What started as a youth-led Local Action in Peru, supported by YOURS through seed funding, has grown into a multi-city initiative shaping safer cycling systems and securing $100,000 USD in global investment.
Pedalea Seguro, led by Jeffrey Leandro Díaz, maps cycling risks, mobilises communities, and works with local governments to turn data into safer streets. It didn’t start as a defined solution, but with a simple question: what are cyclists actually experiencing when they move through the city?
Cycling in many Peruvian cities is not designed to feel safe. It often means navigating streets that prioritise speed over people, dealing with unclear infrastructure, and constantly adapting to risk. For Jeffrey, this was not abstract, it was part of his daily experience.
That is where Pedalea Seguro took shape. Not as a predefined solution, but as a process of listening. Together with local cyclists and young leaders, the team began mapping routes, identifying high-risk areas, and collecting data that reflected how people actually move through their cities.
What made this work different was not only the data itself, but how it was built. It combined lived experience, community knowledge, and youth leadership, shifting the conversation from abstract planning to real conditions on the ground.
As the work evolved, it became clear that the model could go further. What started as a Local Action began to scale, leading to Pedalea Seguro 2.0, which expanded across Lima, Tacna, and Trujillo and brought together data, community action, and policy engagement.
This evolution did not go unnoticed. Out of more than 240 applications from over 45 countries, Pedalea Seguro was selected as one of three global winners of the Healthy Cycling Challenge, securing $100,000 USD to support its next phase.
The funding matters, but it is not the whole story. What it reflects is something broader, a recognition that solutions built from local realities, led by young people, and strengthened through collaboration, can move beyond small-scale initiatives and influence how systems are shaped.
As Pedalea Seguro 2.0 moves forward, it continues to build partnerships with organisations, local networks, and public institutions, strengthening both its reach and its impact.
This is how change takes place. It starts locally, with people who recognise what needs to be different. And with the right support, those ideas can grow, connecting communities, attracting investment, and contributing to systems that work better for everyone.