Friday, May 18, 2012

Culture Fridays, 5/11/12: Art Class with Rebekah

As part of our Culture Fridays, Rebekah Santos, a Resident Volunteer here at 2bros, is giving an art class. This art class fell on a particularly special date; the Friday before Mother's Day! Rebekah used this as an opportunity to teach the kids about Mother's Day in the US. The kids made cards with expressions in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, all celebrating how great mothers are!

Thanks to Aida Mas, who helped us out again this week. We loved your idea of translating Happy Mother's Day into Spanish as well. Parabéns!

Veja! Here is how some of the artwork turned out. Que lindo!



The kids were able to paint because of donations to our project, thank you to Dan Jackson for the donation you made!

Want to help out? We have limited resources at the moment at 2bros. You can make a donation for projects these here. Thank you, and hope you all had a great Dia das Maes!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Field trip: Music Concert - 5/4/12

On May 4th, one of our Resident Volunteers, Rebekah Santos, led the children's class on a field trip for our Culture Friday. She took both sections of the children's class to include everyone, about 25 people. Our Voluntourist Aida helped her out, and between the two of them the trip went really well!

Veja! Take a look at some photos of their Passeio:





They went to the other side of the passarella in Rocinha, near the Samba School, and saw a musical presentation by the group Harmonitango, from Argentina. It was a wonderful chance for the kids to go out and see something they wouldn't necessarily have attended. A few of the kids are really interested in music, and all of them appreciated being taken somewhere special.

Here is a link to see the group playing at the same venue but on a different date. Take a look:






The kids loved it, and we are planning the next field trip for another cultural experience, hopefully to come soon.

Want to be a Resident Volunteer? Find out more information here.

Being a Resident Volunteer

What do Resident Volunteers do during the week?

Monday through Thursday
Our Resident Volunteers at the moment are Rebekah and Elizabeth. They give English classes every night at Escola Moranguinhos every day from 7-9pm. Mondays and Wednesdays are for children, ages 7-14. Tuesday and Thursdays are for adults, or 18 and above. We use donated text books for the curriculum.

Culture Fridays
On Fridays, the Resident Volunteers are responsible for coordinating our Voluntourist visits for our "Culture Fridays".

Because we have so many students, we decided to open a Friday course for beginners. Since this class is held once a week, it goes at a slower pace. Many of our Tuesday/Thursday students attend this class as well.

Veja! Take a look at what our English classes are like in the photo gallery:







What goes into teaching planning a class?
For each class, we consult the donated text book. This ensures that our classes follow a logical sequence and offers structure.

Along with the textbooks, we create activities and games to enhance the class experience. We believe that the best method to learn a language is one in which emphasizes being able to communicate. Therefore, we try to go beyond the traditional method of teaching in which the professor lectures to the students, and increase the student talking time during the classes.

Only when the students are able to produce the language on their own, both writing but more importantly speaking, are we sure that they are learning.

What are our resources?
Currently we are operating from 7-9:30pm out of Escola Moranguinhos, which is a preschool during the day. We use donated textbooks to create the curriculum and are able to provide the adult classes with workbooks, which are also donated.

What do we hope to have in the future?
The future of 2bros is bright! We have three main goals at the moment:
1. We hope to be able to receive or purchase more textbooks and class materials (pencils, papers, paints, pens, etc), so that we can provide our children's class with textbooks and materials.
2. We hope to spread the word about 2bros in order to encourage more people to visit and experience Rocinha, and our work here.
2. We are planning to create our own space, a new building, so that 2bros can offer daily English classes. With our own space, we will also expand the variety of classes and training we can offer to the community.

Check back soon for more detailed information about what goes in to planning and giving an English Class here at 2bros!

Have questions for our Resident Volunteers?

Email them at: Elizabeth@2bros.org or RebekahS@2bros.org

Aida Mas' Visit: 4/28/12

Aida Mas, a Voluntourist from Spain, came to our school and gave a Spanish class for the kids on Friday night. Friday nights are Culture Fridays, where our students have the chance to be exposed to people and ideas from all over the world. The idea behind our Fridays is that both the voluntourists and the children have the chance to exchange cultural experiences. It's always a wonderful experience and the kids enjoy every minute of it. After classes, Voluntourists and the students leave the school with a happy buzz of excitement.

Veja! Here is a video of the class, put together by Rebekah Santos, a Resident Volunteer here in Rocinha. Aida plans to give more classes with us, and everyone is pretty excited about it. Thank you Aida! 



During Aida's class, the kids learned about how similar Spanish and Portuguese are. They played educational games and learned Spanish Vocabulary from Aida, who speaks with a beautiful Spanish accent. This was a great class, in which the kids were able to meet someone from Spain who speaks three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese) and learn Spanish from a native speaker!

Click here to learn how you can be a Voluntourist with 2bros!

Voluntourist Profile:

Why brings you to Brazil?
To learn Portuguese, study development and teach English/Spanish.

Why did you want to come to Rocinha?
To get to know and understand the community better, while contributing in some way.

What do you hope to gain from your experiences working with 2bros? 
I hope to gain experience teaching children, and exposure to the community.

What did you enjoy about your experience with 2bros?
First, the kids are great. Second, I enjoy being slightly outside of my comfort zone (teaching Spanish in Portunhol to a group of 10-15 eight to thirteen year olds). Third it’s rewarding, and last but not least, it allows me to see a part of the city in a way that otherwise I may not have the opportunity to see.

How much time will you give to 2bros?
I try to go once a week, and spend 2-3 hours there.

Where are you off to next?
I’m going back to Canada to visit family and friends for a month (in August), and then I’m either going to grad school in Spain or doing an internship in South America.

Want to contact Aida to ask about her experience?
Find her on Facebook here: Aida

Obrigada for giving the class Aida! You really helped out a lot!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Matt VanGennep's Visit: 4/13/12

Our Voluntourist Matt VanGennep is a double black belt in karate. He came to our school and gave a class in karate. The class was right after Rebekah's dance class, and it was a full house! All the kids wanted to be there. They learned some basic karate moves, as well as some words in English: punch, kick, and block.

It was a great chance for us to get all the boys from class involved, and that was initially the idea for having the class, as the boys aren't interested in the dance classes. Interestingly, everyone who showed up for dance, stayed for karate, and loved it!

Veja! A great success. Take a look at our video:



Click here to learn how you can be a Voluntourist with 2bros!







Voluntourist Profile:

Matt VanGennep has lived in New York and Florida. He studied Business Administration at Florida State University and is currently taking a break from his work as a Retail Manager back in the states, and spending time enjoying the rich culture of martial arts here in Brazil! In Rocinha, he has enjoyed participating in Caipoeira classes, and has met world class trainers and pro fighters right here in Rocinha!

Why did you come to Rocinha?
I came because of the cost of living (it is much cheaper to live in Rocinha than in most other neighborhoods in Rio), and the extensive martial arts programs available here.

What do you hope to gain from living in Rocinha?
Meet great people, see new things, experience different culture, diversify my martial arts portfolio, and do at least one thing to impact the community in a positive manner.

What did you enjoy about your experience with 2bros?
I have taught martial arts for many years to both youth and adults.  In the United States, many parents shove children in educational programs agaisnt they’re will. In Rocinha, it is easy to see that all the children that attend the class geniunely want to be there, and learn.  For me this is the greatest thing, to share my greatest passion with kids eager to learn.

Where are you off to next? 
Top secret information.

Thank you so much Matt! Have a great stay here in Rocinha, and see you next week for another karate class! 

Want to contact Matt to ask about his experience?
Email him at: mattvangennep@yahoo.com