By being linked to the knowledge, knowledge, and skills accumulated by the community, territorial, cultural and natural resources become valuable cultural assets. They are collections that enable human development initiatives, which generate a value that transcends the economy since they allow the incorporation of cultural and ethnic dimensions as fundamental pillars to strengthen cultural identity, the social fabric, environmental and sustainable development. They are also a commitment to the inclusive, human and cultural development of communities. The analysis of these variables is the axis of this research, which aimed to characterize the cultural and environmental assets of the community of Puerto Rey, a rural area of Cartagena de Indias. Based on the analysis of the capacities and assets perceived by young people, the aim is to strengthen the ancestral knowledge and cultural identity of the students of the Puerto Rey Educational Institution. The work was carried out following the action research approach; it was based on the characterization of the cultural and environmental assets of the village of Puerto Rey through information collection instruments such as brainstorming and social map, with the participation of young people from the educational institution in question. This facilitated the development of a diagnosis and the identification of cultural and environmental assets. This allowed a valuable contribution from the perspective of capacity building in the youth of the educational community of Puerto Rey, a central aspect for the cultural approach to development and, therefore, human development