A BATH OF CITIZENSHIP IN THE EDGES OF THE SÃO JOÃO STREAM

Abstract

This research investigated the collective development of an Environmental Education extra-curricular project with high school students of Geography. The generating subject of the project was “Garbage in the São João stream”, a tributary of Jaguari-Mirim river in the city of São João da Boa Vista, inland of São Paulo state. Seven stages had been carried through: selection of stream sites for the educative action; observation of the solid residues present in the stream; production of informative material and orientation to the inhabitants; new observation of the solid residues in the stream after intervention with the inhabitants; general evaluation of the project; and elaboration of the final report. There was no apparent reduction of the amount and the types of solid residues launched to the stream, by the neighboring inhabitants, after the educative activity. However, the project became a stage for the students to live the environmental problematics in loco, establishing relations between environment and society, and seeing themselves as citizens belonging to a collectivity and to a complex reality.