Green Protocol WG

Neuza Nascimento was constantly asked by her 10 yr old son to attend the "funk" dances in the community. He insisted so regularly that one day she acquiesced and joined him at the dance. Upon arrival, she realized immediately that such an atmosphere was unsuitable for a young boy.

She began to contemplate the issue, and was disheartened that the only leisure activity for the community´s youths was to go to the funk parties.

Neuza then came up with an idea to change that reality.

Her first step was to look for a community leadership course. In this course, she obtained more information and contact with other groups, and from these experiences she came to learn about the “UERJ (State University of Rio de Janeiro) without walls” event, which involved diverse socio-cultural activities.

Her first initiative was to bring 12 children to this event. From their experience sprouted the project “A Look Into Other Things.”

Children would use their school uniforms to get on the local bus (students ride for free) while the coordinator would pay her own way. In this way, the group managed visits to the Rio de Janeiro state university, a water park, and the National Film Festival.

Shortly thereafter, the local Residents´ Association assisted the project by arranging for free bus transportation for field trips through the “Caprichosa Auto-ônibus” company. The management of the company was impressed by the letter requesting its assistence, and volunteered to support the initiative. From that point on, the outings could include a larger group of children.

Neuza discovered the project “Rio Onibus Criança,” that aids institutions which work with children and teens to facilitate outings and field trips. Today she also counts on their support to keep the project running. This made possible a minimum of one field trip per month.

After each field trip, the children fill out a questionaire in order to evaluate the experience. From this simple exercise, Neuza discovered that many of the children had difficulty writing. Neuza then decided to ask for a short paper about each outing as a way to “repay” her for her work, thus encouraging practice and exposure to writing.

It also became clear to Neuza that it was necessary to expand the activities of the project with local activities. Through these projects, she wanted to develop their reading and writing ability, public speaking skills, and memorization abilities.

At that time, the Residents´ Tribunal of the community again offered help. They ceded a space within their own headquarters to be used each Sunday to host the kids´ get-togethers.

In the beginning of the project, Neuza Nascimento relied on the help of Célia, another community manager, and she currently has a partnership with Andréia Crescêncio.

Community Demographics:

The Parque Jardim Beira Mar community is located in the Leopoldina Zone, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. According to research carried out by the Municipal Secretary of Social Development, the population of the region is approximately 10,600, of which, 2,761 are children between 4 and 17 years of age.

The project “A Look Into Other Things” carries out activities both within and beyond the local community.

Local Activity:

The project coordinator visits the homes of community families and invites the children to participate in a get-together. In this invitation, both parents and children are informed about educational activities that will take place at the reunion. The reunions take place in an area donated by the Residents´ Tribunal.

The reunion begins with everyone saying their name and age, and then moves to a synopsis of the previous meeting. Points of interest for the group are discussed, and they hold a vote on the next outing or cultural activity to be held. Then, the children participate in citizenship and children´s rights workshops that involve games and educational activities.

Example of a workshop: Composition of a story.

A coordinator or volunteer begins to tell a story related to the theme of citizenship and children´s rights, and each child develops ideas to continue the story until it reaches its end.

Following the workshop activities, if there are no announcements, the meeting is closed and the children have snacktime.

Outings:

The coordinator researches places and events where it would be possible to take the children on free field trips. The options found are presented in the reunions and participants vote to choose their favorite.

The next step is to send a letter to the selected location, asking for authorization to bring the group. Once that authorization is processed, a second request is made asking the bus company “Caprichosa Auto Ônibus” or the Projeto Rio Ônibus Criança" (Municipal) to donate transportation means.

Then each child must bring a parent-signed permission slip (and a voluntary, recommended donation of one Real [0.40 $US]) to help pay for snacks. Snacks are, in large part, donated by local businesses.

After the organization process is completed, the children go on the field trip and are expected to write a short commentary on the field trip and what they got out of the experience.

• 10 visits to cultural centers and recreational facilities.
• 2 workshops on youth rights, carried out at PCDH (the Citizenship and Human Rights Program) of the Rio de Janeiro State University.