Job Training and Internships for Favela Youth

Recent Developments

Crescer e Viver (“Grow and Live”) as the organization is known, is increasing its number of beneficiaries by developing new activities in its Centers of Sociocultural Activities in Rio de Janeiro and São Gonçalo. One new project, “Street Art and Culture” offers workshops in Capoeira, Street basketball, and graffiti (the artistic form of which is legal in Rio). The “Center of Information and Community Knowledge (SINCO)” is another project with 10 computers with broadband internet. Crescer e Viver is increasing the number of direct and indirect beneficiaries with this new projects in addition to maintaining its existing beneficiaries through already established programs.

Carequinha Prize – National Recognition

In November 2006, the Little Tiger Circus School, one of Crescer e Viver’s most successful projects, received the prestigious Carequinha Prize for activities in the Circus field, from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. Every year, the Ministry of Culture, through the National Foundation for the Arts (Funarte), awards the Carequinha Prize in several categories of circus arts in order to support circuses and circus troupes in various regions of the country. Crescer e Viver was the only institution in Rio de Janeiro to receive a prize in the Educational category, which is directed towards activities such as circus schools, social circus projects, and those projects that work with the circus arts as a way of strengthening educational dialogue and encouraging participation in citizenship. The recognition from the Ministry of Culture brought national attention to the methodological and pedagogical purpose of the social circus project, and transformed the project into a reference for attending to children and adolescents in low-income communities through art-education.

Future Plans

This year, Crescer e Viver is going to produce the circus performance “The Life of an Artist – The Art of Constructing a Performance,” a project approved by the Federal Law of Cultural Incentives which receives support from many Brazilian partners such as the national energy company (Petrobrás), Support and Services for Small Businesses (SEBRAE), and a non-profit insurance company (Capemi). Over the course of 5 months, 20 youths from Crescer e Viver with advanced circus skills will dedicate themselves to perfecting their abilities and learning the secrets to performing through theater, dance, and music classes. This preparation will result in a beautiful and emotional performance through which they will share with the audience the difficulties and beauties of the profession and mission to which they have dedicated themselves: being artists. “The Life of an Artist” will be directed by a multidisciplinary team of specialists in acrobatics, balance artists, jugglers, dance, theater, voice and percussion instructors, set, lighting and costume designers, producers and the young artists who will participate in the entire process from the very beginning. We count on the support of professional artists with vast experience in their fields and with an experience in community service. This way, they are capable of doing their jobs while maintaining high levels of ethical values. Alice Viveiros de Castro is the General Director of the show.

Previous Donations

The money previously received from Global Giving was used for the art-education workshops developed by the institution. The quantity was used to both pay salaries of our educators in Social Circus, and to pay for their special training with our institutional methodology – always aiming to maximize the well-being of our beneficiaries.