Parallel lives, different worlds: Qualitative data

The research took place in Rio de Janeiro, renowed as one of the most unequal cities in the world, in order to assess how the political understandings and participation of young people are affected by being differently located int he city through class, race or ethnicity as well as gender and religion. In a context of unabated poverty and rising levels of participation can be encouraged, is a particularly timely question.

The target sample for this were 14 NGOs. Groups and initiatives with 24 Individuals interviewed; 9 focus group interviews with 59 people, 10 life-histories.<p>In this research project we sought to analyse the notion of ‘youth participation’, a term that has come to be much in use nowadays. Our reflections depart from the perspectives of two set of actors: that of young people in organisations, groups and civil society initiatives, and that of adult educators or co-ordinators also found there. Thinking about the different ‘spaces of participation’, and taking in consideration the social segregation of the city of Rio de Janeiro, we sought to investigate if the forms of participation of young people from different socio-economic backgrounds are structured in distinct ways. Further, we wanted to explore how young people understood their participation in these initiatives and what effect this had in their lives.
The research was conducted in partnership with CIESPI (International Center for Research and Policy on Childhood) - an action research NGO in Rio de Janeiro affiliated to the PUC University, which focuses on childhood and youth particularly within marginalised communities.
The objective of the research has been to gain an understanding of how young people from different backgrounds perceive and practice citizenship and public action and create and engage in their political world in the context of a socially and economically divided society. As such we have been concerned in finding out what the terms ‘participation’ and ‘citizenship’ actually mean to young people in their everyday lives.
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