The protagonism of older adults in sociocultural activities: reflections on the construction of a social technology

Abstract

Social technologies are understood as innovations implemented in reusable products, techniques, or methodologies, developed in interaction with the community, representing effective solutions for social transformation. This reflective essay presents a social technology built from the cultural engagement of older adults, through artistic and sociocultural activities carried out in a university extension project. The proposal is based on participatory methodologies and the use of accessible technologies, involving sequential steps, recording of actions, and culminating in collective events. The results showed appreciation of narratives, strengthening of self-esteem and sense of social belonging, as well as the development of new forms of expression. Distinct from practices traditionally offered to this audience, the proposal is framed as an innovative and replicable social technology, capable of articulating scientific and community knowledge and contributing to creative, inventive, and contextualized public policies for the challenges of aging.

Keywords
Social technology; Participatory methodologies; Elderly people; Artistic activities; University extension

Resumo

Tecnologias sociais são compreendidas como inovações concretizadas em produtos, técnicas ou metodologias reaplicáveis, desenvolvidas em interação com a comunidade, representando soluções efetivas para a transformação social. Este ensaio reflexivo apresenta uma tecnologia social construída pelo engajamento cultural de pessoas idosas por meio de atividades artísticas e socioculturais desenvolvidas em um projeto de extensão universitária. A proposta baseia-se em metodologias participativas e no uso de tecnologias acessíveis, envolvendo etapas sequenciais, registro das ações e culminância em eventos coletivos. Os resultados apontaram valorização das narrativas, fortalecimento da autoestima e senso de pertencimento social, além do desenvolvimento de novas formas de expressão. Diferenciando-se das práticas tradicionalmente ofertadas a esse público, a proposta configura-se como tecnologia social inovadora e replicável, capaz de articular saberes científicos e comunitários e contribuir para políticas públicas mais criativas, inventivas e contextualizadas nas problemáticas inerentes ao envelhecimento.

Palavras-chave
Tecnologia social; Metodologias participativas; Pessoas idosas; Atividades artísticas; Extensão universitária

Resumen

Las tecnologías sociales se entienden como innovaciones concretizadas en productos, técnicas o metodologías reaplicables, desarrolladas en interacción con la comunidad, representando soluciones efectivas para la transformación social. Este ensayo reflexivo presenta una tecnología social construida a partir de la participación cultural de personas de edad, por medio de actividades artísticas y socioculturales, envolviendo etapas secuenciales, registro de las acciones y culminación en eventos colectivos. Los resultados señalaron valorización de las narrativas, fortalecimiento de la autoestima y sentido de pertenencia social, además del desarrollo de nuevas formas de expresión. Diferenciándose de las prácticas tradicionalmente ofrecidas a ese público, la propuesta se configura como una tecnología social innovadora y replicable, capaz de articular saberes científicos y comunitarios y contribuir a la elaboración de políticas públicas más creativas, inventivas y contextualizadas en las problemáticas inherentes al envejecimiento.

Palabras clave
Tecnología social; Metodologías participativas; Personas de edad; Actividades artísticas; Extensión universitaria

Introduction

Population aging in the context of socioeconomic vulnerability demands the creation of innovative ideas aimed at promoting social development with justice and participation.

The Decade of Healthy Aging (2021-2030), led by the World Health Organization (WHO), is an initiative that seeks to respond to the challenges of global population aging, promoting coordinated actions between governments, civil society, and international organizations, to build a society that values active and healthy aging¹. In line with the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda² and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), its central pillars include combating ageism, reduce age-related prejudices and stigmas, and promoting respect and inclusion. They also include creating favorable environments that guarantee autonomy and accessibility; providing integrated care, with access to health and social assistance services adapted to the needs of the elderly; and strengthening support systems, such as social protection networks and community support¹.

The Decade dialogues directly with several SDGs, such as SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), by encouraging policies that promote health and longevity; SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), by combating ageism and promoting social inclusion; and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), by stimulating the development of accessible and inclusive urban environments. This integrated approach reinforces the global commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world for the elderly².

