As World Cup fever rages on, sadly Brazil are no longer in the running. However, that has not stopped the party continuing in London this Summer. Ohanna, a fantastic group of drummers and dancers from our Youth Centre in Brazil have been visiting the UK to raise money and awareness for the amazing project in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
With a heatwave sweeping the UK, they have bought the sunshine from South America. The visit has included a summer party in London at Westfield Stratford City. The evening included delicious Brazilian food, music and live performance of traditional Brazilian dancing!
As part of the tour, the group have also been heading to local schools in London and Yorkshire to run dancing workshops. They taught sessions on Angolan rhythm (Kilapanga) and learnt a dance from Mozambique. Kids were even able to try out a harvest dance that originates from Guinea. The children at the schools were able to chat with the group about Brazilian culture.
Other news at the youth centre:
Project football celebrates Mother’s Day
Celebrating mothers and daughters on Mother’s Day. This Mother’s Day, the centre held a football day event for women involved in Project Football. Big strides are being made at the centre to get girls involved with sport. Rugby was introduced to the centre a few years ago and grew in popularity with the girls at the centre.
Rugby takes off at the centre
Over the last few years, rugby has grown to be a popular sport with the kids at the centre. Introduced by a volunteer, the centre now plays regular matches and provides rugby training for young people in the local area. In July, the centre’s team took on a rival team in Diadema.
Why volunteer in Brazil?
Oyster have been working with the youth centre in Brazil for over 16 years. The centre is dedicated to local kids and provides amazing opportunities for them to learn new skills and to meet others. The centre has made a real positive impact over the years in the Diadema area and provides a safe environment for young people to hang out. From coaching a range of sports to promoting reading, the centre looks for a range of ways to enhance and improve the experience of the children that attend.
The centre was founded in 1993 and it has worked tirelessly to promote sport and to use it as a power for good. Not only does the centre coach children in the area, but also partners with local youth offender institutes to provide coaching for some of the areas most at risk youths.
How can you get involved?
Our youth centre is open all year round. It is incredibly flexible, and you can volunteer for a minimum of 2 weeks. We are looking for volunteers, who are over 18 and passionate about working with children and keen to do something worthwhile with their time abroad. If you have a skill that you want to teach, let us know. Past volunteers have taught everything from belly dancing to sushi making.
Check out our website or contact [email protected] for more details!
