Fernando Soto Tock: “We are in a fascinating moment of transition ...”

Fernando Soto Tock and fellow co-workers at the Quetzaltenango-based organization "Colectivo No'j" (Photo: Colectivo No’j)

Fernando Soto Tock is a 66-year-old Guatemalan expert in Ludopedagogy who works with “Colectivo No’j’”, a partner organization of horizont3000 based in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. A self-described “child at heart,” he enjoys using play and art to explore reality and is committed to leaving the world a little better than he found it. Fernando studied Philosophy, Journalism, Ludopedagogy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

horizont3000: To start, could you tell us about Colectivo No’j’s work and its role in the communities where you currently operate?
Fernando: Colectivo No’j and orizont3000 are currently developing a training project with organized youth. This means we work with young people already involved in social organizations, not individuals. Our goal is for the training to support their personal growth while driving broader transformation, addressing technical, emotional, ethical, spiritual, and relational aspects. Our goal is to empower individuals and strengthen their organizations, contributing to a stronger, more resilient social and organizational network.
In addition to our project with horizont3000, we also support other groups. For example, we’re collaborating with a national farmers’ organization in Guatemala, which operates in 20 of the country’s 22 departments, helping them develop a youth engagement strategy. We’ve also started working with a nearby parish in Totonicapán, where they initially aimed to set up a child safeguarding system within their pastoral work. This has expanded to a more inclusive vision, protecting not only children but also women, youth, and anyone involved with them — building a conscious and protective organizational culture.
This deep formation, organizational support, and creation of safe spaces for human development are central to Colectivo No’j’s work.

horizont3000: Could you tell us a bit about your personal journey within the organization, and what motivates you?
Fernando: The Colectivo’s work has deep roots. I started at 18, creating publications for grassroots groups in Panama, where I was studying. With my drawing skills, I helped produce communication materials. We were involved in everything: analyzing the situation, creating magazines, comics, and organizing symbolic gatherings.
At that time, Panama was a major hub for Latin American social movements, during the era of Omar Torrijos and the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which gave Panama control over its canal. This period marked me deeply, and Panama became my first real immersion in communication and education work. Art transitioned from being a form of expression to a tool for communication and learning.
Later, I worked in Mexico with solidarity groups supporting El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. I also worked with the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, on education projects for Guatemalan refugees. There, we realized that people were learning but not necessarily changing their attitudes or values. This led us to ludopedagogy — using games and art to reach people more profoundly. It’s not just about passing on knowledge; it’s about helping to build better people. That’s how Colectivo No’j started around 2002-2004, with friends sharing this approach. When I returned to Guatemala, I worked with the Pastoral de la Tierra. We saw strong political education, but there was a gap in human development. We wanted to train leaders with empathy and values, and that’s how Colectivo No’j was born.

horizont3000: If you had to define Colectivo No’j’s mission in just a few words for someone who knows nothing about it, what would you say?
Fernando: I would say we create processes of leadership and training rooted in human values, using innovative tools and methodologies.

horizont3000: And how does the Guatemalan context shape your work?
Fernando: Quetzaltenango, where we are based, is a very special place. It’s considered the center of western Guatemala, connected to major departments like San Marcos, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango, and Suchitepéquez. Geographically, it’s a hub from which we can reach across the region and beyond.
But it’s not just geography. Historically, Quetzaltenango has been a major cultural and educational center, even before colonial times. Schools, universities, and training centers have always been concentrated here. There’s a strong tradition of learning, reflection, and social organization.
Besides, this region has a strong indigenous presence, especially from the Quiché and Mam peoples. That profoundly shapes our work — it demands cultural sensitivity, respect for indigenous worldviews, and horizontal collaboration.
So, both for its history and its rich cultural and strategic position, Quetzaltenango is the ideal place for the kind of deep, transformative work that Colectivo No’j seeks to do. It’s a node from which not only knowledge but also hope and methods can radiate outward.

horizont3000: And what impact has Colectivo No’j had?
Fernando: I think we can talk about impact on several levels.
First, at the personal level: many young people who have participated in our programs tell us the experience changed their lives. We’ve seen cases of youth with extremely low self-esteem, some even with suicidal thoughts, who found a new sense of purpose through their experience with us and went on to become leaders in their communities.
Second, some of the young people we trained 15 or 20 years ago are no longer so young — and they’re still connected to the Colectivo. Today, they hold key roles in social organizations, leading with commitment, sensitivity, and a more human-centered vision — exactly what we hoped to cultivate.
Third, we’ve seen an impact on organizations themselves. Many that partnered with us have adopted our methodologies and ways of understanding formation and accompaniment, strengthening their internal work and their community ties.

horizont3000: How does Colectivo No’j approach gender issues?
Fernando: When we first started, gender was not explicitly part of our formal curriculum — we didn’t have a set gender policy. Yet, interestingly, participants often told us that one of the aspects that impacted them most was related to gender.
Even without a formal structure, it came out strongly through workshops and activities — through practice, coexistence, mutual respect, and harmony among participants. Over time, we began addressing it more consciously and deliberately.
Parallel to that, we worked with women’s groups and even feminist collectives here in the region. We participated in spaces that not only discussed women’s rights but also men’s roles, working on reshaping traditional masculinities. At one point, we even formed a collective specifically focused on promoting gender equity and new masculinities, though we did not yet use that terminology as such. Today, gender is fully incorporated into our programs — it’s a core part of our work.

horizont3000: Thinking ahead, where do you see Colectivo No’j in 5 or 10 years?
Fernando: Right now, I see several exciting opportunities. For nearly 20 years, we have been planting seeds across Guatemala, with many trained individuals still connected to our work. One clear possibility is expanding Colectivo No’j nationwide — creating small branches or nodes to spread our vision and methodology. We are already seeing this in our annual festivals of education, where many facilitators are former students who now come as colleagues. They have influence in other organizations and are willing to carry the Colectivo's spirit to new areas.
The Colectivo has earned recognition across Guatemala’s social organizations, hence our influence will likely continue to grow. We, the founders, are also beginning to hand over leadership to a younger generation, bringing fresh perspectives through art, music, photography, feminist movements, and new organizations. It is a different generation, shaping a new dynamic.
Recently, they participated in a feminist gathering in Quetzaltenango with academics, communicators, and artists. It’s opening new doors. We are also being approached by young people with new projects. Just recently, a young man connected to us proposed a project to train teenagers in nutrition and gastronomy, asking for our help with methodologies. They want to go deeper. I believe Colectivo No’j is at a fascinating moment of transition and renewal.

horizont3000: One last question about the collaboration between horizont3000 and Colectivo No’j. Could you tell us about the technical assistance you provided to horizont3000’s partner organizations in the Central American region and its impact?
Fernando: The technical assistance was called the Training Program on Playful Methods and Practical Tools for Group Processes. It consisted of several phases: first, a brief survey of the capacities and needs of horizont3000’s partner organizations; then a series of online sessions to share and discuss the theoretical foundations of our methodology; next, in-person meetings to practice the tools and enhance the content; and finally, on-site accompaniment as the organizations applied what they learned in their ongoing work.
The impact we observed was quite diverse: changes in young men's attitudes and greater sensitivity regarding gender and emotional expression; adoption of our planning methodology for their own training activities; blending of their previous knowledge with the new methods we introduced; use of playful tools to assess the impact of their human rights work; and the incorporation of community spirituality into educational practices.
We also came to evidence stronger bonds between participants and organizations, helping create a spirit of teamwork that can support future regional projects. We hope that these impacts will be sustained through a constant exchange with horizont3000.

horizont3000: Fernando, thank you so much for your time.