Prevent Youth Involvement in Drug Trafficking

We associate favelas with Garbage, the way houses are built and the configuration of slopes make garbage difficult to collect. Garbage, especially organic left overs of food and other contaminated trash, offer a great risk, especially because they can spread deseases like dengue fever and Zika virus. At Julio Otoni Community Center we teach children garbage recycling with the hope that they can bring it to their homes and other corners of the community.

Last month we created the Green Corner, "Cantinho Verde" at the Center.  As the name says it is a special space for children to compost all the organic left overs of the center and then cultivate vegetables that then we can use.

Several educational aspects are integrated: environmental  education ( by eliminating garbage from the public space), desease prevention ( children learn to be responsible for their own garbage and the problems that it can cause once thrown away);  producing food ( they learn that is it possible and easy to have a small garden at home). 

It is like a  seed planted that we hope will disseminate at the Favela. Food is very expensive in Brasil. At the favela, we  have been victims of Zika Virus and other deseases connected to the environment.

Here is the link with photos of the project: https://sway.com/3baXGEyF5mDXYB5K

Links:

• The Green Corner Project

July was an exciting month for the community center due to the coming of the Olympics to Rio. Sports fever has hit!

Specifically, the children are participating in the British Council's Premeir Skills program, which seeks to empower young people between the ages of 10-18 to improve their communities through soccer and citizenship classes. Over 200 boys and girls participate in the program and are trained to be leaders in the community. What is very special about the program in Rio is that both police officers and local favela youth play on teams together as an effort to reduce tension and conflict between the groups. Both the officers and the youth begin to see one another as friends rather than enemies. Beyond soccer, the young people involved in the program also work to improve trash and recycling systems and revitalize degraded areas in the community. They learn how to be more engaged citizens - both through sports and through the citizenship classes.

On July 30, the community celebrated the wonderful acheivement of 62 days with no gang violence. The community came together to acknowledge the peace and the impact of the program on the young people. It has provided real alternatives to drugs and gangs and the community can see it. Moreover, one of the young men from the area was chosen to run with the Olympic torch due to his athletic accomplishments in sports. The entire community was extremely proud and honored him with a ceremony, as shown in the attached photos.