Project Favela Newsletter

Welcome to our very first Project Favela
Newsletter, June 2016. I am thrilled you are
currently reading the first of many newsletters
that will be released in the coming months.
Ithasbeensomethingwehavewantedtodofor
quite some time. In the short 8 year life span of
the Project we have come a long way from our
humble beginnings in Zona Norte. This growth,
the evolution of the project, this success would
not have been possible without all the hard
work and sacrifice of so many amazing
volunteers both past and present.
Wefeelweoweittoyoualltokeepyouinformed
about all that is going on in the project, and in
addition share with the general public all the
amazing work and incredible results happening
here in Rio right now.
A very big thank you to Katy Fretwell who put
this newsletter together.
We hope you enjoy it!
Yours Sincerely
“
”
Project Favela | June 2016

Project Favela
AtatimewhenRioDeJaneiroisintherunuptoholdingoneofthebiggestevents
of the decade; Rio Olympics 2016, we take an in depth look at the hard work of
our 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 constructionally
in the run up to the Olympic Games this Summer. However, with this in mind, it is fantastic to see
that our volunteers and management team are working as hard as ever to better the lives of our
children and the community, here in Rocinha.
This Month:
Field Trip
Our students take a trip to
Jardim Botanico.
Volunteer Spotlight
We highlight some of the
fantastic contributions made by
our long term volunteers.
Day in the life
We highlight the daily ups and
downs of volunteering and
living in Rocinha.

Volunteer Spotlight
ProjectFavelaisentirelydependantonthetime,energy,kindnessandresources
that our international volunteers provide when they arrive at the Project.
Charlie is from Bath in the UK. He graduated from the University of St Andrews
in 2014 with a degree in Social Anthropology. He first visited Brazil in 2010
during a trip through South and Central America and returned in 2013 to
Salvador da Bahia, in order to carry out research into Afro-Brazilian street
food. He has spent time working in the charity sector, and is particularly
interested 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 of
knowledge, skills and passion for the job. Without these volunteers the project would struggle to be what
it is. Here, our volunteers show kindness and empathy as well discipline when needed, to help enhance our
children on the road to achieving their dreams.
Charlie Cavaliero
Hannah is a 23 year old from England and has recently graduated with a
degree in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. She is taking a
year out before returning to the UK to begin her masters. Hannah has lived in
Brazil before, volunteering in a small NGO in in Bahia. She is returning to Brazil
because 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 Project
Favela is about; who we look for, and why working in a favela is one of the most
rewarding things you can do!
Who We Are
Project Favela is an educational NGO serving
children and adults in the largest favela in
South America: Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. The
program was founded by Scott Miles in 2009
and is run entirely by a staff of international
volunteers. Our volunteers provide all the
operating revenue for our school and our
partner projects. By living in the favela,
volunteers financially contribute to the
community every day.
What We Do
Brazil is a country that has a stark divide
between the rich and the poor. One of the main
barriers is that of access to quality education.
For that reason, our project offers educational
initiatives to both children and adults. Our
youngest learners attend the Preschool
Project, which implements an interdisciplinary
elementary curriculum. Our older children
attend public school during the day and come
to our school to receive supplemental
education. At night, we hold English as a
foreign language classes. All of these initiatives
are offered in the hope that, over time, children
and adults will develop a love of learning that
they will nurture throughout their lives. Project
Favela volunteers serve as mentors and
encourage students to study, to be curious,
and to think about their future—one that
includes a college degree and a career.
Who We Need
Project Favela relies on volunteers to teach the
classes and run the school. For this reason, we
need dedicated, creative, and independent
volunteers with a strong work ethic. We don't
require teaching or international experience,
although it is a plus! Additionally, experience
working with children is useful but not
essential. We need volunteers who are flexible
and resourceful, as daily life in the favela is not
easy.

A day in the life of a volunteer...
Volunteeringlifehereattheproject,isn'talwayseasy,thoughalwaysextremely
rewarding. Here Hannah Furby documents a usual day in the morning shift.
8:00 am
Wake Up
8:55 am
Walk to work
9:00am
School starts. My first hour is admin time for planning,
filing and writing.
10:00am
Our lovely but manic three year olds come up for their 45-
minute class. We sing number and alphabet songs with
them to start and then move on to an activity such as
practicing writing their names, creating shapes with play
dough or drawing a picture based on the book of the
week. Afterwards we spend fifteen minutes reading the
book of the week, highlighting key vocabulary and getting
the kids to practice their English. We finish up by giving
out stickers to the kids who behaved themselves and we
have a final singsong before taking the kids back down to
the crèche.
(My walk to work)

