Working with mental maps and youth in Rio de Janeiro – Mapping local knowledge for social change
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Nobrega, L.
1STATE GOVERNMENT OF RIO DE JANEIRO Email: luanacarusonobrega@yahoo.com.br
Abstract
The project ‘Mapping local knowledge for social change’ has been developed with young from 15 to 18 years old in the public state schools of Rio de Janeiro. It consists in mapping the elements of geographical space by the students with whom they have some sort of affection, where they live or practice activities that please them. Most is located in poor communities, known as ‘favelas’ (slums). The central idea is that using information from the geographic space the youth problematize their reality and knowledge learned throughout their school lives, to develop critical thinking, using mind maps. Our objectives are: to apply theoretical cartographic knowledge in the real life of students, approaching them to these contents and demonstrating its practical importance; develop awareness of the social and cultural wealth of their communities as a way of building a collective identity; and highlight the importance of these citizens for the construction and development of their geographic spaces. In order to achieve these goals students are instructed to design their mental maps, from memories, knowledge, perceptions and experiences of geographical space, taking into account the difficulties they experience about safety and freedom of expression. Students were free to define which aspects of reality that would represent and which cartographic resources would use. From the maps produced, one can see the concern in accurately identify elements such as commercial establishments and streets, including using name for those who have no official name, presenting a wealth often unknown to most of the city's population. The maps produced also bring reflections: one student drew crowds at one of the main entrances of the community (criticizing mobility, accessibility and portraying the population density in the area); another drew the pollution of water resources in the community. The results were important for the application of geographic content for the valuation of these areas and the perception of the importance of its citizens to the city's development, through social and environmental critique, using mind maps as instrument. Some of the future developments are: expand the mapping with the acquisition of information through field survey; scanning, processing and dissemination of information with the support of GIS; survey of the history and evolution of communities, with a biography of some of its residents, giving students protagonism in this process; surveying services that residents claim. The project is an important form of – from the mental maps – assemble and disseminate local knowledge and key demands, intensifying the collective identity of students and residents, giving visibility to both your memory and your current needs, contributing to transform their realities and development, particularly social. The project overpasses the limits of the traditional classroom, having its primary locus in geographic space. It is hoped that the results reach other scales beyond the local, bringing visibility to these communities, contributing to its environmental, economic and social development.