Casa Hacker invited Myla Silva, a peripheral leader supported by Perifa Impacto, to tell us a bit about her work in Jardim Lapena and to address an everyday practice we consider essential to the social initiatives and projects we build: territorial research.
The territory according to Milton Santos
Milton Santos, an important Brazilian geographer whose work is recognized worldwide, offered us a reading of territory very much in line with our practices in social projects.
To begin with, the geographer built a true ontology of the used territory; that is, with more than 40 published books, he devoted himself to understanding what the used territory is, in its lived dimension. And for us, the territory is also of the utmost importance in social projects, in political and social mobilization and in the defense of citizenship.
Milton Santos in an interview for Jornal do Brasil, in 1977 | Credit: Photo: Reproduction/Milton Santos website
Milton Santos argued that a study of the territory must necessarily grasp what is lived in its daily life. He also argued that the territory is extremely important in the understandings proposed within the Humanities and is, therefore, a social instance.
E, para nós, o território também é de suma importância nos projetos sociais, na mobilização político social e na defesa pela cidadania.
On this, Myla Silva tells us a great deal in her text, below:
Understanding to transform: the role of territorial research in the community
By Myla Silva
The territory is the place where people’s stories meet. It is where different experiences happen and where we learn to live in society. In the territory, we understand its limits, what affects that space and how public policies influence daily life. It is also there that we begin to understand what our role is within the community.
Territorial research serves precisely this purpose: to understand how the community works, how we get closer to people and how we can design projects that truly make sense in that place. It is an important foundation for identifying the population’s real needs, the neighborhood’s main difficulties and what can be improved.
Doing territorial research means being present: taking part in neighborhood meetings, community actions, parties, outings and everything that is part of that territory. That is how people come to recognize you, trust you and embrace the projects you bring to them.
For good territorial research, it is essential to be part of the community and to experience what it has to offer. Only then is it possible to see clearly what really happens. Before offering any project, action or course, it is fundamental to know the community. It makes no sense to show up with something ready-made without knowing what the needs of that place are.
Each territory has its own particularities and challenges. What works in one neighborhood may not work in another. That is why understanding what that territory needs is the first step toward thinking about what can be offered, whether a course, a job, a workshop, training or any other opportunity. Without this initial research, it is not possible to define people’s real needs.
The image shows a wheatpaste-style poster reading: Lapena is a territory: Dynamic, Peripheral, Communal, Political. Photo from personal archive.
Presence and dialogue in Lapena
Today I am part of the Committee of Artists of the Territory, and although I already had a sense of Jardim Lapena, I did not have concrete data on how to help. That is why I began to take part more often in neighborhood-plan meetings, residents’ meetings and other community actions. Even when there was nothing to present, I was there to talk with people and with the community leaders.
Dialogue with the leaders is fundamental, because they are the ones who live the community’s challenges every day. These people know what works, what does not work, what is missing and what the main needs are. Having an open and respectful relationship with them is crucial to developing good territorial research. Beyond that, dialogue with public authorities is also important, as they hold up-to-date data and can help build proposals for the territory.
To close, I want to say that those who live in the community, whether residents or participants in social projects, should be aware of what is happening. Taking part in neighborhood meetings, residents’ associations and community actions makes it possible to see both the problems and the good things that reach the territory. Having a good relationship with the leaders makes it easier to connect with residents and helps in getting closer to people who can develop themselves and seek out new opportunities.
Listening to the community
E, acima de tudo, escutar a comunidade é essencial. Muitas vezes, as pessoas só precisam ser ouvidas. Isso já cria confiança e fortalece laços importantes. Portanto, estejam presentes, dialoguem, escutem e observem o que está acontecendo no território de vocês.
About Myla Silva
Actress, 29 years old, mother of Eva Catarina, 9 years old. Born in the city of São Luís, Maranhão (Maranhão state). She took part in the Grupo de Teatro Independente in Maranhão and studied at the Escola de Música da Polícia Militar Instrumental. In 2012, she moved to São Miguel Paulista, in the East Zone of São Paulo (São Paulo state), and joined the theater group Cia Utilidade Pública, with the play Dia Útil. She has performed across the city of São Paulo: Teatro Flávio Império, Aldeia Satélite Espaço Cultural, the São Miguel Book and Literature Festival and public squares.
She is one of the founders of the performance/scenic/poetic group PARDOnizadas, with the action Sangue Sujo, created in 2017. In 2022, through the PARDOnizadas group, she launched the performance PILARES SESSION, an unprecedented harmonic compilation that blends recitation, singing and scenic performance. The work has the language of music as its central feature. She currently works as a social mentor at the NGO Gerando Falcões on the Projeto Decolagem, supporting highly vulnerable families, setting goals and objectives in pursuit of a dignified life.
In 2021, with the PARDOnizadas group, she launched the project Entre Becos e Vielas, with the support and financial backing of the NGO Fundação Tide Setubal, which was born out of the desire to bring art, culture and leisure to the community, with a focus on children and adolescents.
References:
SANTOS, Milton. A natureza do espaço: técnica e tempo, razão e emoção. 4. ed., 2. reimpr. São Paulo: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2006. (Coleção Milton Santos; 1).
References
- SANTOS, Milton. A natureza do espaço: técnica e tempo, razão e emoção. 4. ed., 2. reimpr. São Paulo: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2006. (Coleção Milton Santos; 1).