Park School for Boys and Girls
In Latin America, there are many street education programs; there are also many schools for boys and girls who have left the street. But the Park School may be the only formal school for children who live on the street. It is a fascinating program, with higher levels of success than one might expect.
The school is part of the state system, and teachers’ salaries are paid by the Education Department, but this infrastructure is insufficient to teach or motivate a street child, because street children generally had horrible school experiences. The Park School integrates play into its curriculum, with dance, arts, circus, and crafts. Teachers strive to rescue and express children’s interior life.
In Brasilia, street children have largely given up glue sniffing; they now abuse a type of crack called “merla.” It is a powerful drug that inhibits mental and physical development, but the School has found that children quickly give up the drug when their self esteem improves. The image (whether in a photo or in a mirror) is often the motivator to give up drugs; children see themselves and say “I really look like that?”, then they try to become something different.
Because the Park School serves the most difficult street children, few return to their families. The most common result is that a street boy and a street girl fall in love, marry, and start a new family in one of the shantytowns that surround the city. For this reason, one of the School’s most important projects is income development: youth learn arts and crafts and these crafts are then sold in stores around the city. The profits from these sales are saved in a bank account, and when they graduate, students get the money -- generally enough to buy a house or start a small business. A research project found a significant fact: when children got money by robbing or begging, they spent it immediately on drugs. The money that they earned, they saved to finance a better future.
The arts program is excellent. In addition to learning painting and sculpture, children learn the history of art -- when Shine a light visited, the class had just returned from a Picasso exhibition.
The Park School is located in the city park because it is an urban space, allowing children to come and go easily, but it is also a green space where children can learn about nature.
Even though children sleep in the street, they attend school much more regularly than one might think. Every day, at least 50 children attend classes. Teachers recognize that progress will be slower than in a regular school, but almost all of the students learn to read and do math, an all leave the school with tools to improve their lives.
Children and youth from 9-24 years can attend the Park School.
Escola dos Meninos e Meninas do Parque
Parque
Brasília
Brasil
Contacto: The director is named Palmira, but she doesn’t have email. One can write her through Mariza Soares, a volunteer at the School, mvsoares@ibest.com.br
tel 9978 8247 o 411 4752
