Art as a Socio-educational Strategy for Youth at Risk of Social Exclusion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17561/rtc.extra11.9922Keywords:
Socio-educational art, Social vulnerability, Teenagers, Artistic mediation, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)Abstract
This article analyzes the role of art as a socio-educational tool in contexts of vulnerability, particularly with adolescents at risk of social exclusion. Drawing on a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, it reviews experiences of artistic mediation developed in NGO programs and community spaces, as well as in school and museum initiatives. The study argues that art, far from being merely a recreational resource, can become a process of identity construction, resilience, and social cohesion when grounded in critical, participatory, and context-sensitive methodologies. The main achievements identified include the strengthening of self-esteem, expressive capacity, and sense of belonging, along with the recognition of structural limitations such as volunteer turnover and the lack of specific methodological training. The findings point to the need to rethink the role of art in social intervention, promoting replicable models of artistic mediation that integrate participants’ voices, the cultural relevance of materials, and critical reflection as fundamental axes. Ultimately, the article proposes consolidating artistic practice as a driver of inclusion and community transformation, beyond the decorative or the merely playful.
Downloads
References
Bardin, L. (2002). Análisis de contenido. Ediciones Akal.
Boal, A. (1999). El teatro del oprimido y otras poéticas políticas. Alba Editorial.
Cajías, H. J. (1999). Estigma e identidad: Una aproximación a la cuestión juvenil. Última Década, 10, 1-14.
Carrascosa, M. (2010). Creación artística, inmigración y género. Papeles de arteterapia.
Eisner, E. (2002). El arte y la creación de la mente. Paidós.
Fals Borda, O. (1985). Conocimiento y poder popular. Siglo XXI.
Flick, U. (2004). Introducción a la investigación cualitativa. Morata.
Freire, P. (1994). Pedagogía de la esperanza. Siglo XXI Editores.
Guevara Meza, A. (2015). Revisitando las ONG como objeto de estudio. Revista Rupturas, 5(2), 49-103. https://doi.org/10.22458/rr.v5i2.882
Helguera, P. (2011). Education for Socially Engaged Art: A Materials and Techniques Handbook. Jorge Pinto Books.
Infantino, J. (s.f.). Circo Social del Sur: Promoviendo el desarrollo de capacidades en niños/as y jóvenes.
Ishida, V. K. (2008). Arte e vida: integração social - direito das crianças à educação e expressão artísticas. Pensar, 13(1), 65-74. https://doi.org/10.5020/2317-2150.2008.v13n1p65
López Fernández Cao, M. (2006). Creación y posibilidad. Aplicaciones del arte en la integración social. Fundamentos.
Matarasso, F. (1997). Use or ornament? The social impact of participation in the arts. Comedia.
Moreno González, A. (2021). La mediación artística. Arte para la inclusión social y el desarrollo comunitario. Octaedro.
Mundet, A., Beltrán, Á. M., & Moreno, A. (2015). Arte como herramienta social y educativa. Revista Complutense de Educación, 26(2), 315-329. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_RCED.2015.v26.n2.43060
Palacios, A. (2009). El arte comunitario: Origen y evolución de las prácticas artísticas colaborativas. Papeles de arteterapia, 4, 197-211.
Preciado Rodríguez, A. (2016). El arte como herramienta de transformación social. Evaluación de programas referentes.
Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (2008). The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848607934
Rubio, M. (2003). La construcción de la identidad adolescente. Educación y futuro, 9, 25-46.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rubén Vallejo Castillo

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Those authors who have publications with this magazine, accept the following terms:
The authors will retain their copyright and will guarantee to the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License that allows third parties to share the work whenever their author is indicated and its first publication is this journal.
Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements to distribute the version of the published work (eg to be deposited in an institutional telematic file or published in a monographic volume) provided the initial publication is indicated in this journal .
Authors are encouraged to disseminate their work via the Internet (eg in institutional telematic files or on their website) before and during the submission process, which can produce interesting exchanges and increase the number of citations of the published work..
In case of being accepted works will be published under Creative Commons license.














