Political subjectivities of young leaders in a rural peace process.

The research explores how an initiative bringing together the youth of Micoahumado with community elders and leaders to create educational practices for training the next generation of community leaders contributes to the development of their political subjectivities. With a participatory research methodology, techniques that engage the senses, reflection, and action and narrative analysis, we concluded that the political subjectivity formed through their leadership experiences is characterized by a complex interplay of tensions, which reveal both their goals and aspirations, as well as the challenges they continually face. We argue that political subjectivity is an incremental process, rooted in the defense of the environment and the construction of peace, equity, and justice, which unfolds through collective, bottom-up action. These findings contribute to recognizing the importance of fostering collective and pedagogical processes to support the political subjectivation of the next generation within local peace initiatives, which have proven in this case successful in deescalating armed violence, ensuring people remain in their territories, and improving community life.