Cristina Botero and Shaking Lives: Building Pathways for the Next Generation of Hospitality Talent
Cristina Botero’s Shaking Lives initiative stood out at this year’s Altos Tahona Society Competition for one clear reason: it turns hospitality into a real pathway for vulnerable youth to access education, skills, and long-term employment. Her project shows how a single industry can open doors…and transform future!
This year’s Altos Tahona Society Competition brought together finalists from nine countries, each presenting bold ideas to advance sustainability, well-being, or inclusion within the hospitality industry.
Among them, Colombia’s Cristina Botero stood out with Shaking Lives, an initiative focused on transforming hospitality into a pathway for young people from underserved communities.
Her project earned her the runner-up spot by addressing a practical and deeply human challenge: helping youth access meaningful education and long-term employment through the world of hospitality.
Connecting Youth with Hospitality
In Colombia and Chile, millions of young people face a harsh reality: limited access to education and formal jobs. Many are eager to work, but scarce opportunities leave them vulnerable to poverty, violence, and even involvement in crime.
Shaking Lives directly addresses this by connecting these youth with one of the fastest-growing industries—hospitality.
Cristina, together with renowned chef Harry Sasson, her partner in this initiative, is helping build a model that reimagines hospitality as a pathway out of vulnerability.
Instead of treating training as a brief intervention, Shaking Lives guides participants through a complete journey—from their first contact with the industry to meaningful paid work. It reflects a simple but powerful idea: opportunity is most transformative when it is sustained.
At the heart of Shaking Lives is Fundación Gastronomía Social Colombia, a nonprofit dedicated to building collaborative systems that address social challenges through gastronomy.
For years, Cristina has worked within this ecosystem to design and implement programs that use hospitality as a tool for education, inclusion, and opportunity.
Academia Ñam
One of the foundation’s key initiatives is Academia Ñam, which provides structured training-to-employment pathways for young people. Within this framework, Shaking Lives is poised to become one of its flagship programs. Participants will begin with online modules in hospitality and bartending fundamentals, move into practical sessions that build technical skills and confidence, gain hands-on experience in professional settings—bars, hotels, and restaurants—and ultimately connect to long-term employment through Ñam Talentos.
What makes Shaking Lives stand out is its definition of success. Rather than tracking certificates or attendance, the team measures whether participants secure formal employment.
For Cristina, hospitality has always been about more than food or drinks. It is a space where people can grow, connect, and imagine new possibilities for themselves.
Through Shaking Lives, she and Harry Sasson are showing that the industry can play a truly transformative role when it opens doors to opportunity, mentorship, and real-world skills.
Beyond the competition, Shaking Lives is a reminder of what happens when creativity in hospitality is paired with a genuine desire to empower others. Cristina’s project isn’t just about cocktails—it’s redefining what’s possible for young people seeking to learn, grow, and thrive in the hospitality sector.We invite you to follow the project on Instagram at @gastronomiasocial.colombia,@academianam or explore more about the initiative on their websites: Gastronomía Social, Academia Ñam.