Breaking Down Misconceptions Through Art

"I truly believe that art can be a catalyst for change, altering the way people see themselves and the world around them, which is why I am so enthusiastic about community/participatory art and activism." - Beccy McCray

A few months ago I had been contacted by artist and creative producer, Beccy McCray. She expressed great interest in having a workshop at our organization and proposed an art/craft workshop. Her desired objective? To facilitate a positive difference by linking people together through creative means and also to have a good time! She was well-aware that many people have negative preconceived notions about favelas and favela residents (being violent and hubs for drug trafficking), and because of those misconceptions her other target was to use art to to tell truths about favela life and favela residents to dismantle those misconceptions.

On November 11th, we surprised our students (from both Will's class and Harriet's class) with Beccy's workshop. To begin, she had each student select a hand-made bracelet, from a bag that she had brought with her, for each student to keep.

After each student selected their bracelet, she explained that their bracelets had been made by participants in England. She gave out instructions for making the bracelets and then told the kids that they will make bracelets for other people in England.

Photos and a bit of information will be included with the bracelets, so that the recipient will know who made their bracelet and where they come from. More specifically, they will all be distributed around Hackney Wick, where the pre-made bracelets she gave to our kids originated from, thus connecting it to Rocinha.
I'm American and  I've  never traveled to London, let alone England so I don't know much about London burroughs. Beccy described Hackney Wick being similar to Rocinha. She states that, "Rocinha actually has a lot in common with Hackney - it too is a deprived area which borders the Olympic Park, but is also a crucible of culture."

Overall, the workshop was a hit. Not only did the kids thoroughly enjoy it, but us resident volunteers also enjoyed it very much as well. A huge thank you, Beccy, for coming out here to spend some time with us and sharing your creativity with us. We couldn't be more grateful! 

Monster Mash.

Halloween isn't very popular in Brazil, although its fanbase is currently growing in some of Brazil's bigger cities. I imagine that this can be attributed to two things: The number of English-language schools that throw Halloween parties and also because of American pop culture. It is entirely possible to find Halloween parties around Rio, but they aren't that numerous and you generally wouldn't see swarms of people dressed up in costumes everywhere!

We try not to limit our curriculum to strictly English lessons, so whenever we can, we incorporate cultural lessons and activities. Additionally, Halloween is my absolute favorite Holiday, so it was only necessary to celebrate Halloween with our kids and teens by throwing a party at the Escola Moranguinhos. Vivi (Our Field Coordinator) and I planned and organized the party in adavance, but she couldn't stay for the party because she was ill. Will (a resident volunteer), Maria (one of our board members) and I were at the school before the party started to set up and decorate everything.

Maria & Will decorating

Vanessa & I

Around 7PM, Will had to leave the party to teach his English class for adults and shortly after, Maria also had to go home. I would also like to note that I was very impressed by how helpful some of the teen girls were. A couple of them did a wonderful job of helping me watch the younger children.To keep the momentum going and everyone entertained, we played some typical Halloween games such as bobbing for apples and the mummy wrap game. Since children do not go out trick or treating in Brazil, we did the opposite and went door to door on our little street to hand out candy to our neighbors. 

Here is a clip of our reverse trick or treating:

I hope all of you had an equally delightful Halloween!

Also, if you are interested in learning a bit more about me and getting more insight on my life as a resident volunteer/assistant field coordinator here, you can click over to my blog:
 www.riohapa.com
or e-mail me directly at Jennifer@2bros.org

Riding Through Rocinha at Night.

This is what it's like to ride a motorcycle taxi through Rocinha, at night. Moto-taxis are one of the most convenient ways to get around Rocinha. Recorded by Jennifer, Resident Volunteer/Assistant Field Coordinator.

To get more insight on what it's like to work here as a resident volunteer, visit:

riohapa.com

A New Rotation.

As summer came to a close, we said farewell to two very wonderful people, welcomed two new resident volunteers and welcomed a returning resident volunteer for our second term of the year.

Will Brandreth is from the United Kingdom and he is currently teaching our children’s class and our adult beginner English class.

Harriet Simpson is also from the United Kingdom and has taken over the teen English class, from the reins of Erin.

