Educação ambiental em espaços não formais: o Parque Ecológico da Rocinha como território educativo

Abstract

This study aims to reflect on non-formal spaces and the need to strengthen environmental education conducted outside the school environment. The role of children, young people, adults and community groups is emphasized in promoting activities and meetings, with an educational character of comprehensive, meaningful and emancipatory training, seeking to discuss urgent socio-environmental issues for the educational territory within the favela. The study seeks to address urgent socio-environmental issues within the territory by fostering educational practices that encourage a critical understanding of territorial dynamics and promote inclusive change. Linked to the Graduate Program in Teaching in Basic Education at the Fernando Rodrigues da Silveira Application Institute (PPGEB-Cap/UERJ), the research adopts a descriptive mixed-methods approach, utilizing strategies such as field diaries, observations, and interviews. The analysis is based on the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD) method, grounded in Serge Moscovici's Social Representation Theory. Participants include members of the APER collective, who meet in person and maintain communication via WhatsApp. The main outcome was the development of the educational product "Dialogic Environmental Education: Proposals for Educational Activities in Non-Formal Spaces." This material, designed for inclusive and contextualized pedagogical practices, was considered essential by participants to strengthen the educational role of PER – the Ecological Park of Rocinha. The study concludes that PER has immense potential as an educational space, integrating the community, promoting socio-environmental awareness, and encouraging solutions to local challenges. It highlights the significance of environmental education as a tool for social transformation in non-formal spaces and its replicability in similar contexts