Factors that enhance and limit youth empowerment, according to social educators

Purpose This study aims to identify the contextual and relational factors that enhance limit empowerment of young people from perspective social education professionals. Design/methodology/approach Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model made it possible locate narratives educators in territory. These include field diaries, i.e. hybrid visual, written spoken materials, focus groups with 11 different fields action related youth projects. Findings According these educators, most important for empowering are their immediate environment, issues affect them most. For be empowering, need accompanied, support based on connectedness, horizontality creation safe spaces learning experiences. Both microsystem mesosystem form reality action. Aware this, do work connecting exosystem. Practical implications It is evident why communities opportunities empowerment, authors observe more transversal less welfare-based policies generate instead dependency. Social methodology evidenced environmental structures dissimilar levels explore understand complex interrelationships, which play an role processes. Originality/value research presents a new allows traditional qualitative reflection embedded model. All this sheds light ecosystems proposes policies, case, oriented towards empowerment.