NEWS

YumaKids Foundation leads a documentary photography training in Ibagué (Colombia) led by renowned photojournalist and visual anthropologist Eva Parey, targeting teens seeking creative expression and emotional well-being.

YumaKids was invited to share its experience in preventing child sexual violence at a session organized by the Psychoanalytic Association of Buenos Aires (APdeBA), affiliated with the International Psychoanalytic Association.

In March 2025, we launched our Mental Health Workshops for Adolescents, Multifamily Workshops, and support programs for school counselors across several areas of Tolima.

On February 15, 2025, YumaKids was invited to present its work at the International Conference of the Latin American Psychoanalytic Federation (FEPAL), a major platform bringing together psychoanalytic, clinical, and educational professionals across the region.

YumaKids explores partnerships to strengthen mental health initiatives in Ibagué’s public schools.

YumaKids hosted a charity event in Bogotá to raise funds for its projects and to share with the Colombian public the progress and impact of its ongoing activities.

On August 18, 2023, over sixty students from Ibagué’s Technical School of Modelia voluntarily gathered—on what was expected to be a quiet, school-free day—to attend a powerful theatrical event by YumaKids: the play *Behind the Door*.

September is a key month to reflect on suicide prevention—a critical issue in Colombia. In Tolima alone, the health surveillance system (SIVIGILA) recorded 669 suicide attempts among children and adolescents in just one week in 2019, with particularly high rates among youth aged 15 to 24 and among females.

On Thursday, April 4, 2019, YumaKids held its first Solidarity Gathering of Music and Visual Arts in Barcelona to raise funds for its emotional and psychological support programs for at-risk adolescents. The event took place at the H10 Art Gallery Hotel at 7:00 p.m.

On December 20, 2018, YumaKids announced the addition of new international volunteers to enhance its psychological and emotional support programs for vulnerable adolescents. The diverse, multidisciplinary team reflects the international nature of the foundation and the global relevance of Colombia’s conflict.

In October 2017, YumaKids Foundation and Ágora Images (Barcelona) ran the 'Ágora' photography workshop in Ibagué, Tolima, bringing together students from five local schools to explore creativity and express their reality through imagery.

Resilience, understood as the ability of young people to overcome adversity, is widely recognized as a key factor for positive mental health. Recent studies show that high resilience is linked to lower rates of emotional problems in adolescents. The WHO estimates that 1 in 7 youths aged 10–19 suffers from a mental disorder.

In 2017, YumaKids Foundation celebrated its first anniversary and, thanks to the support of donors and collaborators, launched its first projects in Ibagué and surrounding municipalities in Tolima, Colombia—a region with high poverty, inequality, and school dropout rates.

On December 15, 2016, the iconic Palau Robert in Barcelona, Spain, hosted the founding event of the YumaKids Foundation in a gathering that combined solemnity and excitement for youth mental health. This neoclassical building, whose gardens reflect the city’s historical grandeur, has become a key space for cultural and social events.