Katie Dauth is from Australia and she first came to work as a resident volunteer in July of 2012 and used to teach our children's class, adult intermediate class and adult advanced class. She returned to Australia in the following January and came back to Rocinha this past July to teach our advanced English class.

Erin Kanygin (Canada) and Wesley Cornwell (U.S.A.) served as resident volunteers from the beginning of May until the end of August. We want to thank both of you, from the bottom of our hearts, for the work you contributed to the Two Brothers Foundation, for your dedication, eagerness and compassion for the people of Rocinha and for our project. We miss you both!

Discussions of Daffodils

Hello everyone!

I have to admit that a certain irony lies in the fact that my first blog post for Two Brothers is also my last. At the same time, after three months here, I can more clearly articulate the indelible impression that Rocinha has left on me. While I have taught the kid's class for the last three months, Katie (a volunteer from Australia who recently returned to Brazil to continue volunteering with 2bros) asked me to teach her advanced adult class for one night, and I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on how that class and our discussion resonated with my experience here in Brazil.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud" by William Wordsworth

After a brief discussion of prefixes and suffixes, I passed out copies of Wordsworth's famous poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud."

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.  

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.  

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:  

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Because there were four of us sitting around the table, we each read one stanza of the poem (after I explained what a "stanza" was, of course). Then, we took the next 30 minutes or so to go through the poem line by line, discussing new words and confusing phrases. Very quickly, their photocopies of the poem became covered with notes and explanations: the difference between "shine" and "sparkle," what a daffodil looks like, the antiquated definition of "gay," etc.... Once we were all on the same page about the surface meaning of the poem, I began a conversation about the poem's actually meaning. For example, What are the different images that Wordsworth gives us of the daffodils? What is the crucial shift between the first three stanzas and the final stanza?  Finally, we arrived at the ultimate question to understanding this poem; what does Wordsworth mean by "They flash upon that inward eye/ Which is the bliss of solitude"?

At the heart of Wordsworth's poem lies a reflection on the power of memory. The shift in verb tense from the past to the present between the third and fourth stanza draws our attention to his memory recounted in the first three stanzas. The vivid description of the daffodils stretched along the bay, "dancing in the breeze," captures the clarity of memory and memory's incredible ability to transport us to a previous time and place. Of course, the next questions were "What is one memory that has this power for you? What memory affords you the 'bliss of solitude'"? The face of the woman to my right immediately lit up as she described the first time she saw her daughter; for one of the men, the memory of being accepted to university brought a glowing smile to his face.

Reflections on my time in Brazil

For me, the past three months have flown by in a blur of life-changing experiences, and I cannot believe that I will be on an airplane in less than two days. From listening to Vanessa de Mata and Caetano Veloso perform on Ipanema at sunset to watching the sunrise from the top of Rocinha, my summer has been a whirl of incredible beaches and breath-taking scenery. Like Wordsworth who "could not but be gay, in such a jocund company," I cannot help but smile when I think about the view of Dois Irmãos from Ipanema or the waves continuously breaking on the white sand. That being said, Brazil does not hold a monopoly on beautiful beaches, and I have had the pleasure of experiencing stunning beaches from Hawaii to Australia. On the other, I have never experienced something quite like living in Rocinha. From the endless bustle of the streets to the welcoming people that I have met here, my time in Rocinha will resonate with me for the rest of my life. Ultimately, I will miss the incredible openness of Brazilian culture, and the willingness of cariocas to play international charades with me as I butcher the little Portuguese that I know. 

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this post, and I encourage you to find a few moments of peace and solitude to reflect on the past. 

All the best,

Wesley C

Festa Junina

Escola Moranguinhos Festa Junina-fied :) 

These past few weeks with the kids have been fun as ever. I am really getting to know everyone and we are all becoming very comfortable with each other. Lately we have been focusing on pronouns and present simple- I even gave them a test the other day and I was very pleased with how everyone did! The classes they take at 2Bros are an extra-curricular and so I am always impressed by how much energy and enthusiasm everyone brings with them- particularly after a full day of school.

