“Crescendo com Manguinhos”, an initiative of the volunteers of the Socio-environmental Responsibility Commission (Somar) of the Immunobiological Technology Institute (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz), is supported by Fiotec. Created in 2008, its objective is to contribute toward the sustainable socioeconomic development of the communities neighboring Fiocruz, using a participatory methodology to prepare people who are conscious of their rights and obligations as citizens, able to promote social transformations structured on an all-encompassing health viewpoint with development of environmental education activities (green library), digital inclusion and culture and sports. The Project Works with youths ages 10 to 14 who live in Manguinhos and members of their families.

According to Gisele Andrade, one of Somar’s coordinators, the Project arrived to add to initiatives held over the years in the communities surrounding the Fiocruz campus. “The project’s role is to contribute to the construction of new horizons for the young people served and all the relevant group of people and promote educational and social inclusion actions based on Human Rights, which reach part of society which suffers from the consequences of social inequality through integrated and continual transformation activities”, Ms. Amaral stated.

Currently the work takes place with roughly 50 youngsters, but there are plans to expand the project to help even more people. “We want to form partnerships to insert these youths into the job market. This cycle would bring us an excellent process in continuing the youngsters’ learning process”, explained Ms. Amaral.  To perform its activities, the project has partnerships with the Lar Irmão Francisco Home and Unisuam University.

Information on rights is strategic to make young people less vulnerable

Work directed toward all-encompassing health creates room for discussions about young people’s rights as citizens, making them more informed, conscious and less vulnerable to the conditions of life.

The Biblioteca Verde (‘Green Library”) is a space for public health, environmental and political awareness, with the idea to reverse several barriers faced by residents who are in substandard locations, characterized by obstruction of human rights. Starting from there, through actions to stimulate knowledge and activities, encourage the importance of healthy environments, on a local scale (healthy housing) to global (development) and apply this knowledge to look for solutions and alternatives to local problems.

There are also the digital inclusion workshops which allow for development of knowledge and access to information and communication Technologies to learn new things; encourage research; form a critical consciousness in the use of the internet; and learning tools and application of these tools in discussion of local issues.

In the area of culture and sports, it is working the behavioral side to help face new challenges, for the youngsters to understand and accept their own limitations and do not give up at the first experience. Other things taken into consideration: valuation of perception and intuition as complements to cognitive deductive abilities; teamwork and spirit of cooperation; and the search for continuous improvement of individual and collective abilities.