Educational activities at school: addressing themes of drugs and violence

Abstract

Adolescence is a phase of biopsychosocial growth that is permeated by new discoveries. This period is marked by the construction of different values and meanings by the teenager, which affect the behavior and life of the individual. The unique nature of adolescence demands actions in order to facilitate the process experienced. In view of this, since 2003, the education and extension project called "Adolescer" has been developed by volunteer students and scholars of the Tutorial Education Program of the Nursing Course at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The present study reports on a University extension activity held in a public school of the municipality in the year 2013, involving an encounter with a group of teenagers, and concerning the issues of drugs and violence. The aim was to promote reflection with teenagers about these themes and provide guidance regarding the risks of the use of psychoactive substances and the consequences, with emphasis on violence. Participatory methodology was used, enabling effective inputs from all those involved in the educational process, who were considered to have knowledge and understanding of the issues. For the planning and organization of the group meeting, deeper knowledge about the theme was obtained by means of various studies in the area and by using participatory methodologies involving the teenagers. The activities developed with the teenagers have promoted the development of health awareness by means of consideration of current issues and social responsibility, which could be discussed without judgment or repression. The "Adolescer" project provides spaces for the exchange of knowledge, personal interaction, and connection with the teenagers, all of which help the period of adolescence to be experienced with critical and reflective consciousness.