The search for cultural recognition, as a strategy for confronting vulnerability among adolescents, has become predominant among Brazilian NGOs (non-governmental organizations). After ten years of growth of this form of action, we seek to analyze its symbolic efficacy and its dilemmas. This article starts by discussing the concepts and practices involved in this scenario. It then turns to the field of Brazilian NGOs operating among adolescents in vulnerable situations through artistic and cultural activities, aiming to recognize the symbolic elements within this context. Furthermore, it presents a case study that observes the experience of an NGO. This article highlights a dilemma common to NGO actions dealing with juvenile vulnerability: how to reconcile actions of a cultural nature aimed at strengthening the private repertoire among working-class adolescents with enablement of access to the structures and basic resources from which they are distanced.
Social vulnerability; Non-governmental organization; Cultural recognition; Efficacy; Material redistribution