Política brasileira para a juventude: a proposta dos Centros da Juventude

(descriptive): this study draws on the National Youth Policy of Brazil with the goal of understanding the role of Youth Centers (YCs) that are specifc places where young people can engage in culture and leisure activities. The method used in this study was in-depth interviews with YC managers in four Brazilian cities, as well as the State Manager and with National Manager of the program. The results showed differences in the discourse at each government level, evidencing a gap in their positions. The discourse from the federal and state levels highlighted the guarantee for young people to access their rights. In contrast, managers from the municipal level demonstrated that their political agenda is based on the provision of social assistance that targets poor young people while focusing their attention at the same time on the universality of rights. The authors conclude that the YCs have a limited connection with the National Youth Policy, demonstrating that the Brazilian government's actions need to improve the perception of young people as subjects of rights. Key words: social policy, public administration, youth (Unesco Social Science Thesaurus).