The next two weeks are a holiday for my students and also for 2Bros, so we decided to start our “ferias” off with a bang. On Friday, July 19th ,we threw a big party for my teen class at Escola Moranguinhos. The party was based off of Festa Junina, a big festival that happens every June and July that honours certain catholic saints, but is also an excuse to eat delicious regional food, dress up like hillbillies and dance Forro. (Of course, seeing that we are in Rocinha, a lot of Funk crept into the play list).

cheeky selfy of Wesley and I, prepping for the kid's arrival! 

Wesley, (a resident volunteer from the States who is currently a student at Princeton) and I, took on the responsibility of organizing the party and making sure everything was decorated accordingly. At the last minute, Vivi one of the board members for 2Bros, and also the owner and principal of Escola Moranguinhos, showed up with some wonderful decorations and tons of delicious food!

By the time 7 o’clock rolled around, the school was looking great and the teens from my class started pouring through the door! I was very pleased as well by the attendance of our new Voluntourists, Federico (from Italy) and Philipp (From Germany) who made an appearance and I know the kids were also very happy to have them there!

The Two Brothers Foundation does "Festa Junina" :) 

Having social time like this together is a great way to bond and it was so fun watching the kids dance and get to know one another (they are all from different schools so this party provided much needed bonding time). I was also massively impressed by some of the dance moves they pulled out… I did NOT know how to move like that when I was 12…now that I am 24, I fear all hope is lost. 

our German volontourist, Philipp, with some of the awesome students from my teens class. From L-R meet Natanael, Danrley and Diogo 

While we are on holidays, we plan on getting together and going to the beach or something and then classes resume on August 5^th J 

Até a proxima

Erin a.k.a Liza

Also, If you would like to learn more about me and my journey here, plus my life in and outside of the work I do at 2Bros, feel free to check out my blog at www.erinsbrazil.com

The girls and I :) L-R Sheila and Ana Clara (they helped do my make up, so I turned into a real Caipira a.k.a Hillbilly)

Art and Nature

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil

This week has been yet another fun week with my teen class at the Two Brother's foundation. On Sunday afternoon, for those who wanted, I offered to take them to the Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil (CCBB). The CCBB is currently holding a fantastic free exhibit called "Elles" which they are borrowing from the Centre Pompidou in Paris. "Elles" celebrates women in art and highlights various incredible artists, from Frida Kahlo to Marina Abramovic.... there is no way you could get to see an exhibit like this for free in Canada so I was extremely excited to go. Luckily, a few keen kids joined me and we had a wonderful afternoon together. The guides at the CCBB were very interactive and helpful and brought way more insight, information and interest to each piece of art. I was particularly excited about the Frida Kahlo painting, however there were some other great works of art by Suzanne Valadon, Valérie Belin and Barbara Kruger (to name a few) with mediums of expression ranging from sculptures to modern art to video art...some of the work was quite challenging and I was SO impressed by how receptive the kids were. They asked a lot of questions and were completely mature... I had no idea how a bunch of 13 to 14 year olds were going to react to an art exhibit and once again, I was totally blown away by these guys. At the end of the exhibit, we were given a little booklet with free prints- "Yes" one of the 14 year old boys exclaimed, " A Frida print! I am totally putting this up on my wall when I get home"... Basically I think my work here is done. 

Nathan & Dan, enjoying some Macdonald's after a cultural day at CCBB. The Macdonald's would not let us stay there and eat so we had to have a make shift street picnic :) While I was buying them Macdonald's the boy's informed me I was the best English teacher they have ever had...lesson learned-fast food get's you very far with kids!

  It is currently Wednesday evening on July 3rd and I just finished up another great class with the kids that was led by two of our American Voluntourists, Kaye and Wilson! I have been working with Kaye and Wilson and their NGO "Favela Mais Verde", for the past few weeks and I suggested that they come to my class today to give the kids a little Environmental awareness class (mixed with new English vocab such as "soil", "seeds", "environment" and "plant")

Wilson and Kaye teaching the kids some vocab

Unfortunately, there wasn't a great turn out in class today (a lot of them are in the middle of big tests before they go on winter break) but fortunately, those who did show up were super involved and keen! First Wilson and Kaye discussed the community garden we are building at the top of Rocinha in a neighbourhood called "Laborio". Then they asked the kids what they thought it meant to be "green" and to live "green". The kids were totally on it... the next generation seems promising! 

