Revista de Ciencias Sociales

Contemporary youth: experiences and challenges

2025-05-20T12:17:12-06:00

The central theme of this issue presents four interesting research reports on concrete practices and actions related to youth in society. A brief description of each report is included in the following lines of this presentation, and the full text of each report is included in this issue 186 of the Journal of Social Sciences of the University of Costa Rica. These articles examine the participation of Latin American youth in peacebuilding processes, art as a means of strengthening coexistence within youth sectors, the important role of Mexican youth who emigrate to the United States in improving their communities of origin, and the phenomenon of "juvenicide," derived from the marginalization and exclusion of youth in the workplace, cultural, and economic spheres. These concrete processes are embedded in a broader reality: the situation of youth in Latin America. Therefore, it is worth considering their expectations for personal, professional, and spiritual development in this subcontinent and their potential for development. There is a wealth of intellectual work on this topic. Here we will make a very general reflection that only aims to motivate interest in the topic.

Youth Groups that build peace from the aesthetic and the political

2025-05-20T12:25:51-06:00

This article presents a review of academic products in Colombia and Latin America framed in the categories of peace building, youth collectives and aesthetic practices, delving into the ways in which they make their appearance in the public sphere and are recognized as a mechanism of collective political action. A review of research carried out between 2010 and 2021 was taken as a basis. A documentary analysis was applied to identify the individual and community meanings regarding the implications of being young and making visible in public scenarios their transformation bets.

The interrelationship tree: praxis in Clinical-Community Psychology

2025-05-20T12:53:05-06:00

This paper presents a critical analysis of a praxis experience in Clinical-Community Psychology with young people, focused on strengthening positive mental health tools through art. This experience was developed through a Participatory Action Research process. For the critical analysis, experiences were systematized to achieve a critical interpretation of the lived reality, highlighting the project's main achievements and limitations. It is noteworthy that those who participated in the activity took ownership of some public spaces. This paper presents a critical analysis of a praxis experience in Clinical-Community Psychology with young people, focused on strengthening positive mental health tools through art. This experience was developed through a Participatory Action Research process. For the critical analysis, experiences were systematized to achieve a critical interpretation of the lived reality, highlighting the project's main achievements and limitations. It is noteworthy that those who participated in the activity took ownership of some public spaces, achieving better school-family ties and fostering personal and social agency through interventions in close social circles and at the community level.

Youth at risk: a comprehensive analysis of suicide, discrimination, inactivity and gender violence in Mexico

2025-05-20T14:33:31-06:00

Today’s Mexico has a predominantly young working population, outnumbering the economically dependent, which should boost national development. However, the effectiveness of this demographic bonus is compromised by violent practices that affect youth. Given this context, the paper investigates the relationship between suicide, discrimination, inactivity and gender violence at the state level. The main findings derived from the Principal Components Analysis indicate that the states with the highest risk for young people in these fields are Chihuahua, Nayarit, Baja California Sur, Aguascalientes, Jalisco and Colima.

Migration to the United States as a rite of passage. Case study in Aljibes, Hidalgo, Mexico

2025-05-20T14:40:30-06:00

The objective of this research is to show the social transformation of the young man who crosses the border. For this purpose, we have situated, theoretically and conceptually, the trip to the United States as a “rite of passage” in the sense proposed by Arnold van Gennep. Methodologically, we used ethnography and structured interviews during the time of the study (2020-2022). Finally, the contribution of this research is to reveal this rite of passage as a social construction that exalts migratory work.

Implications of alternative theories and practices of money on the Social and Solidarity Economy

2025-05-20T14:46:05-06:00

The following text analyses the implications of alternative theories (and practices) of money on Social and Solidarity Economy. In the first part, the mainstream perception of money (commodity theory of money) is contrasted with the (chartalist) theories of credit-money and state-money, as well as the theory and practices of community currencies. Based on this analysis, the second part seeks to open up fields of discussion for Social and Solidarity Economy, particularly concerning concepts around the fundamental drivers of the dynamics of capitalist economic development and of community currencies.

The complexity of studying sustainability in organizations

2025-05-20T15:13:17-06:00

The aim of this document is to conduct a theoretical and conceptual review of sustainability in organizations, emphasizing its complexity, particularly regarding its nature as a subject of study. To achieve this, a documentary review process was carried out based on selection criteria focused on relevant and pertinent sources for the topic. Various scientific disciplines that have conducted research in the field of sustainability were identified. The conclusions highlight the importance of continuing to promote research and conceptual analysis to strengthen strategies for studying sustainability in the organizational context.

Theoretical and methodological considerations for the use of gamification to promote elderly wellness

2025-05-20T15:23:59-06:00

Costa Rica’s aging process brings with it not only a series of challenges, but also opportunities to positively influence our elderly population through interdisciplinary strategies. The goal of this work is to present gamification as a viable approach for that purpose, reviewing its basic principles, reference cases and meeting points with the field of gerontology. To do so, it provides a summary of multiple studies on the application of gamification geared at the wellbeing of older adults, highlighting the importance of notions such as “person-centered care” and “meaningful gamification”. This conceptual review concludes that, for gamified projects aimed at older adults, a focus on intrinsic motivators is recommended; as well as the use of participative methodologies that incorporate the end-users in the design process; and a solid grounding in integral and user-based gerontological approaches.

Public Policies with a Behavioral Approach: Innovative Public Administration for Cities (Guido Moncayo Vives, Esquel, Quito, 2023)

2025-05-20T15:37:08-06:00

The book titled Public Policies with a Behavioral Approach: Innovative Public Administration for Cities, invites from the Ecuadorian reality to consider that other perspectives on the management of public administration are possible. In its five chapters, it presents from a multidisciplinary point of view, but the behavioral approach as a way for the State to be more efficient in fulfilling its role. From this perspective, he argues that the State must provide individuals with suitable opportunities and conditions that enable them to achieve a good life.

Collaborators 186

2025-05-20T15:47:33-06:00

Collaborators 186