1. Street culture

There are many experiences about living on the streets that need to be shared. In order to systemize these experiences, the YMCA team that works in processes of contact, motivation and guidance with children and youth directly involved in the street environment, assumed the challenge of recompiling their experiences to produce this text. It is expected that this helps to guide those who want to deepen in this kind of people situations that are known as "Street Habitants". The following aspects are included:

• Values in the street living
• Surviving strategies
• Key aspects to the management of pedagogical projects
• Evolution of the street children phenomenon

2. The evolution of the street children problem

The evolution of the street children problem in recent years is closely related to the phenomenon of drug increase.

In the 70's, the street inhabitants phenomenon was characterized by the presence of sloppy children and youth detined by small scale stealing and lies with the purpose of creating compassion on the rest of the people as a strategy to survive. The idea of the street inhabitant was merely to beg to survive and satisfy his basic needs.

The drug addiction was not very determinant. The most common drug was marijuana. The concept of
" Gang" was predominant, which was similar to a close family. This concept had a strong and affective connotation.

From the concept of "Gang" that meant a close family or a small community, came the concept of "parche", (local word to describe another type of " Gang") now was related to a geographic location and strengthening of safety and affective ties.

In the 90's came the total separation motivated specially by the presence of groups created to "clean" the society. The child steals alone so that he can not be seen and therefore identified.12 The drug consumption levels raised to a such level, that the child had as a priority to satisfy his/her individual needs for drug consumption. This situation generates violence, increases individualism and, the sense of community lost its importance.

Another important factor that is shown at this stage, has to do with the presence of groups badly called
"Social Cleaning Groups". This issue is related to the low importance given to the street habitants as human beings and, with the erroneous concept of some Communal Organizations in the neighborhoods where street inhabitants wander, worrying just for the beauty and security of the areas, without looking at the structural and social part of the problem.

In this decade, the street language, attitude and street activities have been brought to schools in underprivileged communities. In these schools it is common to hear of the existence of gangs and of violent confrontations as well as, hearing of the use of weapons and drugs.

Every time, the street kid13 is more reluctant to participate in programs, due to his/her strong addiction to drugs and to the ability that he/she has developed to manipulate the programs available to him.

11 Bicha: unidad, papeleta de bazuco.

12 Boletearse: hacerse ver como algo demasiado evidente.

13 Ñero: habitante de la calle, «desechable», amigo, parcero.

3. Features and values on the streets environments

First of all, we will mention some definitions of the street inhabitant given in different contexts of analysis. This will be done in order to contextualize the reflections that then, will be included at the life on the streets.

<< The majority of the institutions define street inhabitants as people that share a special location (street), who lack of guidance and have no objective in life. It is also said that these people lack of family support and effective ties. Street inhabitants are associated to drugs, (mendacity) and exclusion. Abandonment is also a characteristic in this population. Participants in a focus group affirm that street inhabitants have low self esteem, are drug addicts, lack family ties, are aggressive, are self destructuve, lack authority, are social, rejected and become delinquents easily.14

For the Technical Committee of the Street inhabitant program, as well as for the " Solidarity Network", this population presents diverse characteristics due to their heterogeneous needs, interests and expectations . They are also known for being wanderers who don't remain at a permanent place, are aggressive, want immediate results, do not trust people, but they are still sociable.

The reasons why they are on the streets are also diverse, but mainly they are consequence of a social, cultural, economic and political system that do not provide conditions for integral development>> 15

The <<Street Inhabitant>> concept can be understood in two ways:

• On the one hand, they will be all of those who live permanently on the streets and establish a sense of belonging and identity from that living. They will be then, known as, cardboard recyclers, drug addicts, peddlers, beggars and wanderers.
• On the other hand, this concept includes those groups of people that maintain a partial or sporadic relationship with the streets. For instance, some sexs workers, peddlers, etc. for whom living is not related exclusively to the street, but it is just their way of economical activity>>16

Challenge, risk and adventure are concepts that seduce the individual and.

In relation to the group, there are some norms and values that are valued within the gangs, those are:

Respect: for them, this concept consists in supporting the other and ensure his/her respect when there are fights, robberies, etc.

14Summary of the results given by the Focal Group integrated by institutions led by the Solidarity Network -Bogotá and the program, La Casa " Home" -U. Andes. January 28th 1997

15 Proposal from the Social Network in the National Encounter regarding the work with Street Inhabitants in Bogotá on November 27th 1996

16 Towards new policies of working with street inhabitants. Inter-institutional committee for the participation of street inhabitants. December 1994.

When they make agreements to perform a robbery, there are certain parameters for the booty to be shared out, and they trust the other person will keep it carefully until the moment it is going to be divided without taking any advantage of it. In general terms, they are faithful to this norm which, for them it is an indicator of "honesty" coming from the person who steals. This example shows the double moral that characterize their attitudes.

Tolerance: In the <<gang>>17, a person is tolerant in relation to games, jokes, etc. If they are made outside the "gang", they become cause of a fight, or violent quarrels.

