GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY INTERVENTION “Memoirs of the Ocúpate project”

Guide for Community Intervention: Memoirs of the Ocúpate Project systematizes nearly a decade of work from the “Ocúpate” project, promoted from the University of the Llanos as a community-intervention strategy focused on the meaningful and productive use of free time among vulnerable populations. The book recounts the project’s origins (2012) and its continuity in subsequent years, highlighting the process carried out with the Barrio La Madrid community in Villavicencio, where opportunities for recreation and sport were scarce and social exclusion was evident.

It defines and connects core concepts for intervention (social outreach, free time, playfulness, recreation, play, leisure, community development, social fabric, human development, quality of life, and human/social capital) and shows how these frameworks guided action design, community participation, and sustainability. The text reports achievements and social impact on three fronts: community strengthening (leadership and ownership), academic formation of students and faculty, and changes in how free time is used.

It describes implemented strategies (e.g., community cinema, recreational street programs, training cycles, home gardens, and productive workshops) and analyzes interinstitutional coordination—including the Colombian Red Cross—along with difficulties and recognitions, linking lessons learned to the SDGs. As its main contribution, it proposes the EMPICA methodology, a sequenced set of stages from initial approach and diagnosis through evaluation, installed capacity, transfer of responsibilities, and closure.