BIO-LEISURE: PEDAGOGICAL GUIDELINES AS RESISTANCE TO THE MARKETIZATION OF EDUCATION AND ITS IMPACT ON ADOLESCENTS' POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH

DIRETRIZES PEDAGÓGICAS COMO RESISTÊNCIA À MERCANTILIZAÇÃO DA EDUCAÇÃO E SEU IMPACTO NA SAÚDE MENTAL POSITIVA DOS ADOLESCENTES

Abstract

This article examines how educational policies in Latin America, driven by economic growth and productivity imperatives since the 20th century, have adversely impacted adolescents’ positive mental health (PMH). Through an ethnographic study conducted in a public school in Medellín, Colombia, it is evident that instrumental rationality and control-oriented pedagogy, along with standardized, quality-focused educational practices, negatively affect students' emotional and social well-being, reducing them to mere resources of the system. This approach has exacerbated the mental health crisis, leading to high levels of anxiety and psychological exhaustion among adolescents. As an alternative, bio-leisure is proposed—a pedagogy that challenges control-based practices and emphasizes leisure and student participation to bolster PMH. With guidelines that encompass curricular adaptation, emotional education, political participation, playfulness, physical education, and sports, bio-leisure aims to transform the school into a space of resistance and sociocultural connection. This proposal underscores the need for an education that addresses the essential needs of students, fostering a school environment that enhances their emotional well-being and a more humane, contextually relevant educational experience