Loyalty: Children are loyal to their gang and to their partners. Above any kind of ethical consideration, silence is predominant and the worst thing to do is to cheat this law, because it can result in death.

Respect for limits: groups operate in a determined territory where they steal, sleep, take drugs, etc. It is a terrible act ifa member of the group participates in any of these activities in the space that corresponds to other groups.

Love affairs on the streets: the relationships in a couple are conflictive and are also characterized by chauvinism. Men are the ones who make decisions, while the women are docile. The model lived at their homes is revived on the streets. This behavior is explained by the frequent braking up of the affective relationships of the child with his/her social environment (family, community, institution, gang).

The reflections included in the first part of this chapter directly related to the culture on the streets, help us to refer and locate the proposal of assistance that will be presented next. This proposal attempts to give an answer to the autor mentioned conditions, as well as to the street children and youth interests.

Some work objectives are:

• To reduce the personal, psychological and social spoiling of children and young people that live on the streets by: finishing cycles and causes of desertion by preventing the intensification of this issue through the construction of other options and, by reinforcing the social web that supports the child or youth, that is, by regenerating their family ties.
• Leading coordination processes with the institutions that favor the processes being done.
• Organizing a coordinated system to guarantee children and young people's access to the rehabilitation and protection programs.
• Maintaining the contact with the streets environment and disposing of an updated diagnosis about the circumstances and dynamics that are lived day by day.

This process is conceived as the articulation of strategies, actions and resources guided towards children and young people's contact, motivation and promotion , as well as. the prevention of this issue and others related to the phenomenon of living on the streets.

What described above, attempts to define the target population and establishing some sequential stages in which the strategies, actions and resources articulation, are pertinent to the problem and its dynamics.

a. Methodology

For the development of this assistance process, it is necessary to begin from a methodological proposal with a pedagogical component that allows the change of habits, representations and living alternatives. What was mentioned before, requires starting from elements that guide actions and activities to develop the process which are:

Participation and Leadership
That is, the child or young person participating , giving opinions in what affects and interests him/her, assuming his/her rights and duties with responsibility and capacity of action.

b. Stages in the assistance process

The following stages or moments are to constitute a reference that favor and facilitate a transformation in the children and young peoplelives and who take the option and commitment of transforming positively their lives and future.

• Contact and approaching

The actions are done through contact strategies of assistance for basic necessities aiming to generate enough confidence in the street children or young people. The coordination with other institutions that work in the sector, are also taken into account, in order to perform activities together, support actions and share information to contact and approach street inhabitants.

With this purpose, day and night activities such as informal talks, motivational activities, breakfast activities, football games among others, are performed.

Other actions that are done in this stage are related to support the access to health services, emergency assistance, food and personal cleaning when it is necessary.

• Acknowledgment and motivation

This second stage attempts to establish a supportive relationship between the educator and the person on the streets that allows to clarify his/her current situation as well as motivate him/her in the development of a process of change to overcome the situation coming form his/her interests and commitment.

As a strategy, there is generation and reinforcement of a relationship based on the mutual acknowledgement, acceptance of confidence in which the roles as initiator and facilitator are defined, followed by the reflection and motivation towards change.

In order to develop the above mentioned motivation, activities are planned that create impact such as, breakfasts, field trips, spors and recreation. Motivational interviews (in which the child can express him/her situation and is motivated to change it) among others, in addition to continuing with the support to access services that satisfy their immediate needs.

• Defining the problem and type of attention

In this third stage, the objective is to define people's current situation, their problems, the available resources, the actions and conditions required to make assistance possible and, begin with the change and formulation of a immediate and accessible living project.

As strategy, we use the promotion of an attitude of self management with the support of the educator as a facilitator. This is done by establishing interests, objectives, commitments and goals.

These actions are the basis for access to assistance services according to their interests and needs.

• Transferring to programs and institutions

The objective of this stage is to establish and carry out a plan of action that has been coordinated. This stage attempts to reinforce an alternate living project or living option by linking it up to programs or institutions that favor it.

The strategy has to do with individual support complemented with the inter-institutional coordination and the review of achievements emphasizing in the self management.

Assessorial sessions are done as well as, motivational interviews to establish goals and commitments. There are also group sessions to evaluate achievements and to carry out activities to reflect upon the impact and motivation for processes.

Achievement indicator: the child or young individual has a plan of action that attempts to consolidate his/her living project. He/she assumes and develops commitments and, expresses his/her intentions and decisions of taking part of programs or institutions that favor his/her change of life.

• Returning home and follow up

As a last stage, the boy, girl or young individual is moved to programs to assist and guide him/her in relation to family matters.

As part of the strategy, there is individual follow up with analysis of achievements and limitations to then, define commitments.

The actions are identification of the family, visits to contact and interview the family group, meetings to study the particular case, evaluative sessions and feedback.

Achievement indicator: the child or youth is stable in his/her family and also presents changes and advances that reinforce their living project and establish thir situation to favor their taking part in the society.