Which Protagonism?

Curricular Narratives on the Clubs of Protagonism in Full-Time High Schools in Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how the proposal for the creation of Clubs of Protagonism is being experienced in the Full-Time High Schools (EMTI) of the public education system in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and what these experiences communicate regarding the meanings of protagonism within the school curriculum. The text results from qualitative research that involved the analysis of documents and contemporary educational policies related to secondary education, as well as interviews conducted with school principals and teachers from three municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul. The findings indicate that the experiences with the Clubs of Protagonism reveal tensions and shifts in the meanings attributed to youth protagonism, which, to a large extent, has been appropriated by a managerial logic aimed at shaping self-managing subjects aligned with neoliberal values. Although there are isolated practices with significant educational potential, a tendency toward the depoliticization of protagonism is observed, reducing it to extracurricular activities disconnected from effective processes of critical and collective participation within the school curriculum.