Building citizenship for human development

This study is conceived from the theoretical perspective of democracy as a fundamental element for human development, with the purpose of investigating how civic values allow the construction of citizenship and this contributes to the strengthening of democracy. The study was conducted through a qualitative approach as methodology, method and technique based on the approach of Valles (1993), using the focus group, the semi-structured interview and the documentary review to understand the importance of civic values from the perspective of the subjects of study. As a result, two aspects linked to the process of construction of citizenship in the Lasallian philosophy were identified, which were defined as human quality and sense of belonging; three significant aspects of the formation of the United Nations For All program were recognized, namely: themes and topics; discourse, argumentation and criticism; and cultivation of friendship; and it was understood that the students' perception of democracy and citizenship has a positive relationship with the theoretical concepts that underlie the research.