“Projeto Jovens Guardas” in the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA, Brazil): socio-environmental role of activities carried out in the light of critical Environmental Education

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) in non-formal teaching spaces, as they go beyond school walls and, integrated with formal teaching spaces, seek to better meet local socio-environmental demands. We analyzed the activities and perceptions of the participants of the “Projeto Jovens Guardas”, in the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA, Brazil), which provides participants with experiences related to the conservation of their territory. The results suggest positive influences of the project on the students. However, from a critical reading of the EE, the activities of the project distance themselves from a discourse on social, historical and political conflicts in the territory of these students. The results contribute to the reflection on the youth protagonism and its relations with their environment.