Frustrated with the dispirited and passive mentality among his people, Aristizabal has given voice and medium to citizens and organizations at the grassroots level. After enduring years of violence, the Colombians are now slowly overcoming long-standing feelings of being victimized – an outlook that has placed a significant impact on the confidence of change-makers. Aristizabal has identified up and coming leaders in his society and provided them with the much needed visibility and guidance that will allow them to maximize their potentials, sharpen their skills and bring about high-impact social change.
Through his platform, Aristizabal has created an innovative way to assist social entrepreneurs and citizen groups to articulate their visions and programs, and uplift their standing. These groups can finally share their ideas through blog posts, notes, videos, Buena Nota radio and other contents that draw attention as well as interaction from other users, thus widening their audience of engaged and committed citizens. People share thoughts and concepts, polish projects, and provide and solicit financial support – forging an efficient, dynamic and effective marketplace that eradicates barriers to cooperation. The Buena Nota Team then determines certain ventures and projects and provides in-depth advises and guidance that would propel these activities to implementation.
Aristizabal dreams of a paradigm shift in such a way that Colombians can express their ideas and obtain ways to make them a reality. Today, Buena Nota has more than 1 million members who are involved, in one way or another, with the platform. Aristizabal is currently boosting the number of projects and building a wider base of volunteers that can offer their skills, knowledge and experience. Other elements such as its solid and integrated partnership with academic and financial institutions, serve to expand the platform’s reach and ascertain its long-term success and sustainability.