This article is based on the results of the research project "Meaning production by young people and youth organizations from the municipality of Santiago de Cali, Colombia", carried out in 2011. The findings shed some light on the meanings that lead young people to join organizations and to remain as active participants. The primary input is therefore the stories of young participants, obtained by means of in-depth interviews. Meaning production is central to the analysis, as mediations expressed by the subjects as the conditions in which they live (and are not chosenby them), as well as affective ties, identification with others, and therational guidelines that influence their decisions and motivations. The intention is thus to help to understand how structural, affective, rational, and municipality-specific elements are combined in the production of meanings that lead young subjects to join organizations of a supportive nature and to remain in them.