{"id":36949,"date":"2017-06-27T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T11:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=36949"},"modified":"2017-06-29T08:54:01","modified_gmt":"2017-06-29T11:54:01","slug":"community-library-in-alemao-seeks-support-and-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=36949","title":{"rendered":"Community Library in Alem\u00e3o Seeks Support and Volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe always wish for the transformation of our\u00a0world, but the world will never be transformed if we don’t start in\u00a0the minds of youth<\/a>.\u201d These\u00a0are the words\u00a0that drive Paulo Cesar Avelino, a\u00a0pastor in the Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a> favela, to infuse his projects directed towards local youth development with great love and care. Paulo, now 55 years old, grew up in Alem\u00e3o himself, and remembers with great fondness the \u201cpeace and happiness\u201d he\u00a0experienced through an abundance of \u201cfree space to run around<\/a>.\u201d Nowadays, however, many residents in Alem\u00e3o end up staying home due to increased violence <\/a>and technology usage<\/a>. Often, Paulo\u00a0states, \u201cwe are hostages in our own homes<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Unfortunately, few activities and opportunities are currently provided to adolescents in Alem\u00e3o. “There is almost nothing to do,\u201d explains Paulo. This issue has arisen in part due to poor governmental investment. Six years ago, the community\u2019s former widely used soccer field and surrounding area–a space that had been heavily used for socializing and gathering–were converted by the city into a bike park for the Olympics, but it was mismanaged, and the half-finished park<\/a>\u00a0now lies unused.<\/p>\n

In stark contrast, Paulo\u00a0has personally invested much time and his limited resources into the development of three separate projects\u00a0to benefit youth in Alem\u00e3o. The first two, a small park and pool, after much usage and upkeep, eventually wore down beyond repair. But in 2010, the pastor moved onto the \u201cdream he had always had:\u201d to establish\u00a0a community library. \u201cI have always loved to read, and I have always been curious,\u201d says Paulo. In fact, as a child, Paulo\u00a0was so curious that he would look up each new word in his personal dictionary. Now, with a lifetime’s experience, the pastor understands how education and culture can positively impact the self-dignity and motivation of low-income youth. With help, they\u00a0can overcome barriers. \u201cThey are the product of a specific process that lacks teaching, conscience, and love<\/a>,\u201d Paulo says. His\u00a0solution? Put simply, \u201cthere is nothing better than knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But this is not to say that the project doesn\u2019t serve an entertainment role as well. When the library is open, young children can often be found playing with the various toys and games that the pastor has collected. Meanwhile, for young adults, Paulo\u00a0confirms that 50 Shades of Gray<\/em> has been frequently checked out. The pastor also identifies an important relationship between entertainment and the building of community. Paulo\u00a0vividly remembers when only one home in Alem\u00e3o owned a television, and how everyone would gather there to watch films as if it were a theater. Switching to present-day Rio de Janeiro, Paulo\u00a0cites the library in Manguinhos<\/a> as an example of the power of films in attracting large crowds. After Manguinhos\u2019 neighborhood library began projecting films, \u201cyouth began to go, and those who didn\u2019t want to see the movies ended up reading the books,\u201d resulting in even\u00a0higher turnout. This bringing together of members of the community to learn and enjoy each other\u2019s company is of critical importance in\u00a0current Brazilian consumer culture<\/a>. Speaking broadly, the pastor notes that \u201cpeople are more worried about having than being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Paulo<\/a>Looking forward, Paulo\u00a0hopes to add a cinematic projection room to Alem\u00e3o\u2019s community library, and has a 35 square-meter space to do so. Unfortunately, financial resources currently stand as the primary barrier to this installation. As such, donations are crucial, and the pastor has considered implementing a system of monthly contributions from anyone who can give. Of equal importance is Paulo’s\u00a0need for additional helpers to help him keep the library open. Despite debilitating spinal issues that require physical therapy throughout the week, Paulo manages to open the library most Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from around 9:00AM until the early afternoon, and then again for a shorter period starting at 5:00PM. However, the pastor knows that frequenting a library, like many other activities, is a routine that requires stability and availability on the part of the institution itself. To ensure that the library can stay open as much as possible and fulfill its role in fighting educational inequality, Paulo\u00a0is requesting help from volunteers who can take on shifts to open the library and support neighborhood kids.<\/p>\n

If you, or someone you know is able to offer books, financial resources, or time to the community library, please reach out to Paulo Avelino\u00a0via email<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas \u201cWe always wish for the transformation of our\u00a0world, but the world will never be transformed if we don’t start in\u00a0the minds of youth.\u201d These\u00a0are the words\u00a0that drive Paulo Cesar Avelino, a\u00a0pastor […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":37040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1271,1284,1503,329,1329],"tags":[756,258,364,32,397,1101,37,1019,259],"writer":[2393],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-36949","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-favelaqualities","8":"category-interviews-profiles","9":"category-opportunities-to-support-favelas","10":"category-solutions","11":"category-by-international-observers","12":"tag-community-organizing","13":"tag-community-solution","14":"tag-community-based-organization-cbo","15":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","16":"tag-education","17":"tag-library","18":"tag-north-zone","19":"tag-right-to-education","20":"tag-youth","21":"writer-evan-fantozzi"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36949"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=36949"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=36949"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=36949"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=36949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}