 

I am working really hard to make sure that my classes are not simply about English grammar but also about current issues-globally and locally. This class worked VERY well because Kaye and Wilson did a great job of leading a discussion about sustainable living and how to make Rocinha more "green" whilst incorporating new English vocab into it all. One of the main issues in Rocinha is the massive amount of garbage and the fact that people throw their trash anywhere. We had a debate about what would be the best way to get people to stop throwing their trash onto the streets and we decided that if the police start fining people, eventually citizens (the grown-ups) will clue into the fact that their lack of respect for the environment is unacceptable.

 At the end of the class, Kaye and Wilson made the kids pledge to respect the environment by protecting it, saving water, reducing trash, recycling plastic and so on. 

 After each student made their environmental pledge, they got little green candies! 

 Some of the 2Bros teen class students and myself :) 

 Kaye and Wilson and the kids! 

I have promised to take the kids up to the garden at some point in the next few weeks so they can see some of the work that is being done within Rocinha to help make this place cleaner, more sustainable and a better community to live in, in general. They are all really looking forward to it :) Thank you so much Kaye and Wilson for teaching a great class and for all of your help and support within the classroom these last few weeks! 

Until next time,

Liza

The Right to Teach

It is a cloudy Friday morning in Rocinha, which is always the best time to write a blog post.
Currently, the free internet network that gives excellent high speed wifi access is down, which means I am writing this from the internet cafe near my apartment.

I have been living in Rocinha, working as a resident volunteer for nearly two months now and I am truly, finally beginning to feel settled in. It is a major adjustment to move from a "first world", safe, clean city such as Toronto to the wild hustle and bustle that is Rocinha.

One of the things that keeps me most inspired and dedicated to stay here and make this place "home", is the teens that I teach on Monday and Wednesday evenings. I took over the teen class from former resident volunteer Sergio and at first I was very intimidated. It was literally me versus a big group of 11-14 year olds, so not only did I have to pique their attention with my lessons, but I also had to win them over... (I am still in the process... I don't know if I am really "cool" in the eyes of a 12 year old girl born and raised in Rocinha...).

The teen class consists of a varied group of kids with very different levels of English, which at times makes it hard to manage, as you have the far more advanced kids vs. the kids who don't take English in school, because their school only offers Spanish classes. This is where I have decided to fully utilize Voluntourists. I bring them into my classroom and have them sit at different tables, based on the levels of the students, in order to make sure everyone gets a bit of individual attention. This has proven to be a very successful technique and I would recommend it to anyone who is considering coming to 2Bros and teaching as a resident volunteer.

Although English is the main goal in my lessons with the kids, I basically have the liberty to teach whatever I would like, so I am trying to balance grammar with general classes about the world, culture and current events.

As everyone should now know, Brazil has erupted into a massive scene of protests and social movements in the past few weeks- this was initially sparked when bus prices inexplicably augmented by 20 cents, but has turned into something so much more.
Two weeks ago, on Monday June 17th, English class was "cancelled". Instead I sat the kids down and let them know that "today was a historical day for Brazil". The first major protest was happening in Rio and about 100,000 protesters flooded the streets of  Avenida Rio Branco, in which was mainly a peaceful protest. I showed them 2 different videos that were circulating around YouTube- one that was entirely against the protesters (A clip by Arnaldo Jabor, who I believe is now biting his tongue) and a response to Mr. Jabor by the group Anonymous.
After showing the clips, I asked the kids what they got from the videos... is it really just 20 cents that the people are protesting for, or is it more??

Luckily, this day I was joined by the wonderful Geovani Martins, a very intelligent 20 year old man who is born and raised in Rocinha and is extremely down to earth and articulate- he was invaluable in helping me lead the discussion. ( My Portuguese is strong but not perfect and it was definitely challenged that day).
At first the kids were a bit silent, one 12 year old girl dropped her head into her hands and exclaimed "gente, que profundo!" - guys! this is too deep. But they quickly got into the discussion and we talked about the fact that Education and Health Care are deeply lacking in funding and proper structure here in Brazil. I wrote the word "educacao" on the board and we discussed exactly what they think the issue with the education system here is... "Well, our teachers don't show up to class" one girl responded... Many of the kids go to schools outside of Rocinha, because the schools here in the favela are severely lacking in funding and many kids aged  12, still can't read or write proficiently.
Schools here are dirty, unorganized and generally do not foster a positive environment for learning.
After we covered issues in the education system, we discussed issues in the health care system and what exactly "Health" means... what needs to be improved? We talked about the open sewers in Rocinha, the garbage everywhere, the conditions in the hospitals.

