Proposals and Territorial Concerns of the Geography Students Involved in the Project We Propose! 2019/20

Abstract

Project We Propose! was created in Portugal in 2011/12 at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of the University of Lisbon (“Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território da Universidade de Lisboa”) to challenge young people to identify local problems and present concrete proposals to solve them. In addition to Portugal, the project has spread throughout six other countries. This article focuses on analyzing the content of the proposals submitted by Portuguese students within the scope of this Project, for the academic year 2019/2020. Despite the suspension of face-to-face classes due to COVID-19, 323 proposals were submitted, being developed by a total of 1360 students from 43 schools and with the guidance of 58 teachers. On average, the working groups comprised approximately 4 elements. Adopting the proper procedures of content analysis techniques, enabled a set of categories and subcategories to be defined and also allowed categorization of each of the submitted proposals at two levels: the main fundamental concern and the type of proposal. Cultural and recreational concerns were the most frequent, however, the students’ most valued type of proposal involved some form of intervention in the public space. Diversity was a dominant factor in the results obtained, thus reinforcing the versatility of the Project We Propose!, which is never detached from the promotion of a geographical education committed to education for citizenship.