Money in their hands, not just doors opening
En una noche de debate técnico, dos partidos peruanos presentaron visiones opuestas para los jóvenes que ni estudian ni trabajan —los llamados 'ninis'— y para los atletas que sueñan con representar a un país que en 2027 será sede de los Juegos Panamericanos. Fuerza Popular apuesta por reformar sistemas educativos y reestructurar instituciones; Juntos por el Perú confía en transferencias directas de dinero y en llevar infraestructura a las comunidades más vulnerables. Ambas propuestas reconocen la misma herida, pero difieren profundamente en cómo sanarla. Las elecciones, no el debate, decidirán cuál filosofía guiará el futuro de la juventud peruana.
- Perú carga con una generación entera de jóvenes atrapados entre la escuela y el trabajo, sin credenciales ni oportunidades que les abran puertas.
- Rosangella Barbarán (Fuerza Popular) propone rediseñar la educación técnica región por región, ampliar Beca 18 en 20,000 cupos y reubicar el deporte bajo la Presidencia del Consejo de Ministros.
- Ernesto Zunini (Juntos por el Perú) responde con 'Mi Primera Chamba': 100,000 jóvenes recibirían 6,150 soles para capacitarse, emprender o subsidiar su primer empleo formal.
- Los Juegos Panamericanos Lima 2027 actúan como catalizador político: ambos partidos compiten por mostrar quién construirá mejor la infraestructura deportiva que el país necesita.
- El debate no resuelve nada por sí solo —la tensión entre reformar sistemas y poner dinero directamente en manos jóvenes quedará sin árbitro hasta las urnas.
Un martes por la noche, Rosangella Barbarán y Ernesto Zunini se enfrentaron en un debate técnico para exponer cómo sus partidos sacarían a los jóvenes peruanos del limbo. El telón de fondo era urgente: una numerosa población de 'ninis' —jóvenes que ni estudian ni trabajan— y un país que en 2027 recibirá los Juegos Panamericanos.
Fuerza Popular propone atacar el problema desde la educación. Barbarán anunció una reforma profunda de la formación técnica, ajustada a las necesidades reales de cada región y del mercado laboral. El partido ampliaría Beca 18 en veinte mil cupos, revitalizaría el programa Jóvenes Productivos con nuevas alianzas privadas y crearía centros COOL distribuidos por todo el país. En materia deportiva, trasladaría el Instituto Nacional del Deporte a la órbita del Primer Ministro para garantizar inversión desde el deporte barrial hasta el alto rendimiento.
Juntos por el Perú eligió un camino distinto. Su propuesta estrella, 'Mi Primera Chamba', entregaría 6,150 soles a cada uno de cien mil jóvenes, depositados en cuentas del banco estatal con cinco años para usarlos: en cursos certificados, en un emprendimiento o en subsidiar la mitad del salario de un primer empleo formal. Las becas estatales se ampliarían a treinta mil, pero con prioridad explícita para jóvenes en pobreza extrema, comunidades indígenas y zonas rurales. Para los Panamericanos, el partido prometió complejos deportivos multiusos y centros 'Casa Futuro' que combinarían instalaciones atléticas con orientación vocacional.
Ambos partidos apuestan a que la juventud y el deporte son temas electorales decisivos. La diferencia filosófica es clara: uno confía en reformar instituciones y tejer redes con el sector privado; el otro en transferir recursos directamente a quienes más los necesitan. El debate trazó las líneas. Las elecciones dirán cuál visión convence.
Two political camps squared off on a Tuesday night to lay out their competing visions for Peru's young people—those stuck between school and work, and those chasing athletic dreams on the international stage. Rosangella Barbarán spoke for Fuerza Popular, Ernesto Zunini for Juntos por el Perú. The stage was a technical debate, but the stakes were real: how to move hundreds of thousands of idle youth into jobs, and how to build a sports system worthy of a nation hosting the 2027 Panamerican Games.
