Stolen dreams: Youth in poor communities on the Coast of Paraná – Brazil

Brazil is going through a period of instability in the economic and social areas, resulting from a model of governmental management that cares little, especially for the new generations. In this context, a descriptive exploratory study was carried out with 173 young people about the problems faced in building the future. The study revealed that the average age was 19.24 years old and the average income was USD 270 for a family with an average of 4.6 people, without their own residence. 40% of these families did not have formal employment. 36.5% of young people felt deeply discouraged about the future, and among the reasons revealed by them there were the absence of a minimum income (39.9%), difficulty in accessing free public education (28%), low job offer that can reconcile with studies (22%), not considering themselves capable of overcoming difficulties (18%) and fear of failure (14%). According to the perception of all respondents, public policies to encourage minorities and access to education and work have been dilapidated in recent years and that has been the main cause that prevents the future desired by new generations.