Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian Youth in University: A Collective Narrative of the Senses of Being and Belonging in University

This research project aims primarily to explore and understand the dynamics of university educational inclusion, focusing on the direct experiences and perceptions of young students of intercultural backgrounds. The study is framed within the Ecuadorian legal context, which promotes an intercultural and plurinational State, and within the inclusive mission of the Salesian Polytechnic University (UPS). The research addresses the need to adapt higher education to the country's cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity, as mandated by national regulations and international agreements. The methodology employed is an exploratory and descriptive design, utilizing an ethnographic approach through fieldwork conducted at the Don Bosco Intercultural University Residence (formerly La Tola Peasant Hostel). A triangulation of techniques will be used, including observations at the residence and in classes, interviews (informal and semi-structured) with indigenous and Afro-descendant students, faculty, and administrative staff, and voluntary workshops. The qualitative analysis will rely on field records to construct knowledge about the particular order of the case and to deepen descriptions of these students' integration into the university environment.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>To understand the processes of university educational inclusion from the perspectives of the intercultural student youth themselves.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>nan