This article discusses an intervention in public policies for youth in the city of São Paulo with the purpose of discussing the operationalization and the difficulties this program had when it was translated into the municipal managers' daily practice. The article aimed to analyze the work of youth auxiliaries in the city and to reflect on strategies and principles of health promotion. This is a qualitative research based on questionnaires and interviews that tries to conciliate practical experience and theoretical discussion. The conceptual theoretical discourse was convincing about the importance of this social actor in the construction of public policies; however, the practice showed that it was ineffective due to the little merit and sustainability that were spent for that purpose. The space of public health can be a privileged locus as regards the contribution it brings to review the intervention proposals for youth.
Youth; Adolescent; Public policies; Health promotion
