project favela newsletter

June Newsletter | 2016

Welcome to our very first Project FavelaNewsletter, June 2016. I am thrilled you arecurrently reading the first of many newslettersthat will be released in the coming months.

It hasbeensomethingwehavewanted todo forquite some time. In the short 8 year life span ofthe Project we have come a long way from ourhumble beginnings in Zona Norte. This growth,the evolution of the project, this success wouldnot have been possible without all the hardwork and sacrifice of so many amazingvolunteers both past and present.

We feelweowe it to youall to keepyou informedabout all that is going on in the project, and inaddition share with the general public all theamazingwork and incredible results happeninghere in Rio right now.

A very big thank you to Katy Fretwell who putthis newsletter together.

We hope you enjoy it!

Yours Sincerely

“

”

Project Favela | June 2016

Project FavelaAt a timewhenRioDeJaneiro is in the runup toholdingoneof thebiggest eventsof the decade; Rio Olympics 2016, we take an in depth look at the hard work ofour volunteers here at Project Favela and our Rocinha Outreach programme.It is one of the most turbulant times in Rio's recent history, both politically and constructionallyin the run up to theOlympicGames this Summer. However, with this inmind, it is fantastic to seethat our volunteers and management team are working as hard as ever to better the lives of ourchildren and the community, here in Rocinha.

This Month:Field TripOur students take a trip toJardim Botanico.

Volunteer SpotlightWe highlight some of thefantastic contributions made byour long term volunteers.

Day in the lifeWe highlight the daily ups anddowns of volunteering andliving in Rocinha.



Volunteer SpotlightProject Favela is entirelydependanton the time, energy, kindnessand resourcesthat our international volunteers provide when they arrive at the Project.

Charlie is fromBath in theUK.Hegraduated from theUniversity of St Andrewsin 2014 with a degree in Social Anthropology. He first visited Brazil in 2010during a trip through South and Central America and returned in 2013 toSalvador da Bahia, in order to carry out research into Afro-Brazilian streetfood. He has spent time working in the charity sector, and is particularlyinterested in using film and photography to raise awareness of social issues.

When a new volunteer arrives, whether for 3 weeks or 3 months, they bring with them a wealth ofknowledge, skills and passion for the job. Without these volunteers the project would struggle to be whatit is. Here, our volunteers showkindness and empathy aswell disciplinewhen needed, to help enhance ourchildren on the road to achieving their dreams.

Charlie Cavaliero

Hannah is a 23 year old from England and has recently graduated with adegree in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. She is taking ayear out before returning to the UK to begin her masters. Hannah has lived inBrazil before, volunteering in a small NGO in in Bahia. She is returning to Brazilbecause she loves Brazilian people and the fascinating Brazilian culture.

Hannah Furby

Why Project Favela?Thinking of volunteering with us? Here we've detailed exactly what ProjectFavela is about; whowe look for, and whyworking in a favela is one of themostrewarding things you can do!


Who We AreProject Favela is an educational NGO servingchildren and adults in the largest favela inSouth America: Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. Theprogram was founded by Scott Miles in 2009and is run entirely by a staff of internationalvolunteers. Our volunteers provide all theoperating revenue for our school and ourpartner projects. By living in the favela,volunteers financially contribute to thecommunity every day.

What We DoBrazil is a country that has a stark dividebetween the rich and thepoor.Oneof themainbarriers is that of access to quality education.For that reason, our project offers educationalinitiatives to both children and adults. Ouryoungest learners attend the PreschoolProject, which implements an interdisciplinaryelementary curriculum. Our older childrenattend public school during the day and cometo our school to receive supplementaleducation. At night, we hold English as aforeign language classes. All of these initiativesare offered in the hope that, over time, childrenand adults will develop a love of learning thatthey will nurture throughout their lives. ProjectFavela volunteers serve as mentors andencourage students to study, to be curious,and to think about their future—one thatincludes a college degree and a career.

