Voluntary action as a change agent for social structure carried out by engineering students allied with public state

Abstract

This essay presents the methodology adopted by the volunteer project called “Engenhando a Cidade”, created by three students from the engineering course at Escola Politécnica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. The objective of this initiative is to contribute to government policies aimed at infrastructure improvements in needy places of Ilha do Governador. The methodology of the “Engenhando a Cidade” group is based on the technical knowledge acquired in college applied to voluntary social and citizenship projects. Preliminary technical studies are performed as descriptive memoranda to support the elaboration of the terms of reference, as well as simplified projects for problems identified by communities, some in areas considered to be at risk and which are not always properly decoded for subsidies to meet minimum demands. The work in question presents a case study of the actions carried out in the communities of Praia da Rosa and Sapucaia that culminated with improvement interventions by the state’s public agencies.