The young community communicators at CENCA

San Juan de Lurigancho, with a population of 1.2, is Peru’s most populous district. With the majority of the population aged under 29, the opportunities available to young people represent a major challenge. Through its work in various municipalities across the district, CENCA seeks to support young people in becoming agents of social change.

Beyond the statistics, San Juan de Lurigancho reflects the complex urban dynamics of major Latin American cities, where young people play a central role in social transformation. In these neighborhoods, opportunities for expression and participation are often limited, which highlights the importance of local initiatives capable of creating tangible opportunities for young people to make their voices heard and become active members of their communities.

Photograph of José*, by the CENCA community team

Inspired by the José Carlos de Mariategui School of Leadership for Young People, CENCA launched the “JASE” project in 2025, which stands for “ Young People in Action for Hope”. Supported by Batik International and Frères des Hommes, JASE aims to empower young people in the neighborhoods of the San Juan de Lurigancho district. The JASE project is not limited by the fact of simply offering workshops : it forms a part of a broader approach to recognizing the role of the 60 young participants as agents of change. By valuing their experiences, perspectives and stories, the project helps to boost their self-confidence, whilst building bridges between generations and the various stakeholders in the area.

During summer, CENCA runs free workshops for children, teenagers and adults of the district, offering opportunities to learn, have fun and build a sense of community. The workshops cover a range of topics, including theatre, karate, crochet and, in 2025, community communication workshops. Aimed at young people from JASE who wish to take part, 11 of them are actively involved in the project. The aim is to provide them with the knowledge, tools and support they need to give a voice to neighborhoods that are rarely heard.

Photograph of Carmen* and Zoe*, by the CENCA community team

Workshops on the film’s world

Supported by the Minka Audiovisual association, the young community communicators attended two workshops to discover the world of film. Firstly, the aim was to explain the importance of communication and their role as young people, thanks to mobile phones and access to media. They were then taught about audiovisual language and how to use the equipment. Whilst a number of themes were suggested, it was to the young people by themselves who chose the final theme following discussions in which they shared facts that affected them, stories they had heard, and sometimes their own experiences. Armed with their new technical knowledge, they wrote a script, and then … Silence, we’re rolling !

These workshops also provide a space for collective reflection, where young people are not only trained in technical tools but encouraged to develop a critical perspective on their environment. Through imagery and storytelling, they learn to question the social realities around them, whilst constructing a narrative of their own.

Photograph of four young community communicators, Carmen*, Zoe*, José* and Carlos*, filming, taken by the CENCA community team

Participatory video

Participatory video involves a group of people or a community taking part in the design and creation of their own film. It is the end result of a process of co-production of knowledge and action research carried out with the local population. For the first participatory video by the young community communicators, it was decided to highlight the ‘Huertera a Huertera’ (‘From Gardener to Gardener’ program), a CENCA project aimed at supporting the local population in creating and maintaining individual and collective vegetable gardens. The young community communicators are enjoying the experience: “I’ve learnt to express myself,” says Zoe*; “the role of an actor is the one I like best; it’s interesting to try it out and see the different emotions,” says José*.

The choice of this theme illustrates the interest of young people about local initiatives and the practical solutions developed within their communities. By highlighting these experiences, the participatory videos become not only tools for self-expression, but also a means of promoting local knowledge and community-based practices that are often overlooked.

Community communicators are gradually becoming integrated into CENCA, and the CENCA team itself now provides them with training in the form of workshops. For their next participatory video, the young people have chosen to focus on psychological and economic violence against women.

At the heart of this experience, the participant’s testimonies offer a deeper understanding of the personal transformations these workshops can bring about. Beyond the skills acquired, it is often a shift in perspective, both on oneself and on the world, that takes place.

Testimonial from Sofia *, aged of 16, a member of the community communicators group

“ The first training sessions we attended were mainly theoretical, and the, we focused on video. In fact, I took on board everything that was explained to us. I had previously, and still do, intended to study medicine, but I am now learning more towards the social sciences. I would like to go into journalism, or rather communications.

I think these workshops have helped some members of the group to discover their passion. In fact, recently, while chatting with my classmates, one of them told me he would enjoyed the workshop so much that he was considering pursing it as a career.

And I particularly appreciate the training we’ve received: filming videos, discovering everything that goes on behind the camera… now, I don’t watch a film in the same way anymore ! I Pay attention to everything you’ve taught us, to the way people we stand, how they are behind the camera, to everything that happens behind the scenes.

It’s changed the way I look at screens. Now I wonder how it all works behind the scenes. I don’t just focus on what’s in front, but also on what’s behind”.

* In accordance with CENCA’s protocol on ‘Policies and procedures for the organisational protection of children and young people’, the names of the young people have been changed.

Link to the participatory video ‘Huertera a Huertera’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehTQfhW6CPk

Link to the participatory video on violence against women in the district of San Juan de Lurigancho : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPyrCwKPDeU