Educação ambiental e mobilização social: formação de catadores na grande São Paulo / Environmental education and social mobilization : education of informal reciclers in the Metropolitan Region of Greater São Paulo

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

This study analyzes the collective capacity building activities of informal recyclers, conducted at the Metropolitan Region of Greater São Paulo, between 1997 and 2008, with the purpose of identifying elements to support the participatory creation of sustainable solutions to social and environmental solid waste problems in urban areas. These educational actions are embedded in a period of increasing dialogues and actions related to Environmental Education, focused on the social control of public and institutional policies for participatory environmental management. The analysis of the educational activities has required a survey focused on the historical context, the thinking and acting of Environmental Education; the life and working conditions of the recyclers; the social and environmental issues regarding solid waste and the potential and challenges of selective waste collection as an alternative within solidarity economy. The research analyses the educational activities related to the organization of the selective waste collection in the squatter settlement Pedra sobre Pedra, at the Southern periphery of São Paulo city; the mobilization of solid waste collection groups in the city, at the Fórum Recicla São Paulo, a social mobilization of recyclers; the Capacity Building for the first Selection Centers of the Programa de Coleta Seletiva Solidária de São Paulos implementaed in 2003; the strengthening of the recyclers and their dialogue with the public authorities, through the Participatory Sustainable Waste Management project. These educational activities are theoretically based upon multiple references and upon the comprehension of the commitment to building autonomous social actors towards a democratic society. The elements of emancipatory Environmental Education where identified in this research and, in the educative actions, they where elaborated through interactive methodologies with groups of recyclers. Therefore, we emphasize the advances generated by the capacity building activities, revealed in meetings and through the recyclers voices: change in their self-esteem; the self-value of their own activities, the strengthening of their identities, the assimilation of the processes lived throughout the capacity development and the increased capacity for collective planning of local actions. As a result of the assessment of this research, a need for future work of the leaders themselves to spread the educational actions to a larger contingent of recyclers has become clear, as well as a need to intensify the dialogue with the public authorities and to overcome the institutional hurdles with the purpose of creating inclusive solid waste public policies with organized recyclers.

ASSUNTO(S)

education for environmental management popular education public policies and social inclusion social mobilization educação ambiental com catadores políticas públicas e inclusão educação popular formação para gestão ambiental environmental education with recyclers mobilização social

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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