build their life projects.
For this reason, Fundación Corona calls on the new Congress to take the step the country has long postponed: support a constitutional reform to Article 67 that makes schooling compulsory at least until age 17, covering grades 10 and 11 and ensuring the resources needed to make this mandate effective. At the same time, the Ministry of Education should adopt a comprehensive upper secondary education transformation policy focused on life projects and youth leadership, while prioritizing resources for territories facing the greatest gaps in retention and learning outcomes.
"In Colombia, we tend to view upper secondary education as an add-on, simply a couple of extra years to keep young people in school. Grades 10 and 11 lack a clear identity, when in reality they are crucial for consolidating the learning and skills that enable young people to make informed decisions and navigate their life projects," said Rafael Arias, Education and Employment Manager at Fundación Corona.
Second Opportunity: Promote Youth Participation Beyond Expression of Opinion
In practice, however, this framework operates with limited youth representation and influence in local and national decision-making processes.
According to Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, only 16.9% of young people were aware of Youth Councils in 2025. Voter turnout in Youth Council elections increased only slightly—from 10% in 2021 to 12% in 2025. According to the Young People in Society study, only 22% of young people have participated in civic activities promoted by government institutions, while just 7% have launched their own citizen-led initiatives.
The challenge is not a lack of willingness among young people to participate, but rather the absence of rules, capacities, resources, and response mechanisms capable of translating their voices into decisions. The institutional gap is striking: only 73 of the country’s 1,102 municipalities (6.7%) have a public youth policy.
“The Congress of the Republic now faces the challenge of agreeing on and approving a reform of the Youth Citizenship Statute that provides Youth Councils and Youth Platforms with greater and better capacities, increasing young people’s influence on public decision-making," added Diana Dajer, Democracy Manager at Fundación Corona.
Third Opportunity: Continue a Deliberate, Cross-Party Mechanism to Address Youth Challenges and Demands
Some of Colombia’s most significant recent advances in youth-related issues have been promoted through the Youth Special Commission of the House of Representatives, a body established by Resolution 2342 of September 12, 2022, and composed of 28 representatives from different political parties.
The Commission is responsible for studying, analyzing, and proposing initiatives that expand opportunities for Colombian youth, monitoring CONPES 4040 of 2021 (Colombia’s Pact with Youth), and exercising political oversight of government actions related to education, participation, employment, and rights protection.
Over the past four years, the Commission has demonstrated that youth issues can move beyond being a sector-specific concern and become a cross-cutting legislative agenda. It has promoted reforms to the Youth Citizenship Statute and the Youth Employment Integration Bill, organizing decentralized public hearings across regions and working in coordination with youth organizations, academia, and civil society.
However, special commissions do not automatically continue between legislative terms. For this reason, Fundación Corona calls on members of Congress for the 2026–2030 term to re-establish the Youth Special Commission, create a bicameral special commission, or even evaluate the need for a permanent commission. Doing so would ensure continuity for initiatives currently underway and strengthen the Commission as a permanent bridge between Colombia’s 12 million young people and the Legislative Branch.
Key Figures
78.3% of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 do not feel represented by Congress (Latinobarómetro, 2024).
Net enrollment in upper secondary education is 50.3% (SIMAT, 2024), and only 1 in 4 young people achieves adequate learning outcomes across the four main subject areas (Observatory of Educational Realities, 2025).
Only 13 out of every 100 young people in Colombia complete school on time while acquiring the knowledge and skills they need for their future (ORE).
Only 16.9% of young people are aware of Youth Councils (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 2025).
Just 73 of Colombia’s 1,102 municipalities (6.7%) have a public youth policy (Office of the Ombudsman, 2023).
