‘Juventude Viva (Living Youth)’ is the name given to the Federal Government plan, coordinated by the Brazilian Secretariat of Youth (SNJ) and the Secretariat for Racial Equality Promotion Policies, whose purpose is reducing and preventing violence against the Brazilian youth, in special Afro-descendent and mixed race ones. According to the Ministry of Health data, homicides are the main cause of death for 15 to 29-year-old youngsters.
The Brazilian School of Public Health Sergio Arouca (Ensp/Fiocruz) is partner in the initiative, through the project ‘Articulação Nacional Juventude Viva (Living Youth National Articulation)’, supported by Fiotec, which is responsible for creating the local articulation and formation center for articulators.
A survey made in 2010 evidenced that most of the 49,932 victims of homicide in Brazil was of youngsters, 76.6% of which being Afro-descendants and mixed race people and 91.3% being of male gender. Those data caused the plan to be created, so as to bring up preventive efforts for reducing the youngsters’ vulnerability to physical and symbolic violence situations.
Acting places
‘Juventude Viva’ is aimed as priority at cities, which gather together more than 70% of the homicides against youngsters in Brazil. For this reason, it is implemented in the states of Bahia, Alagoas, Paraíba, the Federal District and in the city of São Paulo.
Historical opportunity
The Juventude Viva Plan is a historical opportunity to face violence, by questioning its vulgarization and the need for promoting the youth rights. In addition to the efforts aimed at consolidating the youngsters’ history and change of territories, the plan intends to promote the equality and non-discrimination values, the fight to racism and generational prejudice, contributing to the high mortality indexes of the Brazilian Afro-descendent youth.
This is a never-seen joint effort of the State institutions to recognize and face violence, joining strengths with the civil society to overcome it.
Visit the website and know more about it.
*With information from Juventude Viva website
