Young Brazilians living in poverty: daily life in the Favela

Based on a comprehensive perspective of reality, this study aimed to analyze the representations that young residents of a Brazilian favela have about that place, focusing on the impacts on their urban mobility and their daily lives. Data production was carried out through workshops with young people who frequent a non-governmental organization located in a favela, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Participants were seven young people aged between 15 and 21 years. During the workshops, young people built a "City of Youth", with the purpose of representing what young people wanted for a city. They discussed the existence or not of a favela in the city and the access of favela residents to other spaces in the city, especially leisure. It was observed that poverty is one of the important social markers in representations of Brazilian favelas and that stigmas related to favelas are incorporated and reproduced by young people themselves. These facts affect the possibilities and impossibilities of urban mobility for young people living in favelas, directly impacting their daily lives, restricting their opportunities for social participation and access to social life.