As culturas juvenis e os sentidos da escola pública para jovens do ensino médio em um município do nordeste de Minas Gerais

Abstract

With the primary objective of analyzing the meanings of school based on the relationship between the educational institution and youth cultures, this project proposes a study on the representations, meanings, and significance of public schools for young people. The theme holds scientific, academic, and social relevance, as despite the advances made over time, authors such as Dayrell (2001) describe the persistence of institutions that maintain Cartesian approaches legitimized by historical markers rooted in the homogenization of students, without considering territorialities, bodily expressions, and rites of passage among youth— principles that are susceptible to generating ideological conflicts and proposals with little significance within these institutions. The study was primarily based on theoretical research, followed by immersion in the empirical field through interviews, a field diary, and discussion circles conducted in face-to-face meetings. The data collected from the semi-structured interviews were analyzed qualitatively and linked to concepts such as school culture, youth cultures, and youth, in order to examine how the discourses and cultural practices of young people are either validated or marginalized in the school environment, thus enabling a detailed contextual analysis. The study involved 35 students from the ‘Young Protagonists Program’ of the New High School model in a public school within the state education network in the northeastern region of Minas Gerais. As an educational product, a book was proposed, composed of letters written by the students, in which they projected the type of school they wished to engage with. The narratives in these letters and the interviews reveal that young people demand a school that provides emotional support, overcomes discriminatory practices, continuously promotes school competitions and other activities, and aligns itself with the demands of the 21st century, aiming to interweave school culture with youth culture.