Youth, Memory and Violence: Action Research at the Guajuviras neighborhood - Canoas/RS

Abstract

This work aims to articulate social memory issues with youth, identity and violence connected with an analyses of the community experiences of young people living in the neighborhood of Guajuviras/Canoas - RS. It offers a historical view of the neighborhood, linked to analysis of the manifestations of urban violence and the young’s representations through the development of a Photography Workshop hel­d in the Casa de Juventudes during the second half of 2015. The methodology used was the Action Research, which is characterized as a method that allows to test hypotheses about the phenomenon of interest, accessing possibilities of changes in the real scenario in direct relation with the social actors. During the workshop the young was encouraged to participate in group activities, exchange experiences and representations about the neighborhood while received basic instructions about photography device as a way of recording and amplifying their experiences. Good and bad places to circulate were pointed out, especially the sectors belonging to the areas of sub-occupations considered more dangerous. Social resources from the Peace Territory, such as the Casa de Juventudes, were referred as important, although they pointed out that the neighborhood still lacked places for protected interactions. The Photography Workshop acted as a device for the circulation of words, stories and memories, placing points of identification and social memory among young people.