The objective of this research was to identify the perceptions of girls and their families in relation to Programa Univali Mulher (Univali Women's Program). The program, which aims at promoting health, focuses on girls of two schools in the city of Itajaí, southern Brazil, with the proposal of preventing violence against women and promoting their empowerment through a dialogic teaching process. The qualitative methodology was used in this research, with data collected from three sources: analysis of reports, observation, and semi-structured interviews. It can be concluded that the Program is a means of education which goes beyond the classroom, enabling the formation of a group of girls in which friendship is established, and whose activities represent an expressive and liberating phase of their lives. However, it also regulates inappropriate behaviors, thus preventing the girls from fully benefiting from this process of empowerment.
Education; Health promotion; Social awareness; Violence against women