Presentation - Youth and Adult Education: an analysis of public policies, subjects and educational processes¹

ABSTRACT

We are going through a time of great difficulty and unpredictability that, although not new in history, forces us to find solutions that follow scientific knowledge and the transformations in the daily practices of people and society. To seek democracy and social justice in civilizational achievements, in truly inclusive societies, we present the thematic dossier Youth and Adult Education: democratic educational policies and processes. The research works in Brazil come from different states in four regions of the country (North, Northeast, Southeast and South), from six Brazilian university institutions and six foreign institutions, totaling nine scientific papers that comprise investigations and reflections of researchers from universities in Brazil, Portugal, Cuba and Venezuela. The texts keep a thematic, methodological and/or theoretical articulation among themselves and present important and innovative contributions to the field of Education, particularly the Education of Young, Adult and Elderly People. Thus, this dossier is organized into three interrelated axes; the first one concerns the debate on public and educational policy processes; the second one regards teacher training; the third one deals with subjects and pedagogical practices with young, adult and elderly people. Given the theoretical-methodological richness of the set of papers, it is possible to emphasize the political potential when articulating the socialization of investigations on various aspects concerning the social participation of different subjects, policies, pedagogical practices and educational processes, particularly in Education of Youth and Adults, as a modality of Basic Education. The research works presented can contribute to the improvement of educational practices and the monitoring of public policies and, therefore, to the construction of a future that reflects the desire for a better world.

Keywords: Education of Young, Adult and Elderly People; Investigation; Public policies; Democratic processes