The problem both sides acknowledged is stark. Peru has a large population of what officials call 'ninis'—young people who neither work nor study. They drift. They're locked out of the labor market, often lacking the skills employers want or the credentials that open doors. Barbarán's answer, speaking for Fujimori's party, centers on education. Fuerza Popular would overhaul technical training from the ground up, redesigning curricula to match what each region actually needs and what employers are actually hiring for. The party would expand Beca 18, a flagship scholarship program, by twenty thousand slots. They would also revive and strengthen Jóvenes Productivos, a youth employment initiative, by adding new training tracks and forging partnerships with private companies to create actual jobs. On the sports side, Barbarán proposed moving the National Institute of Sport out of its current bureaucratic home and placing it under the Prime Minister's office, where it could channel investment across all levels—from recreational programs in neighborhoods to elite professional athletes. She also announced plans for COOL centers—local hubs for opportunity and guidance—scattered across the country to serve young people.
Zunini, representing Juntos por el Perú, took a different approach. His party's flagship proposal is called Mi Primera Chamba—My First Job. The mechanics are specific: one hundred thousand young people would each receive six thousand one hundred fifty soles deposited into individual accounts at the state bank. They'd have five years to spend it. The money could go toward accredited training courses. It could seed a small business. Or it could subsidize half a year's salary in a first formal job, with the employer covering the other half—a way to lower the hiring risk for companies reluctant to take chances on inexperienced workers. Junini also promised to expand state scholarships to thirty thousand youth, but with a crucial condition: priority would go to those from extreme poverty, indigenous communities, and rural areas. The targeting is explicit. On sports, Juntos por el Perú framed the 2027 Panamerican Games as a national priority, announcing plans to build multipurpose sports complexes across the country and establish 'Casa Futuro' centers that would combine athletic facilities with vocational counseling for young people trying to figure out what comes next.
Both parties are betting that youth employment and sports infrastructure matter to voters. Both are racing toward 2027, when Lima hosts the hemisphere's biggest sporting event. The question now is which vision will resonate—Fuerza Popular's emphasis on technical education and institutional restructuring, or Juntos por el Perú's direct cash transfers and targeted support for the poorest. Neither side is ignoring the other's terrain. Both mention scholarships, both mention sports. But the philosophy differs. One trusts in reforming systems and creating partnerships. The other trusts in putting money directly in young people's hands and building facilities in their communities. The debate itself changes nothing. Elections will.
Notable Quotes
Fuerza Popular would modernize technical education to match regional needs and labor market demand— Rosangella Barbarán, Fuerza Popular representative
Juntos por el Perú's expanded scholarships would prioritize youth from extreme poverty, indigenous communities, and rural areas— Ernesto Zunini, Juntos por el Perú representative
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Peru care so much about youth employment right now? Is this a new crisis or something that's been building?
It's been building for years. You have millions of young people who finished school—or didn't—and there's simply no pathway into work. The 'nini' label is clinical, but it describes real people stuck in limbo. Both parties are responding to that pressure.
So when Zunini talks about putting money directly into young people's accounts, is that different from just giving them a scholarship?
Completely different. A scholarship pays for school. This money is theirs to use however they need—training, yes, but also starting a business or covering the gap when an employer won't pay full wages upfront. It's about removing barriers, not just opening doors.
And Barbarán's push to move sports under the Prime Minister's office—is that just bureaucratic shuffling, or does it actually change how athletes get supported?
It's a signal that sports would become a presidential priority rather than a mid-level agency concern. More budget, faster decisions, direct access to power. Whether it works depends entirely on whether that office actually delivers the money and attention.
Both parties mention the 2027 Games. Is that genuine commitment or just convenient timing?
Both, probably. The Games are real and they're coming. But they're also a hook—a way to justify infrastructure spending that benefits young people now, not just athletes in 2027. A sports complex in a poor neighborhood serves kids today.
Who actually wins this debate?
Whoever can prove they'll follow through. Promises are cheap. The voter who matters is the young person in a provincial town wondering if either of these plans will actually reach them.