Written by: Barbara Onkle
When Indigenous students leave their communities to pursue higher education, they often face a difficult question:
How can they gain new knowledge and opportunities without losing connection to the territories, cultures, and communities that shaped them?
For us, the answer lies in investing in Indigenous youth while strengthening their ties to home.
Through ACT’s Fellowship Program, Indigenous students from across Colombia receive support to pursue university education while continuing to contribute to the wellbeing and governance of their communities.
More Than a Scholarship
The Fellowship Program was created with a simple but powerful goal: to support Indigenous youth whose educational journeys are rooted in service to their peoples and territories.
The program provides monthly financial support, mentorship, wellbeing assistance, leadership development opportunities, and specialized training on topics such as Indigenous governance, territorial rights, mental health, and cultural preservation.
But fellows consistently describe the program as something more than financial assistance.
Many refer to it as a family.
For students navigating life in Bogotá—often far from their territories, languages, and support networks—the fellowship creates a space of belonging.
Per social work student Carolina Salazar:
“More than monthly financial support, it is a place where we can be ourselves. A place where we can share, learn, and grow.”
Building Bridges Between Worlds
Many fellows see themselves as bridges between their communities and broader society.
Ati Villafañe, a student of Government and International Relations from the Arhuaco community, described the responsibility many Indigenous youth feel when pursuing higher education.
“Young people who leave to study often become bridges between the community and the outside world,” she said. “Our responsibility is to use what we learn in service of our communities.”
The program embraces this vision by encouraging fellows to remain actively connected to community priorities throughout their academic journeys.
Returning Knowledge to the Community
A defining feature of the Fellowship Program is the expectation that students give back.
Every semester, fellows complete a community service project in their territories, ensuring that their education remains connected to local needs.
Recent projects have included:
- Organizing intercultural youth festivals that bring together Indigenous youth from different communities.
- Producing radio programs in Indigenous languages to address gender-based violence.
- Leading workshops on cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and Indigenous crafts.
- Developing educational materials to strengthen Indigenous language revitalization efforts.
These projects allow fellows to apply their academic training while supporting community-led initiatives.
Strengthening Indigenous Leadership
The impact of the program extends far beyond the benefits to individual students.
Graduates are now working in Indigenous organizations, educational institutions, and community leadership roles.
Some are helping strengthen Indigenous education systems. Others support language revitalization, territorial governance, cultural preservation, and advocacy efforts.
Jefferson Chirimuscay, one of the country’s few Indigenous archaeologists, has helped lead initiatives focused on language preservation and educational materials for Indigenous youth.
Former fellow Shirley Cumbal now supports Indigenous educational processes across multiple territories in Colombia.
Their stories reflect the broader vision of the fellowship: investing in people who will continue strengthening their communities for years to come.
A Collective Investment
ACT’s Fellowship Program is built on the understanding that supporting one student means supporting an entire network of relationships.
Behind every fellow stands a family, a community, a territory, and a future generation.
As one participant reflected:
“When we support one person, we are also supporting a community.”
A decade after its founding, the Fellowship Program continues to demonstrate that fostering Indigenous leadership is about more than capacity building. It is about ensuring that knowledge, culture, and responsibility continue to flow between generations.
By investing in Indigenous youth today, ACT is helping strengthen the future of Indigenous territories tomorrow.
Hear directly from Sara Daza Martínez about how Indigenous students are strengthening their communities through education and leadership:
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