Dissertation Research: Non-governmental Organizations and Street Youth: The Case of Brazil

研究生佩内洛普·K。莫里森博士的指导下，凯瑟琳M。DeWalt将研究巴西里约热内卢街头青年的生活和文化，非政府组织如何看待他们，以及这些看法如何影响非政府组织服务干预方法的效力。 最近的社会科学研究表明，街头青年往往并不总是符合他们功能失调、贫困、无家可归和与家人失去联系的定型观念。尽管如此，非政府组织的工作人员可能会相信这些陈规定型观念。研究人员将通过研究街头青年和为他们服务的非政府组织来调查这种互动的双方。研究人员将在里约热内卢进行为期十二个月的实地研究。她将采用定性研究方法，包括非结构化和半结构化的采访，以及参与观察，与非政府组织的比较样本和街头青年，他们的家庭和他们的同龄人的样本。这项研究很重要，因为非政府组织提供服务的关键领域之一是艾滋病毒/艾滋病。对于使这些青年处于感染这些疾病风险的活动，仍有许多未知之处。因此，非政府组织需要准确了解青年的生活和文化，以便提供适当的服务。这项研究还将有助于增加关于儿童和童年的跨文化社会科学文献。此外，它将有助于社会科学家的教育。

Graduate student Penelope K. Morrison, under the guidance of Dr. Kathleen M. DeWalt, will undertake research on the lives and culture of street youth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, how they are perceived by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and how those perceptions affect the efficacy of NGO methods of service interventions. Recent social science research has revealed that street youth often do not always conform to stereotypes that they are dysfunctional, destitute, homeless, and out of touch with their families. Neverthless, NGO workers may believe in the stereotypes. The researcher will investigate both sides of this interaction by studying the street youth and the NGOs that serve them.The researcher will undertake twelve months of field research in Rio de Janeiro. She will employ qualitative research methods, including unstructured and semi-structured interviewing, as well as participant observation, with a comparative sample of the NGOs and with a sample of the street youth, their families, and their peers. The research is important because one of the key areas that NGOs provide services for is HIV/AIDS. Much remains unknown about the activities that put these youth at risk for contracting these diseases. Therefore, NGOs need to have accurate understandings of youth life and culture in order to provide appropriate services. The research also will contribute to a growing cross-cultural, social science literature on children and childhood. In addition, it will contribute to the education of a social scientist.