At the heart of the work of the Los Pisingos Foundation lies a psychotherapeutic intervention model that seeks to transform the reality of thousands of Colombian children and adolescents (NNA), who often face various forms of violence. This approach, rooted in human rights, ecology, systemic thinking, and an intersectional perspective, is nourished by the deep empathy of its collaborators. It is not only a response to violations of rights, but also an invitation to reflection and change in intervention practices, promoting action without harm that adapts to the needs and diversity of each child and adolescent.
Since 1969, the Foundation has worked tirelessly in Bogotá, Colombia, with the firm purpose of generating empathy with the feelings of children and adolescents, empowering them in their own process of reconstruction. Recognizing them as survivors is essential, understanding their autopoietic strength and their capacity to reconfigure their affective networks, thus fostering their dignity and worth [Comins-Mingol, 2015]. This support is framed within a Specialized Psychological Support program, in coordination with the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), ensuring the restoration of rights in accordance with Law 1098 of 2006 and Article 18 of the Political Constitution of Colombia, which emphasizes protection against abuse and maltreatment.
Empathy, defined by the Foundation as the confrontation of the experience of the other from their own life in interaction and community, is the guiding thread of its intervention. This conception is enriched by a philosophical perspective that, from phenomenology, understands empathy through otherness, the principle of changing one’s own perspective for that of the other. Citing Sánchez-Rincón (2020), otherness, according to Emmanuel Levinas, implies encountering the other without the intention of dominating them. Language, as an essential bond, plays a crucial role in this relationship with otherness, as it is always oriented toward the other-as-different [Fernández, 2015; Samoná, 2005; Levinas, 1999]. Thus, empathy becomes the gateway to the experience of the other, a longing of modern societies to live in community and justice, forged from childhood through sensitivity and compassion for the pain of others.
This commitment to empathy is consolidated through micropolitics, an exercise of resistance for childhood that distinguishes the Los Pisingos Foundation. Micropolitics here is not limited to organizational structure, but permeates the organizational ecology, from leadership to the psychotherapeutic team. Spaces for staff selection are created with a focus on institutional values, promoting the inclusion of professionals with academic and cultural competencies aligned with this perspective. Therapeutic supervision, led by area specialists, seeks to build with the team unformulated experiences and unthought knowledge, fostering a safe environment that encourages psychotherapists to explore the limits of their experience. This creates enabling bonds that generate a pleasant environment consistent with the mission of the Foundation.
The micropolitics of the Los Pisingos Foundation is expressed through differentiated care, integrating the diversity of psychological approaches, understanding that accompaniment arises from polyphony in interaction with human dilemmas, rather than from a single paradigmatic configuration. This model, built from the experiences of professionals, allows flexibility in interventions and a humanized and respectful form of accompaniment. From admission to discharge, a sense of safety and trust is promoted, understanding the integrality of care. Micropolitics thus becomes a tool for transformation, challenging violent practices and promoting structural change in the way society addresses childhood and adolescence. It is a call to action for philanthropy and social networks, showing how empathy for others and conscious micropolitics can generate a profound and lasting impact, building more just and nonviolent societies.
