This article aims to report a project to generate income through self-organized groups conducted in 2001 with unemployed students from Psico-USP popular preparatory course for university entrance. The proposal was to experience the cooperative model in the space of the PPC to promote the creation of activities that generate income to students, in order to ensure their financial support while studying for the exam. We present the experience of three working groups: a) preparation and marketing of food, b) teaching; and c) production of items derived from recycled paper. Due to difficulties, participation decreased and the first two groups dissolved, leaving only the last. Thus, we discuss the process and experienced partnership established between the group producer of recycled paper and a multinational company that commissioned the manufacture of two products. We analyzed the experience of groups reflecting on the difficulties of overcoming heteronomy as a form of organization established in society by instituting models of work, horizontal and self-management, a practice that may go beyond the logic of capitalism.