Social technologies are closely related to the SDGs, offering innovative responses to complex problems and having as its central axis social inclusion and the promotion of the common good³.

Defined as innovations that materialize in products, techniques, or methodologies that can be reapplied, social technologies are developed in interaction with the community and seek effective solutions for social transformation⁴. These technologies have as fundamental principles low cost and replicability, which ensure their application in different contexts; community participation, which ensures adaptation to local needs and promotes social empowerment; and positive socio-environmental impact, contributing to the improvement of quality of life and sustainability⁴.

University extension plays a central role in promoting practices that integrate academic knowledge with social demands, especially in the development and implementation of social technologies.

Extension actions are a bridge between the university and society, allowing academic knowledge to contribute to promoting social transformations⁵. Through extension projects, universities contribute to solutions in collaboration with communities, respecting their specificities and fostering the appropriation of results by those involved^6,7. In addition, university extension strengthens the process of validation and dissemination of social technologies. As pointed out by Dagnino⁴, social technology represents an alternative to the hegemonic model of innovation, as it is based on the articulation between scientific and popular knowledge. By promoting dialogic interaction with communities, university extension enables the construction of sustainable and inclusive projects, such as initiatives in agroecology, solidarity economy, and popular education^8-10. These projects not only meet immediate demands, but also generate long-term impacts by stimulating the autonomy, empowerment, and social transformation of communities, reaffirming the university’s commitment to human and social development. In this sense, it is argued that the proposal presented here, based on sociocultural productions, can be compared to other already consolidated social technologies, such as community gardens, solidarity economy circles, or popular educational practices, due to its ability to articulate local and academic knowledge, foster social networks, and produce sustainable impact.

This is a theoretical-reflective essay that articulates a theoretical-practical construction, bringing together elements of an experience report with the implementation of a set of participatory methodologies based on cultural experiences. In this study, the descriptive, interpretative, and comprehensive explanation of phenomena was valued, supported by a theorization about the proposal.

Sociocultural productions in the context of aging

The discussion presented here is closely related to the actions of the Research and Extension Project called “Participação Sociocultural da População Idosa”, which is carried out in partnership with the Municipal Secretariat of Culture and currently takes place at the Centro de Artes Calouste Gulbenkian, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Its main objective is to foster the participation of the elderly in cultural activities and promote intergenerational rapprochement. The research and extension project is duly approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro under opinion No. 3,121,146, of January 24, 2019; and under opinions No.3,917,355, of March 16, 2020; No. 6,119,454, of June 15, 2023 and No. 7,626,004 of June 8, 2025, resulting from its amendments and methodological updates. All activities carried out under the project are complex, sequential activities, planned and presented to the community in a culmination event¹¹. They have the protagonism of the elderly and are characterized by generating a sense of community, involving the registration and documentation of actions, and presenting the culmination in events open to the community. The following have already been carried out: fashion show, theater play, photonovela, documentary production on senior dance, photo essays and others.

Older adults attending the cultural partner events, undergraduate and graduate students involved in extension and research activities, the professor responsible for coordinating the project, and collaborating professionals in the areas of culture and health participated in the process. The elderly acted as protagonists of socio-cultural productions, the students participated in the planning, mediation of activities and records, the teacher coordinated the methodological proposal; and the institutional partners contributed with infrastructure, technical support, and articulation with the territory.

The intergenerational dimension of social technology is achieved through the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students, professors and professional partners in the different stages of the process, including planning, mediation of activities, rehearsals, audiovisual records and culmination events. These interactions enable knowledge exchanges, mutual learning and the shared construction of narratives between generations, in which the elderly occupy a central place as protagonists, while the other participants act as mediators and collaborators of the creative and organizational process.

The extension project was the main space for the conception, experimentation, systematization and validation of the social technology shown in this article. It was within the scope of its continued actions that the methodological steps, participatory devices, registration processes and culmination events were organized, making it possible to test their replicability, low cost, and potential for social impact in different contexts.

