A PEDAGOGICAL MODEL OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Abstract

This chapter aims to present a pedagogical model of youth empowerment and some tools developed throughout several national research projects to analyze and evaluate it. The research questions at the base of these products connect both with the lack of clarity of the concept itself and with the nonexistence of works that, from the field of social pedagogy, guide social educators to help young people empower themselves. Through three consecutive national research projects (Ref.: DU2010-15122; Ref.: EDU2013-42979-R y Ref.: EDU2017-83249-R) financed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, we have been working on youth empowerment in the framework of what we have called the HEBE Project (https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink” xlink:href=“https://www.projectehebe.com”>www.projectehebe.com). These projects have sought to answer research questions from the perspective of social pedagogy. The pedagogical model we present provides a map of spaces, moments, and processes that allow for the analysis and pedagogical design of the actions and processes that foster youth empowerment. From this model, we derive a series of dimensions and indicators that allow us to characterize youth empowerment. These dimensions and indicators make it possible to create the HEBE rubric, an instrument for evaluating actions and socio-educational projects for youth empowerment.