The youth centre is located at the headquarters of Reconciliação. 275 children and teenagers from the age of six are
cared for, split up in various groups and courses. The purpose is to educate the young citizens towards independent and responsible behaviour, enabling them to take over the command of their own lives.
The groups
All the children and teenagers go to public school either in the morning or in the afternoon and spend the
other part of the day at the Reconciliação. There they are assisted by trained educators in groups of 20 or 30. Complementary classes and projects around different subjects are designed to enlarge the knowledge acquired in school and to enhance the learning process. This is a crucial aspect, since the teaching quality of the neighbouring
state schools is quite poor; besides,
some children lack any kind of support at home. Art and culture are an important part of the daily activities as well. All kinds of crafts are taught, in order to stimulate the creativity of the children and to give them the chance to express their thoughts and feelings, thus helping them to cope with the fierce reality they have to face.
Theater, dancing and capoeira (a traditional Brazilian fighting dance) also offer a lot of fun and distraction. "Drama makes me dream and helps me to get rid of all my problems" says Leonardo from the theater group "ArteManha".
In weekly workshops the youngsters are taught the foundations of IT training, housekeeping and cooking. Of course there is also time and space left for sports and plain fun. Two daily meals are served, and medical, dental and psychotherapeutic assistance is
provided.
