Benefits of using a theatrical play to promote knowledge about Health and Environmental Awareness in the Rocinha Favela

Enabling access to knowledge means promoting equality for all individuals. Creating strategies to address issues related to health and the environment is a necessity to achieve the sustainable development goals that are fundamental to human well-being, equity, social justice, and improving quality of life. The objective of this study was to verify the benefits of using a play, entitled Na Trilha do Autocuidado, structured and presented to one hundred residents of the Rocinha favela/RJ. It is the report of an experience in August 2024. The play took place at the Rocinha Park Library, lasting twenty minutes, followed by a conversation circle with the audience. The play was written by a health professional and produced by the Sociocultural Association Semearte, which aims to contribute to the human and artistic development of children, adolescents, and young people in situations of social risk through culture. The results, recorded through empirical observations and written and verbal reports after the play, demonstrated greater knowledge about topics related to health and the environment, such as: doing more physical activity, eating healthily, avoiding smoking, developing self-knowledge and taking better care of the environment. We believe that the content transmitted through the play and the discussion group promotes positive changes in the way individuals take care of themselves, adopting an active role, taking control of their health and adopting attitudes that preserve the environment. When individuals identify healthy and sustainable behaviors and begin to demonstrate them, they also impact their surroundings and become multipliers of the information they have learned.