A community without leaders, a lack of interest from local residents in taking care of their neighborhood, many abandoned spaces - the central park, the municipal hall, the sports fields - occupied by outsiders who were using them for drugs and alcohol.

This was the situation five years ago in the working-class, self-managed district of Villa El Salvador, south of Lima. This reality was the starting point for action by young YCW members, who involved residents in reclaiming the area, transforming the neighborhood where they lived and changing the lives of young workers and community members.