Then we discussed what they could do to change things around...Geovani played a big part in helping to lead this part of the class and it was an extremely inspiring moment for all involved. He said that for years, Brazilian people have been too lazy to really think and question, but that this is now changing. He told the story of his mother who went to school in the 1980s and didn't have the opportunity to express herself. He told the kids that "these days, we as Brazilians are committing one of the biggest sins. We have the right to speak, but we are not seizing our right. But you guys, you are the next generation and you, more than anyone, have the power to change things here, question the system and make a better country and reality for yourselves and your kids".

It was an amazing class to be a part of and I know it has had a lasting impression on all involved. The other day there was a protest in Rocinha and my kids were really keen on telling me that they had taken part.... I couldn't have been more proud!

This Sunday, I am taking them to the Centro Cultural do Banco Do Brasil (CCBB), which is an incredible cultural center in downtown Rio. They are showing an exhibition borrowed from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, called "Elles". There will be art on display from some of the greats such as Frida Kahlo- and the whole exhibit is entirely for free!

Next Wednesday, my volontourists Kaye and Wilson from the NGO "Rocinha Mais Verde" will be doing a presentation for my class about community farming and sustainable living. The girls are currently working way up at the top of Rocinha, building a beautiful community garden. I have started working with them which means that every morning I start my day early and walk the 30 minute hike up the steep hill of Rocinha and then do hard manual labour in the sun! Next week we will start planting fruit trees and vegetables after all the digging and preparation is finished. I plan on bringing my teens in next weekend to help with the planting and hopefully also become involved in the project.

What makes this opportunity with 2Bros so wonderful and exciting is that you can really make it your own- you have the power to truly make the most of it, bond with your students, and hopefully show them some things or discuss topics that they would otherwise be unexposed to.

The adventure continues and I still have two more months here- I will post again soon! Any comments or suggestions are always appreciated and I can be reached at erin@2bros.org you can also follow me and my personal development here in Rocinha at www.erinsbrazil.com

Beijos,

Erin/ Liza

Dan Parr: Theatre Workshop

Last week 2Bros and Escola Mouranghinos welcomed British Actor, Dan Parr in for a Culture Friday session. See below for pictures.

Having travelled over to visit his friend and Resident Volunteer Ben, as a team we thought we could use Dan’s experience and enthusiasm to give the kids a memorable theatre session.

After a great turnout, the group got started early with a meet and greet activity. Resident Volunteer Erin acted as translator for the session and we got the ball rolling by forming a circle and introducing ourselves as well as sharing an interesting fact with the group. Some of the kids even used their English knowledge to do this.

After this we got cracking with some games to engage everyone and get the energy levels up. Firstly we played a concentration game that focused on the use of eye-contact. By throwing a series of balls around, only to people who maintained eye-contact with you, the game kept the kids entertained, for the at me being at least.

Following this, we played Splat. For those of you who don’t know, Splat is a group game that requires quick fire reflexes both orally and physically. Having narrowed the group down to a final two, Ben and one of our teenage students, the game resulted in an agonizing defeat for our seasoned Resident Volunteer as he crumbled in the face of victory.

We continued the games for a little while longer playing Grandma’s footsteps, a personal favourite of the kids.

The main body of the workshop centered on some devised performances by the kids. We split them into groups, assigned a helper with each group and gave them a topic to base their performances around. The topics were music, sport, beach, and dance amongst other things. After allowing a 15-20 minute planning and rehearsal period we formed a little audience and shared each other’s work.

This was no doubt the hardest part to keep the kids engaged. A combination of it nearly being home time and embarrassment when it came to performing for the group seemed to be the main reasons. All in all, it was a great session. Vibrant, fun and engaging and Dan really enjoyed himself as well.

So a big thanks to Dan for coming in, hopefully we’ll see you again In the future and good luck with your acting career.