Who We NeedProject Favela relies on volunteers to teach theclasses and run the school. For this reason,weneed dedicated, creative, and independentvolunteers with a strong work ethic. We don'trequire teaching or international experience,although it is a plus! Additionally, experienceworking with children is useful but notessential. We need volunteers who are flexibleand resourceful, as daily life in the favela is noteasy.


A day in the life of a volunteer...Volunteering life here at the project, isn't always easy, though always extremelyrewarding. Here Hannah Furby documents a usual day in the morning shift.

8:00 amWake Up

8:55 amWalk to work

9:00amSchool starts. My first hour is admin time for planning,filing and writing.

10:00amOur lovely butmanic three year olds come up for their 45-minute class. We sing number and alphabet songs withthem to start and then move on to an activity such aspracticing writing their names, creating shapes with playdough or drawing a picture based on the book of theweek. Afterwards we spend fifteen minutes reading thebookof theweek, highlighting key vocabulary andgettingthe kids to practice their English. We finish up by givingout stickers to the kids who behaved themselves and wehave a final singsong before taking the kids back down tothe crèche. (My walk to work)


10:45amBreak time. We go back to the apartment for some lunchbefore starting our afternoon classes.

12:00pmThe four year olds scramble up the stairs and go straightinto their classes. They're split into five groups accordingto ability and have a different class each day (Maths,Science, English, Vocab or Reading). The aim of theclasses is to communicate asmuchaspossible in Englishwhile keeping them engaged with different topics. Afterthe stations, we come together as a group to read thebook and practice some English phrases together.

1:00pmThe five year olds come in ready for their class. We startwith English vocab and reading the book before they gointo their stations, which have a similar structure to thefour year old classes. Discipline is an issue in this class aswell as the four year old class but we tend to have fewertears in this class!

2:00pmThis is the 6+ class, our smallest class of the day. Theirclass follows the same structure of the five year old classbut we also focus on times tables as well as Englishvocabulary for the first half of the class before movingonto the stations. These kids are exceptionally sassy andit canbequite difficult to gain their respect.However, they´re very very funny andcanbe very charmingonce yougetto know them.

3:00pmHome time! Our shift finishes at 3pm and the afternoon isfree to spend as we wish. This could mean runningerrands, going to the supermarket, doing laundry,relaxing or going on trips to the beach or Parque Lage.

(Play-doh letters with our 3 year olds)

(The 4 year old vocabulary station)

(Reading time)

If youwould like to get involved, find outmore aboutwhatwe do, or are keen to followour journey, please check out our website at www.projectfavela.org or alternativelycheck out our social media on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Hannah FurbyAM Lead Teacher


External Learning!Teaching and learning don't always have to happen in the classroom. With thatinmind, a groupof dedicated volunteers organised a school trip for our studentstoJardimBotanico, theBotanicalGardenshere inRio. Indoingso, theywereableto give them a taste of tranquility in the fast paced metropolis that is Rocinha,as well as the opportunity to learn outside the classroom.

On the21stMayProject Favela volunteers leda fieldtripto the Botanical Gardens here in Rio. Thanks to theamazing efforts of volunteer Laura Seymus, whoraised the money for the trip, we were able to provide15 of our students an activity packed, fun filled day.

Life in the favela is incredibly claustrophobic, itsnarrow streets, open sewers and lack of green space,provide very few places where children are able tosafely stretch their legs and play. Therefore, theBotanical Gardens seemed like the perfect place totake our students, and it was fantastic to see themrunning around and playing games I recognised frommy time in the playground (all those years ago). It isamazing how much we take for granted; even thesimplest of things like a safe place to play are a luxuryfor many of the children living in Rocinha.

Organised and fundraised by our AM VolunteerLaura Seymus. Written by our Project Coordinator

Charlie Cavaliero.