10:45am
Break time. We go back to the apartment for some lunch
before starting our afternoon classes.
12:00pm
The four year olds scramble up the stairs and go straight
into their classes. They're split into five groups according
to ability and have a different class each day (Maths,
Science, English, Vocab or Reading). The aim of the
classes is to communicate as much as possible in English
while keeping them engaged with different topics. After
the stations, we come together as a group to read the
book and practice some English phrases together.
1:00pm
The five year olds come in ready for their class. We start
with English vocab and reading the book before they go
into their stations, which have a similar structure to the
four year old classes. Discipline is an issue in this class as
well as the four year old class but we tend to have fewer
tears in this class!
2:00pm
This is the 6+ class, our smallest class of the day. Their
class follows the same structure of the five year old class
but we also focus on times tables as well as English
vocabulary for the first half of the class before moving
onto the stations. These kids are exceptionally sassy and
it can be quite difficult to gain their respect. However, they
´re very very funny and can be very charming once you get
to know them.
3:00pm
Home time! Our shift finishes at 3pm and the afternoon is
free to spend as we wish. This could mean running
errands, 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 you would like to get involved, find out more about what we do, or are keen to follow
our journey, please check out our website at www.projectfavela.org or alternatively
check out our social media on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Hannah Furby
AM Lead Teacher

External Learning!
Teaching and learning don't always have to happen in the classroom. With that
inmind,agroupofdedicatedvolunteersorganised aschooltripforourstudents
toJardimBotanico,theBotanicalGardenshereinRio.Indoingso,theywereable
to 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 the 21st
May Project Favela volunteers led a fieldtrip
to the Botanical Gardens here in Rio. Thanks to the
amazing efforts of volunteer Laura Seymus, who
raised the money for the trip, we were able to provide
15 of our students an activity packed, fun filled day.
Life in the favela is incredibly claustrophobic, its
narrow streets, open sewers and lack of green space,
provide very few places where children are able to
safely stretch their legs and play. Therefore, the
Botanical Gardens seemed like the perfect place to
take our students, and it was fantastic to see them
running around and playing games I recognised from
my time in the playground (all those years ago). It is
amazing how much we take for granted; even the
simplest of things like a safe place to play are a luxury
for many of the children living in Rocinha.
Organised and fundraised by our AM Volunteer
Laura Seymus. Written by our Project Coordinator
Charlie Cavaliero.

We started our adventure with a short bus ride from
Rocinha to the gardens, for some of the students even
this was venturing into the unknown, and they marvelled
as the winding streets of Rocinha faded into the
distance. Afterarriving,andhavingaquickconversation
with the gardens’ resident terrapins, we began our
activities.Westartedinthesensorialgarden,andtasked
the students with identifying plants such as mint, basil
and rosemary. We wanted the students to connect the
dots between what appears in their suco or on their
pizza and the plant itself. In the jungle of concrete,
asphalt and bricks that is Rocinha, this connection
between plant and food is pretty much non-existent.
We continued our journey through the cactus garden,
identifying different species of cacti along the way, then
to the waterfall, the lake and the orchid house. The
different colours and shapes of the orchids enthralled
many of the students, and it was great to see them
engaging with the posters and displays that were dotted
around. After leaving the orchid house we were lucky
enough to encounter a troop of rather boisterous
monkeys and the kids could barely contain their
excitement as the monkeys surrounded us.
Following an exciting morning we headed to our picnic
spot for lunch and enjoyed some homemade
sandwiches, a run around in the playground and more
monkeys!
After lunch we carried on walking through the gardens,
stoppingtotakesomegreatpicturesinfrontoffountains
and grand, tree lined, avenues, before arriving at the
spot we were to hold our own Project Favela ‘Olympic
Games’. In three teams we played all the classic ‘sports
day’ games; leap frog, three legged race, wheelbarrow
race, relays and assault courses. All the children gave it
their all, and were rewarded with their very own Project
Favela medal.
All in all, it was a great fieldtrip with the perfect mix of
learning opportunities and fun activities. Every student
came away with a big smile, rosy cheeks and muddy
knees, all excellent indictors that they enjoyed
themselves.
A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped
and 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!
We have had an amazing first year in the Preschool
Project! Our goal is to provide an innovative “head
start” to local preschoolers. Phase 1 of the
Preschool Project was launched in June 2015. The
week's curriculum revolves around “Circle Time”
andthatbookactsasaspringboardforsmallgroup
learning stations with related learning activities. In
thesestations,childrenreceivemuchneededsmall
group and one-on-one instruction in mathematics,
reading, English, science, and vocabulary.
How did the preschooler’s do? Let’s talk about
their math scores. Not only did we implement a
math curriculum with a scope and sequence, but
also an assessment system to progressively and
incrementally measure each child’s understanding
of early grade math. The quarterly math data for our
5 year old class as a whole, for example,
demonstrateshugegains!Whatdoesthismean? It
means that by the end of their school year, they will
be fully prepared to enter school and excel in
mathematics not only in their local school but even
if enrolled in a school in the US.
Where do we go from here? We are excited to
implement a new center with our preschoolers.
Engineering! UsingLegos,thechildrenwillpractice
problem solving skills, collaboration, and basic
engineering concepts! Our new iPads are installed
and the centers now have a digital component to
the lessons. The children are engaged,
enthusiastic, and excelling!

