Dar o peixe ou ensinar a pescar? o empoderamento como prática de inovação social em uma organização da sociedade civil

Abstract

Studies on social innovation have shown a strong growth trend since 2003. In this context, Brazilian research is still incipient, as there is no dominant logic within the theme, demanding new theoretical points of view and clarity regarding the development of this type of innovation. In this sense, I have developed the following propositions: (1) social innovation is a practice with more or less durable, intangible, situational and contextual forms; and (2) garfinkelian ethnomethodology is adequate for empirical research. In view of this, I defined as a general objective to analyze empowerment as a practice of social innovation in a civil society organization (CSO) focusing on the role of the organizational actors that constitute the innovation network, that is, the partners that contribute to the development of IS identified. Therefore, I researched Casa Pequeno Davi located in the neighborhood of Roger and selected as an example of social innovation practice the empowerment of children and adolescents in situations of social vulnerability. To that end, I made use of interviews with CSO employees, students, alumni and family members, participant observations, photos, videos and documents, based on ethnomethodological directions. In this context, it was significant to discover that besides the development of personal power, the students enrolled in the activities of the CSO became multipliers of the acquired knowledge, contributing to the growth of the people with whom they coexist. Thus, the practice of empowerment changes over time from the very actions of children and adolescents, accompanying their personal development process, as well as from the mapping of community needs and planning activities that the CSO performs. In addition, this dissertation contributes in several different ways, especially in what concerns the delineation of an integrative theoretical conception and the investigation of how the practice develops and legitimates in a given context, evidencing its triggers and means of materialization.