Children, Children and NGOs: conceptions present in Non-governmental organizations governmental
Child. Childhoods. Social project. NGO
The present work investigated the conceptions of children and childhood in documents of two Brazilian Non-Governmental Organizations that carry out actions aimed at children and adolescents who are in a situation of social and economic vulnerability. The theoretical contribution was based on the New Social Studies of Children, which understands the child as a subject of rights and childhood as a structural category of society. The research also starts from the observation that, many times, the child is not considered as a priority and has his childhood made invisible. The methodological path involved document analysis, based on the survey and selection of documents, which guide and regulate the principles and institutional actions of NGOs. The analysis of the documents revealed several different conceptions of children and childhood that coexist in society and that are defined in their relationships with the family, the school and other institutions that direct their actions towards them. These conceptions were also identified in legal and pedagogical norms, and in actions aimed at children in the investigated institutions. In conclusion, the study identifies the influence of legal frameworks on the conceptions of children and childhood, shows that the social condition affects childhoods, points to the presence of strategic actions aimed at revealing the child and its protagonism, and suggests a reflection on adult-centric culture. which, many times, puts children in an inferior condition, in the face of power relations, and even in a condition of vulnerability that, on the other hand, can adultize and impose responsibilities, denying their childhood. With this, the results reflect the importance of studies, debates and deepening on children, in order to reflect the important role of children and the understandings that lead to the understanding of their different childhoods.