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Culture Sharing for Children’s Day

29 October 2015 · by Margit Grobbel

InterNations Expat Blog_Culture Sharing for Children's Day_Pic 1On 20 November we celebrate the United Nations’ Universal Children’s Day. Jacira Barros, Volunteer Group Consul in São Paulo, shares her experiences of organizing creative activities for children with a local non-profit organization.

What does the Universal Children’s Day mean to you in relation to your role as Volunteer Group Consul?

This is a month for uniting all our commitment to contributing to a better world, and it begins with children. If we can give them a seed, in the future they may have a tree.

What is the non-profit organization that you are supporting, and what do they do to benefit children?

I support the NPO Vivenda da Criança. InterNations Expat Blog_Culture Sharing for Children's Day_Pic 2 In Brazil, schools are part time, so parents go to work and leave their children at the Vivenda da Criança. Here they have access to art classes, playrooms, psychologists, educational counseling, and drug prevention lectures. For teenagers in need, they also offer vocational courses, such as hairdressing, baking, and IT.

The charity institution Vivenda da Criança is a non-profit organization that helps more than 4,000 people in Parelheiros, São Paulo, every month. In 1989, they started their activities as a shelter for at-risk youth. Over time, the institution has been growing, and today it offers various opportunities for children, adolescents, and adults to develop as people, citizens, and future professionals.

Which activity has been the highlight of your work with Vivenda da Criança?

The activity “Your Culture, My Culture” was the one I loved best, but I really liked the “Creative Factory” activity, too. InterNations Expat Blog_Culture Sharing for Children's Day_Pic 3These two activities were the most demanding with regard to time, organization, and financial investment, but they were also the most enjoyable. The InterNations members, as well as the children, had a great time — I could clearly see it in their faces.

“Your Culture, My Culture” was a creative activity organized by Jacira and supported by 23 amazing volunteers. They created a fictitious passport for each child, which they could use to visit eight booths, each representing a different country. In the booth, the kids had the chance to learn more about the culture of the respective country, and at the end they participated in a fun quiz about what they had just learned.

What was the impact of this activity on the kids and the InterNations volunteers?

These activities were a great educational exercise for the kids. We planted a seed in the hearts and minds of these children when we taught them how to say “hello” in Chinese or when the Spanish booth taught them about famous painters. InterNations Expat Blog_Culture Sharing for Children's Day_Pic 4

The children, who live in a poor, underprivileged neighborhood of São Paulo, were able to experience that the world is much larger than that. Our members worked really hard, donated their time and love, and felt genuine gratitude for participating and working together with these children.

Jacira continues to organize activities together with her Co-Consuls and with the help of many volunteers in São Paulo. Visit the São Paulo Volunteer Group page to get in touch with Jacira or to join one of the activities.

If you’d like to get involved in another city, please check if there is a Volunteer Group in your community. Every InterNations member can join the group and take part in the activities!


Find out more on our About page or write to volunteerprogram@internations.org.

(Image credit: Jacira Barros/InterNations)

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: Brazil, Children's Day, InterNations Changemakers' Groups, InterNations Groups, InterNations Members, InterNations Volunteer Program, sao paulo, United Nations

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Juan says

    23 November 2015 at 15:55

    To bad you set up a picture of Colombian culture and you are saying is brasilian. Hope you dont teach this.

    Reply
    • Margit says

      24 November 2015 at 09:46

      @Juan:

      Actually, nobody implied that the picture of the kids with the Colombian flag represents Brazil. During the activities at a Brazilian NPO, the children learned more about various countries in a fun way, which is why they are posing with the Colombian outfits in that one photo. Sorry about that misunderstanding!

      Reply
  2. ChriS says

    21 November 2015 at 12:43

    our urgent Mission in the Balkans offers shelter to kids stranded by the migrant/refugee movement, which has been ignored by media recently diue to the p a ri s incidents..temperatues are dropping and we seek co-operation and support to get frontiers opened here to receive them..

    Reply
    • Margit says

      24 November 2015 at 17:24

      @Chris:

      I’m really sorry, but I’ve checked, and we don’t yet have a Volunteer Program in any of the countries currently affected by the refugee crisis on the Balkans. So I’m afraid I can’t put you in touch with anyone. Have you considered opening a thread in your Local Forum to maybe find some other members who might be interested in helping out on an individual basis? Or organize a fundraiser for any of the international organisations who also try to provide some relief?

      Reply
  3. Janet says

    20 November 2015 at 10:24

    A very interesting article and very informative as well. Pleased that I took the time to read. congrats on the activity, thanks for sharing. Gave me an idea

    Reply
    • Margit says

      20 November 2015 at 14:56

      @Janet:

      Thank you for the nice feedback! We’re glad to hear you found this inspiring.

      Reply
  4. Taih D. Tamez says

    19 November 2015 at 22:02

    Why am I receiving this, I am NOT a member of Internations!m
    T D. T

    Reply
    • Margit says

      20 November 2015 at 09:27

      @Taih D. Tamez:

      I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll forward your comment to our Member Relations team, so customer support can look into this matter.

      Reply

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