Unlike traditional activities aimed at the elderly which are often limited to standardized recreational practices, such as repetitive handmade workshops, light gymnastics or social meetings that do not dialogue with the cultural diversity and uniqueness of the subjects, social technology anchored in cultural productions proposes a paradigmatic shift. Rather than offering activities, this approach recognizes the potential of art, collective memory, and popular culture as devices of emancipation, belonging, and social transformation. While traditional practices tend to reinforce the passivity and consumption of pre-formatted activities, cultural productions, when conceived as social technology, favor the authorship, expression, and protagonism of the elderly, connecting them to their territory and intergenerational networks. Thus, the central difference lies in the political-pedagogical horizon and in the attributes that make sociocultural activities more complex, interesting, meaningful and that generates real engagement of people. They are activities that differentiate themselves and are considered as social technology because they involve a process that constitutes a new methodology, which meets the requirements of generating a sense of community, involving the registration and documentation of actions and the culmination in events open to the community.

The sense of community is defined as the experience of belonging and the perception that members matter to each other and to the group, accompanied by a shared belief that the members’ needs will be met by mutual commitment¹². This definition is based on four main elements: membership, influence, integration, and satisfaction of needs, as well as shared emotional connection. Belonging implies the sense of inclusion and recognition of boundaries that differentiate group members from non-members. Influence reflects the two-way dynamic in which members shape and are shaped by the group, while integration is related to meeting individual needs through participation in the community. Emotional connection, in turn, is sustained by shared experiences and stories, which strengthen the bond between participants¹². The idea of community refers to a network of relationships established with a common purpose¹², in this case, the interests and activities of a collective of older adults. It is important to understand that these bonds have a certain fluidity, and are influenced by elements that dynamically articulate the lives of the participants, such as shared experiences, collective projects, memories, and cultural practices.

The implementation of the sociocultural project as a social technology

The first investment to be made is to instill in people the feeling that they constitute a collective, invest in relationships and in the commitment to undertake a project in which everyone shares responsibilities and actions that affect one another. Carrying out a long-term socio-cultural production, with numerous stages and organization, cannot be done without an important link between the participants. Group approaches are essential in this case.

A group of elderly can constitute a “common project,” expressed in self-representation and the values shared by participants. The collective’s action makes sense by transforming this project into reality, supported by the group’s social imaginary: “we can only act as long as we have a way of representing to us what we are”¹³ (p. 92). In this context, the group seeks to achieve collective desires and goals that promote well-being, sociability, and active participation in daily life.

How the collective works is based on the construction of a common project, supported by affective bonds, shared values, and the collective desire to achieve a socio-cultural production. These elements strengthen the engagement, co-responsibility, and continuation of participants throughout the process¹².

These processes make the common project of the collective of elderly a cause to be defended, in this case the socio-cultural production to be carried out. Each participant acts as a spokesperson and guarantor of collective action, legitimizing their engagement and social life¹³.

The cultural project gains strength if it defends a cause, such as combating ageism, stimulating protagonism in aging, if it guides some topic that strengthens the group’s identity. In the theater and in the photonovela, stories created by the elderly from their experiences were portrayed; they included the situations experienced, which are shared and take shape through these artistic expressions.

By proposing cultural productions as a social technology, the understanding of culture as a mere product is shifted to understand it as a participatory process, which involves creation, co-responsibility, and transformation of local realities. It is social innovation, as it mobilizes symbolic repertoires, expands community ties, and strengthens intergenerational bonds, responding creatively to complex social problems.

After choosing the type of cultural production to be carried out, such as a theater play, a fashion show, photo essays, audiovisual productions, or others, which require time, collective organization, documentation of its stages, and culmination with an event, the methodological path comes afterwards¹¹.

The first stage is participatory planning, which is essential, and begins with mapping the resources available in the community and the possible partners to develop the project, such as groups and collectives of elderly, health units that offer group care, arts centers, and Living Centers. From this survey, socio-cultural activities are programmed in all their complexity, which involves both the definition of actions and the collective construction of a socio-cultural production adapted to local conditions. In this perspective, it is essential to use accessible and low-cost materials, such as scenarios and simple clothing, to ensure the replicability of the proposal. This stage also covers the detailed elaboration of the cultural activity chosen, the creation of commissions, the delegation of tasks, and the organization of the culmination event, which demands attention to space, invitations and partnerships, audiovisual registration and the definition of the necessary financial resources.