Our most exciting innovation is the upcoming pilot
program in preparation for the opening of Instituto
Sonhos Realizados. Coming in July 2016, our out-
of-school time kids will receive a STEM rich
curriculum. The STEM Solution will construct a
clear pathway for students to develop the 21st
century skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to
gain access to a university education and even a
career in STEM industries. Approximately 30
students ages 7-12 will attend classes either prior
to their attendance at the municipal school or after.
Within each 3 hour program, students will engage
in project-based learning and experiential
educational activities to advance their skills in
mathematics, science, engineering and
technology. We will continue teaching English and
mathematics 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 Makerspace
program and gives local youth an opportunity to
practice their engineering skills through project
based learning. When we launched in February
2016, we used our creativity and scant resources,
such as newspaper and cardboard, to build
bridges and rockets! It has been so successful we
have received donations of KNEX kits to take this
program to the next level!
How have we been able to achieve all this in one
year? The passion, dedication, and fearlessness of
our amazing staff of international volunteers, the
intense commitment to Project Favela in our Board
of Directors, and the ever-present encouragement
and drive of our founder and President.
For me personally, it is an
honour to be a small part of
Project Favela's mission!
“
”Yours Sincereley,
For more information, and to see exactly
what classes we offer, check out our
website at www.projectfavela.org

Opening the gateway to investment!
AswithanyNGOcharity,ProjectFavelareliesongrantsanddonationsfromkind
and 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 the
earliest days there was always a dream, a vision, an idea, and of course a need. Reaching this, achieving this, has been
an 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 as
a person for the better and a little for the worse(less hair, more wrinkles). Starting up a nonprofit, a school, being a social
entrepreneur is not how you see it in the romanticized Hollywood version. I have seen the best in the human race and
quite frankly some of the worst. Toughest job I have ever had, more lows than highs, however in the end by far the most
rewarding job. Now as we reach the end game, our ultimate goal, sitting on the verge of opening our third school I can
tell 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 things
differently, 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 moving
forward for the children in our community. This project, this work, the legacy and hard work of so many amazing past
volunteers and partners must go forward and continue to be the best that it can be on the ground here in Rio. To really
deliver results and create solutions, not just diagnose the problems. These children and their education is a fight that
we will never surrender to. We are, and always will be with respects to them and their education defiant, resolute, and
committed to the end.
“
Investment...

We have pushed hard, we have driven an aggressive agenda, we have held on to lofty expectations because if we had
not we would not have grown and evolved. We would not be in the position we are now to do the work we intend to
do and the work we have already done.
We have grown immensely operationally. Board of Directors, incorporation, in country coordinators and directors, lead
volunteers, social media directors, fundraising partners, and the current ground operation in Rocinha. Massive daily
undertaking with over 100 children per day passing through our doors. As we have evolved operationally we now must
evolve 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 the
communities most talent and gifted children. This school will have a mixed curriculum of Brazilian core academic
classes, intensive pre vestibular, and a state of the art intensive STEM curriculum. It will be a crazy beautiful mix of
professional Brazilian educators and international teaching volunteers. What we have planned will provide these
children with a private education far superior to most of the elite private schools in Rio, but for free. Our children upon
graduation 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 continue
to provide a one of a kind early childhood education to the children from the community as well. We will roll out our
current early childhood education program in a new and improved format. Enhanced, re engineered and improved for
even more amazing results. This program created by our Director of Education Angela Crawford will be called the Pre
School Project and will act as in incubator or nucleus for ISR while at the same time providing a free high quality early
childhood 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 we
will slowly move away from this in 2017 to a more traditional NGO funding model. We were thrilled to be granted
nonprofit status in the USA. This has and will open many doors to financial assistance and support. We are currently
and actively soliciting new partners and those that wish to invest in the school and the education and futures of our
children. Please help us continue our work, go to the next level, and make dreams realties through education and
mentoring.
Yours Sincerely,
”

Project Favela Newsletter

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