Rehabilitated gang members are leading walking tours of Panama City as part of a business incubator. The Esperanza Social Venture Club funded the guided tour scheme that offers employment opportunities to former gang members. This also offers travellers looking for an authentic experience in a developing country a way to be immersed in and learn about the local culture.
The Fortaleza Tours of Panama were set up by graduates of the innovation lab, which is dedicated to demobilizing street gangs in Panama by integrating members into society and stimulating the local economy. The tour guides not only inform tourists about the area, they also share their personal stories, pointing out their mothers' homes and nearby gang graffiti.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Rehabilitated Gang Members
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating businesses that provide employment and support for rehabilitated gang members.
- Authentic Experiences
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing tourism experiences that offer travelers an authentic and immersive encounter with local cultures in developing countries.
- Social Venture Club
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Establishing investment funds or clubs that specifically support social enterprises and initiatives like the guided tour scheme in Panama.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Tourism
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introducing guided tour experiences that are led by individuals with unique backgrounds and stories, such as rehabilitated gang members.
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Fostering the development of social enterprises that generate employment opportunities for marginalized individuals, like the business incubator supporting the guided tour scheme.
- Community Development
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Implementing programs and initiatives that aim to integrate former gang members into society and stimulate the local economy, ultimately leading to safer and more prosperous communities.
