Youth and Social Participation

Young people living in poor communities are still the main victims of a process of exclusion and elimination of socio-economic and cultural groups considered 'marginal' 'superfluous' and 'dangerous' and are often stigmatised by society. In the social imagination the idea persists that poor young people are candidates for delinquency and worthless in an economically competitive society. Face-to-face interaction from an interactionist perspective has shown that young people's participation in social projects and their presence in spaces of political articulation contributes to the construction of their own identity. The young people studied are considered youth leaders by the RCS movement. They work for the collective good and envision other possibilities for themselves and others. Through social and political inclusion they have new professional perspectives in the social field expanding their knowledge and level of information. The participation of young people in social projects can promote social mobility in addition to contributing to the affirmation of their identity as social and political subjects.