Prevent Youth Involvement in Drug Trafficking

At Julio Otoni´s Community Center the children are still learning new things and developing their skills.

 In art classes the children have created their own stories and scenarios by using models made of clay, each group of children were able to conjure up their own own world and share their stories with their companions. These stories included a football game, a pond with ducklings and a couple, a seabed,  a forest, a desert, a beach and these were just a few of the imaginative scenes.

During a painting class the children learned how to mix and make different colors by just using primary colours and as a result found a universe of new colours they could us within their beautiful designs.

Also in music lessons, they were busy learning rhythms and musical notes, they even made their own drums using bottles and cans and enjoyed playing these new percussion instruments with their hands and feet!

The summer is an opportunity to join hands with the community of the favela, the neighbors of the street and  some volunteers for new activities. This year the season has started with the preparation for the Christmas party, which also means the conclusion the year. For some the older ones this means that they will engage in other activities.  This year the preparation for the Christmas party was quite especial. Children planned the party, prepared many of the presents that were offered to the parents, to the tutors and to their friends. Photos show how happy they felt at the occasion. 2011 was an year of good results for the project. Among other things there was the Vagalumes exhibition that was the result of a three month course on photography and video.

In 2012, there are new plans for increasing activities that bring the children outside the favela, so they can appreciate what the wonderful city of Rio offers in terms of museums, music and other activities free of charge.