We started our adventure with a short bus ride fromRocinha to the gardens, for some of the students eventhiswas venturing into the unknown, and theymarvelledas the winding streets of Rocinha faded into thedistance. After arriving, andhavingaquickconversationwith the gardens’ resident terrapins, we began ouractivities.Westarted in the sensorial garden, and taskedthe students with identifying plants such as mint, basiland rosemary. We wanted the students to connect thedots between what appears in their suco or on theirpizza and the plant itself. In the jungle of concrete,asphalt and bricks that is Rocinha, this connectionbetween plant and food is pretty much non-existent.

We continued our journey through the cactus garden,identifying different species of cacti along the way, thento the waterfall, the lake and the orchid house. Thedifferent colours and shapes of the orchids enthralledmany of the students, and it was great to see themengagingwith theposters anddisplays thatweredottedaround. After leaving the orchid house we were luckyenough to encounter a troop of rather boisterousmonkeys and the kids could barely contain theirexcitement as the monkeys surrounded us.

Following an exciting morning we headed to our picnicspot for lunch and enjoyed some homemadesandwiches, a run around in the playground and moremonkeys!

After lunch we carried on walking through the gardens,stopping to takesomegreat pictures in front of fountainsand grand, tree lined, avenues, before arriving at thespot we were to hold our own Project Favela ‘OlympicGames’. In three teamswe played all the classic ‘sportsday’ games; leap frog, three legged race, wheelbarrowrace, relays and assault courses. All the children gave ittheir all, and were rewarded with their very own ProjectFavela medal.

All in all, it was a great fieldtrip with the perfect mix oflearning opportunities and fun activities. Every studentcame away with a big smile, rosy cheeks and muddyknees, all excellent indictors that they enjoyedthemselves.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who helpedand again to Laura Seymus for making it possible!“ ”


Broadening our horizons: The Preschool Project!An in-depth review of what we've been able to achieve in the past year,through a change in the curriculum and the help of our dedicated volunteers!

Wehave had an amazing first year in the PreschoolProject! Our goal is to provide an innovative “headstart” to local preschoolers. Phase 1 of thePreschool Projectwas launched in June2015. Theweek's curriculum revolves around “Circle Time”and thatbookactsasaspringboard for small grouplearning stations with related learning activities. Inthesestations, children receivemuchneededsmallgroup and one-on-one instruction inmathematics,reading, English, science, and vocabulary.

How did the preschooler’s do? Let’s talk abouttheir math scores. Not only did we implement amath curriculum with a scope and sequence, butalso an assessment system to progressively andincrementally measure each child’s understandingof early grademath. Thequarterlymathdata for our5 year old class as a whole, for example,demonstrateshugegains!Whatdoes thismean? Itmeans that by the end of their school year, they willbe fully prepared to enter school and excel inmathematics not only in their local school but evenif enrolled in a school in the US.

Where do we go from here? We are excited toimplement a new center with our preschoolers.Engineering! UsingLegos, thechildrenwill practiceproblem solving skills, collaboration, and basicengineering concepts! Our new iPads are installedand the centers now have a digital component tothe lessons. The children are engaged,enthusiastic, and excelling!


Our most exciting innovation is the upcoming pilotprogram in preparation for the opening of InstitutoSonhos Realizados. Coming in July 2016, our out-of-school time kids will receive a STEM richcurriculum. The STEM Solution will construct aclear pathway for students to develop the 21stcentury skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed togain access to a university education and even acareer in STEM industries. Approximately 30students ages 7-12 will attend classes either priorto their attendance at themunicipal school or after.Within each 3 hour program, students will engagein project-based learning and experientialeducational activities to advance their skills inmathematics, science, engineering andtechnology. We will continue teaching English andmathematics and add Ipad stations in Chemistry,Physics, Engineering, and Coding!

Last, let’s talk about Fazedores! The Fazedores(do-ers in Portuguese) class is a Makerspaceprogram and gives local youth an opportunity topractice their engineering skills through projectbased learning. When we launched in February2016, we used our creativity and scant resources,such as newspaper and cardboard, to buildbridges and rockets! It has been so successful wehave received donations of KNEX kits to take thisprogram to the next level!

