The change stories shared by adolescents were translated using Deepl, with no additional editing beyond translation.
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Once upon a time, in a very distant and dangerous neighbourhood, there was a boy who, for various reasons, had to leave the place where he lived with his family, where he had grown up and where all his friends were. He had to move with the few possessions he had to another dangerous neighbourhood called Potrero Grande, where he struggled to make friends and where, from a young age, he witnessed many problems and insecurity. This was especially true in La Paz Park, as the shelter was in poor condition and meant that the park was only used for fighting and drug use.
Years passed and he was in ninth grade when the VMC project came to his school, offering a leadership course that he could use for his community service hours. He discovered a space to learn and seek solutions to problems, which allowed him to become involved in the project in the neighbourhood where he grew up. Through the project, he was able to participate in leadership activities, learn new skills, and contribute ideas to find solutions to the security problems in Parque de la Paz. And although there were still several problems in the neighbourhood, at least the VMC project transformed the park from a problematic place where no one could feel safe to a place where he could meet with his friends and family.
