The change stories shared by adolescents were translated using Deepl, with no additional editing beyond translation. However, in the case of the story of the Guardians of Parque de la Paz, since the group did not feel comfortable writing it themselves, the process was carried out through oral narration: they recounted their experiences, and the project team systematised them. As a result, this particular story involved editing.
Before, the park was ugly, dirty, dark, and there were a lot of fights. We were afraid to go there because there were bad people, we always saw thugs, knives, and guns. Our mothers told us, “Don’t go there, it’s very dangerous.” We wanted to play, but we couldn’t.
Then Vivo Mi Calle arrived. The first thing they did was paint a wall, which we helped with and really enjoyed. Then they started organising football tournaments and brought in a cinema, which was great because they even brought popcorn and it was a lot of fun. Then Carlos asked us if we could look after the park, if we could pick up rubbish and not let anyone damage the park, and we said yes. Since then, we have been the guardians of the park.
Now we play football, organise games and parties. We tell people, “Don’t throw rubbish here!” Sometimes we shout, “This is our park, we look after it!”
We feel proud because the park is ours, and our mums don’t tell us off for going to play in the park anymore. The most important change is that now we’re not afraid. We can laugh, run and play with our friends.