Monitoring and evaluation are part of the process on a continuous basis, allowing to monitor the development of the proposal and its effects with the public involved. Above all, this monitoring occurs at the end of each meeting, when conversation circles are held in which participants share their perceptions and experiences. In addition to this moment of collective reflection, there is the frequency of participants to the activities, the expansion of opportunities to establish new partnerships, and the social impact of the project on the lives of the subjects, measured based on their testimonies. Thus, monitoring and evaluation not only verify the execution of the planned steps, but also qualify the practice by bringing to light the meanings attributed by those involved.

All steps are documented and analyzed together. The photographic record of all meetings and the notes taken in the field notebook are guarantees for the replicability of the proposal. As a Social Technology, the methodology can be replicated in different contexts, promoting social innovation through the articulation of local and scientific knowledge, arising from experience with research and extension.

In the development of social technology, photography was considered one of the stages of the process, as it acts as an educational and collective registration tool. When capturing an objective moment, signs of subjective behaviors, habits and customs of the subjects in their private or public contexts become visible. Inserted in this path, photography favors the exercise of systematic observation, broadens the investigative perspective on the facts and their contexts, and allows for successive approximations and interpretations of reality¹⁴. In addition, by composing the group’s visual memory, it contributes to the understanding of the forms of social and cultural organization, configuring itself as a socio-educational document that strengthens the collective construction, and the meanings attributed to the experience.

Seeing their photographs, especially in situations of action and building something positive, can strengthen the agency, self-image, and sense of belonging of the elderly. In participatory methodologies, when the elderly themselves produce images and interpret them, photography acts as a tool for critical reflection and empowerment, favoring the expression of daily experiences, capacities, and priorities¹⁵. This type of self-representation helps to relativize stereotypes and build narratives of active and meaningful aging, an important aspect to face ageism, whose magnitude and negative effects on health, well-being, and rights are widely documented¹⁶. Evidence also indicates that positive images of old age influence social attitudes. Reviews and experimental studies show that more balanced and non-patronizing media representations are associated with less ageist perceptions¹⁷, and recent analyses of the digital ecosystem by the American Association of Retirees point to an increase in portrayals of 50+ people as active, autonomous, and technology users¹⁸. Producing and discussing one’s own photographs supports identities in transition, dignity, and a sense of competence, especially in contexts of vulnerability¹⁹. Photographing and being photographed “in action” and in the construction of something positive is a recognition device for the elderly.

The last stage of Social Technology is the presentation of cultural production in a culmination event open to the community. This is the moment of resolution and complexity, as it is the result of the entire previous process that lasted months.

Having verified the culmination of a process of collective construction carried out by the elderly in an event open to the community, we observe that this symbolic moment materializes Freire’s principles of dialogue, problematization, and emancipatory praxis. Paulo Freire reinforces that true education is not a unilateral deposit of knowledge, but a dialogical encounter of subjects who together give meaning to the world, transforming it²⁰. In the context of participatory practices with the elderly, methodologies based on popular education and culture circles, based on Freire’s pedagogy, favor the collective construction of knowledge, strengthening the autonomy, citizen identity, and critical consciousness of the participants²¹. In addition, final events promoted by the subjects themselves assume a role of extension and democratization of knowledge, by revealing the protagonism of the elderly, allowing joint problematization and promoting dialogue between peers and with the academic and social community²².

In the institutional public sphere, events aimed at the elderly that conclude participatory processes often end with collective commitments and visual symbols (such as word mosaics), reinforcing protagonism, shared responsibility, and continuity of actions after the meeting²³.

The convergence of these practices demonstrates that the culmination in a collective event acts as confirmation and impulse of the process of empowerment, emancipation, and coping with the contemporary challenges of aging.

