The International Youth Day, celebrated on August 12, was established by the United Nations in 1999 as a result of the Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, and has been part of Brazil’s official calendar since 2002. It is a date that seeks to give visibility to issues associated with youth in different fields, and encourage the engagement of government and civil society in the struggle to improve the living conditions of this population.
To discuss some of the demands, as well as the youth protagonism in important transformations of the country, the Youth Coordination of the Municipal Department of Human Rights and Citizenship and the Centro Cultural da Juventude (CCJ) of the Municipal Secretariat of Culture of São Paulo promoted, in August 2014, The “Youth Month”, with a series of artistic presentations and debates in public sites of the city, with the axes of collective actions in different historical moments, violence, human rights, sport and cultural production related to young Brazilians.
Held at the Centro Cultural da Juventude in the emblematic August 12, and organized in partnership with Ação Educativa, the Seminário Cultura e Juventude integrated this program and had as a central discussion the cultural area as a work field for young people. In the first round table, focused on the challenges of artistic training and professional qualification, it was discussed the supporting, expansion and promotion of public policies implemented by the City of São Paulo, while in the second round table creative processes and experiences of cultural entrepreneurship by young people from the outskirts were approached.
The Seminar was attended by managers, researchers, artists and young entrepreneurs as debaters and audience. This publication systematizes some reflections, experiences and perspectives presented by them, as emphasizing the importance of these contributions, as expecting to influence new actions that may increase the insertion of young people in the labor market, as well as expand their possibilities of cultural creation and experimentation.