Formação da consciência socioambiental-cidadã no Instituto Estadual de Educação Vicente Dutra (Júlio de Castilhos, RS, Brasil)

Abstract

This research’s objective is to stimulate citizen social-environmental conscience formation through actions of studentsof Vicente DutraEducation Institute in Júlio de Castilhos city, RS, Brazil. Inthis qualitative research, based on action-research principles, a perspective of interconnections between school, community, society and nature was chosen to developthe school’s Integrated Seminarproposition in dialog with the social-environmental issues that affect water quality at Lagoão community. Data was collected through classroom activities and through the community’s teacher and students’ fieldwork. The results revealed an aggravation of Lagoão’s social-environmental problems since 2013 and 2014, with inadequate discarding of materials by the locals, water pollution, Guassupi river margins erosion and a decay of the sense of belonging and involvement of the community, amongst other issues.So, through dialog-interviews, image gathering, researches at Municipal Health and Environment Secretary and other bibliographical sources, it was possible to collectively buildan investigation process that encouraged students totransform themselves into social actors and to promote actions of citizensocial-environmental conscience, of locals’ sensibilization and mobilization to solve these social-environmental issues.