Habilidades emocionales para un proyecto de vida con bienestar

Zeneida Rocío Ceballos Villada; Dianne Sophia Araujo Romero; Jacqueline Vera Martínez; Dora Silvana Velasco Hurtado

doi:10.58479/almanaque.2025.172

Authors

Zeneida Rocío Ceballos Villada Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)
Dianne Sophia Araujo Romero Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)
Jacqueline Vera Martínez Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)
Dora Silvana Velasco Hurtado Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58479/almanaque.2025.172

Keywords:

Emotional skills, life project, well-being, entrepreneurship

Abstract

Rural adolescents in the Andean region of Colombia face significant challenges marked by inequitable opportunities for their educational and personal development. These challenges are further exacerbated by poverty, wide digital gaps, geographic isolation, and, fundamentally, limited emotional skills. To address this issue, the action research project "Life Skills for Adolescents in Strengthening Life Projects through Rural Identity" used the Social Entrepreneurship Lab as its central strategy—an experiential space in which adolescents developed entrepreneurial skills, analyzed their local contexts, and strengthened community ties to design, critically evaluate, and manage strategies for launching ventures that respond to territorial needs. The project was carried out with students in grades nine, ten, and eleven from two rural educational institutions—one in the department of Cauca and the other in the department of Nariño, Colombia. The study demonstrated the practical connection between emotional skills and life project development, highlighting the importance of recognizing, regulating, and appropriately expressing emotions in building life projects that foster well-being.

Author Biographies

Zeneida Rocío Ceballos Villada, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)

Psychologist, PhD candidate in Psychology, with a Master's degree in Teaching. She is a researcher in the Master's Program in Community Psychology and Psychology at the National Open and Distance University (UNAD), and a member of the research group on Psychology, Emotional Development, and Education. She teaches undergraduate courses in Psychology and postgraduate courses in the Master’s in Community Psychology. She is also a trainer and designer of virtual learning environments. Academic peer for the Colombian Ministry of National Education. Founding member of the Latin American Network for the Study and Intervention in Happiness and Human Well-Being.

Dianne Sophia Araujo Romero , Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)

Psychologist, graduate of Universidad Mariana. Holds a Master's degree in Strategic Human Resources Management and Knowledge Management from the International Iberoamerican University of Puerto Rico. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education teaching and is currently a university professor and researcher in the Psychology, Emotional Development, and Education research group at UNAD, with a special interest in well-being and rural development.

Jacqueline Vera Martínez, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)

Master’s in Community Psychology, Specialist in Pedagogy for the Development of Autonomous Learning, Psychologist, and Licensed Primary Education Teacher. Member of the Cuchavira research group, recognized by UNAD, and leader of the Yanapay Popayán research seedbed. Active participant in the ASCOFAPSI Educational Psychology Network. She is also the course director for Psychosocial Action and Education in the Psychology program.

Dora Silvana Velasco Hurtado, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, (Colombia)

Economist from Fundación Universitaria de Popayán. Specialist in Social Management from the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP), and in Distance Higher Education from the National Open and Distance University (UNAD). Holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from UNAD Florida and is currently a doctoral candidate in Managerial Administration at Universidad Benito Juárez, Mexico. She serves as the Zonal Leader of the School of Administrative, Accounting, Economic, and Business Sciences (ECACEN) and is a faculty member in the Economics program. She is also a researcher with the ILAMA Research Group.