How have we been able to achieve all this in oneyear? Thepassion, dedication, and fearlessnessofour amazing staff of international volunteers, theintense commitment to Project Favela in our Boardof Directors, and the ever-present encouragementand drive of our founder and President.

For me personally, it is anhonour to be a small part ofProject Favela's mission!“

”Yours Sincereley,

For more information, and to see exactlywhat classes we offer, check out ourwebsite at www.projectfavela.org


Opening the gateway to investment!Aswith anyNGOcharity, Project Favela relies ongrants anddonations fromkindand generous companies and individuals to help keep the dream alive.

Here, founder Scott Miles gives us an indepth look into the trials and tribulations we've faced as a project,and lets us in on his investment hopes and dreams for the future.

You can only evolve if you fail. You can only fail if you try. That has been how I have always seen the project. From theearliest days there was always a dream, a vision, an idea, and of course a need. Reaching this, achieving this, has beenan uphill battle all the way. Working through a massive learning curve in the favelas, overcoming cultural challenges,operational hurdles it has been hard. It has been very rewarding, educational, eye opening, and has changed me asa person for the better and a little for theworse(less hair, morewrinkles). Starting up a nonprofit, a school, being a socialentrepreneur is not how you see it in the romanticized Hollywood version. I have seen the best in the human race andquite frankly some of theworst. Toughest job I have ever had,more lows than highs, however in the end by far themostrewarding job. Now as we reach the end game, our ultimate goal, sitting on the verge of opening our third school I cantell you it has all been worth it, and I would do it all over again, and yet again for these children. Would I do many thingsdifferently, of course I would. Have we always been perfect? No of course not. Nevertheless we remained focused,fought through the bad times, learned from our mistakes, celebrated the good times and here we are still here movingforward for the children in our community. This project, this work, the legacy and hard work of so many amazing pastvolunteers and partners must go forward and continue to be the best that it can be on the ground here in Rio. To reallydeliver results and create solutions, not just diagnose the problems. These children and their education is a fight thatwe will never surrender to. We are, and always will be with respects to them and their education defiant, resolute, andcommitted to the end.

“Investment...


We have pushed hard, we have driven an aggressive agenda, we have held on to lofty expectations because if we hadnot we would not have grown and evolved. We would not be in the position we are now to do the work we intend todo and the work we have already done.

We have grown immensely operationally. Board of Directors, incorporation, in country coordinators and directors, leadvolunteers, social media directors, fundraising partners, and the current ground operation in Rocinha. Massive dailyundertaking with over 100 children per day passing through our doors. As we have evolved operationally we nowmustevolve financially. What is next?

We will in 2017 open the first of its kind "charter school" in Rocinha. An alternative to the public school for some of thecommunities most talent and gifted children. This school will have a mixed curriculum of Brazilian core academicclasses, intensive pre vestibular, and a state of the art intensive STEM curriculum. It will be a crazy beautiful mix ofprofessional Brazilian educators and international teaching volunteers. What we have planned will provide thesechildren with a private education far superior to most of the elite private schools in Rio, but for free. Our children upongraduation will go on to study college abroad and or in the Federal University system in Brazil. This is our goal. 100%success, no room for failure. The new school is called Instituto Sonhos Realizados (ISR). We will of course continueto provide a one of a kind early childhood education to the children from the community as well. We will roll out ourcurrent early childhood education program in a new and improved format. Enhanced, re engineered and improved foreven more amazing results. This program created by our Director of Education Angela Crawford will be called the PreSchool Project and will act as in incubator or nucleus for ISR while at the same time providing a free high quality earlychildhood education. All of our programs will remain totally and completely free.

This will all require some consistent and serious funding. We will continue to use our volunteer tourism model but wewill slowly move away from this in 2017 to a more traditional NGO funding model. We were thrilled to be grantednonprofit status in the USA. This has and will open many doors to financial assistance and support. We are currentlyand actively soliciting new partners and those that wish to invest in the school and the education and futures of ourchildren. Please help us continue our work, go to the next level, and make dreams realties through education andmentoring.

Yours Sincerely,”

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