WAYS OF BEING AND EXPERIENCING YOUTH AMONG HIGH SCHOOLERS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE¹

ABSTRACT:

The article discusses the youth condition among high schoolers in a rural Community. It analyzes some results of a survey carried out between 2017 and 2019 in an irrigation project in the Brazilian Northeast region. We collected data through questionnaires, document analysis, field observation, and narrative interviews with thirteen students aged between 14 and 24. We used the quantitative data to build the students' general profiles. The interviews were analyzed based on Content Analysis and Discourse Analysis. Despite sharing common experiences, especially concerning school and work, the results indicate a diversity of trajectories and projects among students. The representations about the experiences of being a young peasant, the identification with the territory, and the schooling place in their future projects varied depending on the social origin, the individual and family trajectories, and racial and gender belonging.

Keywords: rural youth; high school; education in the countryside