Searching for a “true work”: The paths and projects of the poor youth at São Paulo

In Brazil, especially since the beginning of the 21^st century, themes related to employment and unemployment have been approaching the youth condition, demanding the creation of federal public policies and the construction of a National Youth Agenda for Decent Work. This paper intends to present some results of the author doctoral thesis, which focused different youth trajectories verified at São Paulo periphery, concerning public initiatives, precarious work and odd jobs, as well as the continuous efforts for raising the schooling levels.

The research was part of the study about youth and its inter-relation with work, family and school, considering the relevant transformations of these institutions for the modern construction of the youth condition itself. The theoretical concepts of support, as developedby Danilo Martuccelli, and of individual, as developed by François Dubet, are used for the study of the youth and unemployment categories, as well as for the interviews analysis. The research adopts a qualitative methodology, using open and in-depth interviews. The field work was carried out from 2005 to 2006, when 7 policy-makers and 38 young people - as well as some of these parents, were interviewed.

The young people narratives show the diversity of trajectories and meanings given to the work and the lack of work, and their multiple strategies in the search for a “true work”, using their own words. Besides the recent increase of public initiatives for rising the youth presence at the Brazilian work markets, the study shows that the family networks featuring strong ties is a main factor for the finding of some precarious jobs. Therefore, the family and the expectations for schooling elevation appear as the fundamental supports for the building of a better life and work trajectories.