THE CUCA NETWORK AND THE CREATION OF NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR YOUTH (Atena Editora)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Cuca de Fortaleza consists of a social protection network and a space to offer opportunities to young people in the areas of culture, education, communication, sport and leisure, especially to the most vulnerable population in the region. OBJECTIVE: Highlight the importance of the Cuca Network as an instrument to support youth. METHODS: Exploratory and cross-sectional study, with data obtained from the review of articles and academic works, using the following keywords: Rede Cuca, Public Policies, Youth, Fortaleza. RESULTS: Cuca appears secured by a mechanism of popular participation in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, which, through the Mais Cultura Program, aimed to democratize the population's access to cultural equipment and services, providing improvements to the quality of life in peripheries and urban centers with low social indices, marked by cultural exclusion. Whether through participation in training courses, or through sports or cultural activities, Cuca is a recognized space for young people. The activities are complementary, as there is coordination between the Cuca units present in Fortaleza, expanding opportunities for young people. Parallel to the protagonism, the psychosocial follow-up presents itself as a possibility of qualified listening and meeting the demands of the youth. With a team made up of a social worker, a psychologist and social educators, the vulnerabilities and social risks faced on a daily basis are worked on, in search of different strategies that can be developed to face the specific challenges of young people, strengthening their ability to respond to reducing their vulnerability. Institutional actions isolated from public equipment do not have great social reach, so decisions must be linked in an intersectoral and transversal nature, that is, in a network, the way society is currently organized. There is a direct relationship between the motivation for young people to stay and the welcome they receive. When they are inserted in dynamic activities, consistent with their skills or potential, they tend to remain more participatory and develop a new relationship with space. In this sense, for the full consolidation of the mentioned network, permanent dialogue between the bodies that make up the Public Power and civil society is essential, as such equipment is fed by the community itself. The Directorate for the Promotion of Human Rights and Culture of the Cuca Network in Fortaleza identified significantly positive impacts in the areas of education, security, cultural capital and emotional skills in adolescents and young people referred by the Reference Centers for Social Assistance (considering the young people who attend the Cucas as a treatment group while those who have never been to a unit as a control group).CONCLUSION: The relevance of Rede Cuca for the social, economic and cultural development of young Brazilians is ratified, especially in poorer regions. The program's functionality depends, among other issues, on public participation with civil society, in order to maintain the proper equipment and technologies needed to generate opportunities for Brazilian youth.