Preliminary results

Cultural engagement has been pointed out as fundamental to promoting significant transformations in the aging process. The social technology analyzed here is based on valuing the experiences and narratives of the elderly, promoting their active social participation and ensuring the protagonism of this group. In this sense, recognizing cultural diversity and providing collective experiences of high social value has emerged as a powerful strategy for strengthening autonomy, self-esteem, and citizenship. Scientific literature shows that cultural participation is associated with the reduction of the incidence of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as depression and dementia, the reduction of episodes of violence, the preservation of cognitive functions, and the reduction of chronic pain, in addition to favoring the perception of quality of life, well-being, and happiness^24-28.

The experience of the extension project exemplifies how this evidence materializes in daily life. Throughout the activities, which involved the production of a documentary on dance, a fashion show, a theater play, a photonovela, photo essays and commemorative events, the elderly effectively assumed the role of protagonists, not only as spectators, but as creators. This role reinforces the results of longitudinal studies that associate participation in artistic and cultural events with the maintenance of cognition and the reduction of the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly^29,30.

The preparatory workshops for the parade, which included relaxation activities, self-care, and aesthetic planning of the event, proved to be spaces for socialization, creation, and strengthening of bonds, which is in line with research that points to cultural engagement as a protective factor for the mental and emotional health of the elderly²⁵. During the culmination event, when the participants described themselves as “wonderful”, “strong”, “queen”, “empowered” and “good”, there was not only a boost in self-esteem, but also the feeling of belonging and collective empowerment.

The experience with theater and photonovela further reinforced this perspective. The scripts were elaborated by the elderly themselves from experiences of prejudice and discrimination, transforming memories into art and promoting new forms of bodily, linguistic, and symbolic expression. This process is consistent with studies that demonstrate that creative participation in artistic activities can reduce depressive symptoms, stimulate communication, and increase the sense of well-being²⁵. The intense discussions during the collective construction of the scripts and scenarios also show the potential of these activities to stimulate complex cognitive processes, corroborating findings that point to the relationship between creative cultural practices and a lower risk of cognitive impairment.

In addition, the experience of these collective activities promoted intergenerational exchanges and mutual learning, which expanded to the production of digital content (videos, texts, and audios) shared on social media, expanding the scope of educational action. This practice finds resonance in recent research that highlights that cultural engagement is able to reduce pain, suffering, and feelings of loneliness in the elderly²⁶.

Thus, the articulation between culture, art, and aging enables the resignification of individual stories and also the construction of new collective meanings, affirming the right to culture as a central dimension of active and healthy aging.

Final considerations

Through the socio-cultural activities presented, following the proposed methodology, its sequencing and the registration of its stages leading to events, the conclusion is that this constitutes a set of innovative participatory methodologies, distinct from the practices usually offered in workshops and groups of elderly people, which can sometimes be repetitive, monotonous, and, in some cases, even childish. The Social Technology proposed here is based on valuing the experiences and narratives of the elderly, promoting their effective social participation and ensuring the protagonism of the group. Based on participatory methodologies and the use of accessible technologies, the proposal is a strategic solution to face prejudices and challenges that often limit the participation of the elderly in social and cultural dynamics.

The replication of this initiative in different contexts can favor the implementation of public policies sensitive to the specific problems of the elderly population. By articulating local and scientific knowledge, resulting from the accumulated experience in research and extension, Social Technology can be a replicable model, with potential interest for several segments of gerontology concerned with improving the offer of activities and services, as well as for academia, which can implement it in extension actions aimed at this target audience.

• Carvalho CRA. The protagonism of older adults in sociocultural activities: reflections on the construction of a social technology. Interface (Botucatu). 2026; 30: e260489 https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.260489
• Funding
  Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), SEI process No. E-26/204.399/2025

Data Availability

The contents underlying the research text are non-handwritten contents.

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Edited by

• Editor
  Elizabeth Maria Freire de Araujo Lima https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0590-620X

• Associated editor
  Flavia Liberman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8563-5993

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  20 July 2026
• Date of issue
  2026

History

• Received
  08 Sept 2025
• Accepted
  28 Apr 2026