Significaciones imaginarias de cuidado en la movilidad de las niñas y niños beneficiarios del proyecto piloto Paturuta

Abstract

Care is an essential condition for sustaining life and is constructed daily through the relationships people establish with themselves, others, and the territories they inhabit. During childhood, these experiences acquire particular significance in everyday mobility, a setting where practices, relationships, and decisions can either enhance or compromise the protection of children. In Colombia, road traffic crashes are among the leading causes of death among children and adolescents, highlighting the need to move beyond approaches focused exclusively on infrastructure, regulations, or behavior change in order to understand how children construct meanings of care through their everyday mobility experiences. Within this context, the purpose of this study was to understand the imaginary social meanings of care in the mobility experiences of children participating in the Paturuta pilot project at the Valentina Figueroa Rural Educational Institution, located in the municipality of Urrao, Antioquia. The research was conducted using a qualitative interpretive approach, grounded in Cornelius Castoriadis’ theory of social imaginary significations and in childhood studies that recognize children as social subjects, producers of culture, and creators of meaning. Data were generated through participatory methods, including social cartography, territorial walks, workshops, and collective dialogues, privileging children's voices, experiences, and forms of expression. The findings revealed that the imaginary meanings of care extend beyond the prevention of road traffic risks and are configured as relational and cultural constructions emerging from shared experiences within the family, the school, the community, and the territory. Care acquires meaning through practices of accompaniment, trust, shared responsibility, solidarity, and mutual recognition, shaping the ways in which children inhabit and move through their surroundings. In this context, the Paturuta project transcends its function as a school transportation initiative, becoming an experience that strengthens perceptions of safety, territorial awareness, encounters with others, and the construction of community ties.