IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 8 ENGLISH | Page 103

ty leaders, Alamar Heights faces the
generational isolation as a key factor of
risk for teens. Within the population of
almost 5,000 inhabitants —estimated on
the basis of the number of communal
buildings in the territory— about 1,800
are teenagers. The community has two
secondary schools and a high school,
but no other state or private institutions
to support the cultural coexistence.
There are neither places for healthy
recreation nor alternative teaching
opportunities. For teenagers it is very
difficult to socialize with other generations or to make any kind of contribution. Adolescents are excluded from the
community’s social reality. As a result,
the rates of youth violence, delinquency
and affiliation to drugs and prostitution
steadily increase. A mobile playground
in early December 2015, playing music
until twelve o'clock, caused three major
street fights with knives between youth
gangs in different areas of Alamar. Five
teenagers were wounded and some
equipment was broken. The authorities
withdrew this amenity from the community and thusly idle time and lack of
opportunities turned the young people
more vulnerable. Religious groups are
working in the community to provide
spaces for children. Although pubescent
young people are considered children
by the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (1989), they need differentiated
attention for the activities they prefer to
share and by which they feel represented as social beings. And that’s the point
where no one seems to think, as if such
a critical stage wouldn’t be important
for shaping the personality through
learning, confirmation and strengthening of ethical, aesthetic and civic values.

The new communications technologies
Here we have a very important means in
the socialization of young adolescents,
but the purchasing power of the community is typically low and these technologies are expensive. Moreover, it is
difficult to have access. The community
only has a Computing Youth Club,
where young people do not use to go
because the lack of resources is almost
absolute and the Internet services are
provided at unaffordable prices. In
2015, 231 adolescents from the high
school July 26 were surveyed. Only 10
(4.3%) used the so-called Community
Network, an initiative carried out by
young people in the neighborhoods. Its
legal status is not determined yet, but it
is conveniently allowed by the state
organs. 57.1% (132 teens) recognized
the advantages of social networks:
making new contacts and relationships,
sharing photos, improving communications, opening to the world and learning
about other cultures and ways of thinking. Another situation was clear at the
school. The research work by teams are
led by those with computer and printer
at home rather than by those who have
the proper skills and knowledge in
regard of the subject. This creates discomfort and, far from stimulating the
research, it entails disappointment.
Hence the families are dealing with
conflicts and contradictions generated
by educational and social structures
designed for young people from the
perspective of bad policies.
The project
Working with a focus group from the
high school July 26, we proceed to
survey, review and analyze different
documentary sources of the education
system, as well as publications of the

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