04.06.2020

Christian Lohbauer talks about the role of the politicized teenager at Beacon Teen Talks

Political scientist Christian Lohbauer was the guest at the second edition of the Beacon Teen Talks, a chat that is part of the Beacon Talks Lives initiative, but with focus on teenagers. The conversation brought together not only young people, but parents, family and educators to reflect on how the new generation can make a difference in the society.

The virtual meeting was conducted by the principal, Vera Nicol Giusti, who read questions from the public and discussed educational initiatives with the guest for the development of engaged citizens with autonomous and critical thinking.

Lohbauer, who holds a Master’s Degree and a PhD in Political Science from the University of São Paulo (USP), and has been teaching International Relations since 1998. “In Brazil, we realized that political discussions were almost a taboo, very distant from the population. However, little by little this conversation is becoming closer to people, who feel the impacts of public administration on their lives ”, he says.

Lohbauer defends the idea that it is necessary to learn to take care of what belongs to everyone, of collective property, with honesty and responsibility. “We need to understand that some institutions belong to everyone, so we have to take care of them even to be able to enjoy. There is no prosperous society where the individual only thinks about himself ”, he reinforces.

For this political scientist, the pandemic proved to be an arduous but interesting exercise of citizenship, because it stimulates reflection on the impact of his actions on others. “The idea of wearing a mask, for example, means that I am taking care of myself and the other. It is not comfortable, but it is necessary. It is an exercise of collective consciousness. We live in societies that prioritize individualism, the individual action. The most prosperous societies are those that have a culture of looking at the collective. “

Concepts such as collaboration and collective feeling can be taught to children by observing family members on a daily basis. In the age range of 12 to 13 years old, the collective awareness becomes more complex. “They start to look around and see the social differences and feel bothered by it, and with this the good questions arise. Why are things like this? How can we change it? It is up to us to provide options of answers for them to reflect on and develop their autonomous critical thinking and come to their own conclusions”, says Lohbauer.

In education, teachers argue that teaching the country’s recent history can help to better understand the facts and how they reflect on today’s society. Participation in student unions and social projects bring young people closer to different realities, also contributing to the development of values such as empathy, leadership, diplomacy, among others.

“To exercise citizenship, after all, is happiness”, concludes Lohbauer.

The video with the entire chat can be accessed here.