Chapter 4. Feeling, thinking, acting on the territory: Elements for the formulation of social projects

This chapter presents how projects are developed from a territorial perspective, understanding the project as an opportunity for collective growth and addressing the various problems facing communities through the construction of a future-oriented path, taking into account the conditions that have shaped it through the recognition of knowledge, resources, and territory. For the development of the chapter, a theoretical framework is established that reviews the concepts of need with its various variants, social problem, quality of life, and project formulation. The qualitative methodology used in this section is then broadly explained, continuing with the presentation of results, categorized as: identification of a problem or need, problem tree, population affected by the problem, characteristics of the zone or area, identification of project stakeholders, and the definition of project objectives and activities. Finally, the chapter concludes by discussing opportunities for collective growth, inferring that social projects are not limited to the execution of activities, but rather transcend to the transformation of beneficiaries' living conditions, the strengthening of local capacities, and the generation of structural changes.