Mission Trip to Brazil
Educating in Faith in Latin America: The Intersections of Religious Education and Social Justice
Recife, 9-24 of July 2010
General Description
For the past 5 years Point of Encounter (POE) has developed programs of volunteerism and international cooperation aiming at fostering multiculturalism. Supporting partners in Brazil in several cities, the programs facilitated the development of social justice initiatives of the partnering agencies while offering opportunities for multicultural encounter for the POE volunteers.
This year, POE is continuing its support for Zoë Brazil, a Brazilian agency specializing in working with disenfranchised children through programs of education, health, counseling, sports and food. Through one of POE’s founders, Dr. Reginaldo P. Braga Jr., also an Assistant Professor of Christian Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta (ITC), students and faculty members of the ITC community and of ITC’s Society of Religion and Education have the opportunity to participate in four programs. (specially designed for the group).
These programs focus on conceptualizing, practicing and reflecting the role of religious education in facilitating social justice in Latin America, participants who are members of the Interdenominational Theological Center will be offered an initial two-week intensive program about Brazil’s culture, history, religion and language in Atlanta and then a two-week intensive program serving the community as well as lectures and workshops in Recife, from July 10th to 23rd.
Everyone who would like to take part in one of these projects, including past POE participants and people who have not yet been part of POE, is invited to apply for one of the four offered programs, according to the indicated needed specialties and skills. The strength of POE is in our joy in and dedication to sharing, learning and growing together in genuine relationship. From all our cultures we bring our whole, wonderfully diverse selves to this time shared with one another. It is not necessary to have a history of involvement in Christian Education to contribute deeply to these projects.
Participants are required to provide their own travel and personal expenses, programs will offer room and board.
Recife Summer 2010
This summer there are four programs available for participants in the Recife Summer 2010 learning trip.
1. Religious Education and Leadership Development Workshops in Recife Downtown.
This program aims at offering to pastoral, lay and seminarian leadership of greater Recife a leadership development program of 40 hours comprised of seminars and workshops. The goal is leadership formation focusing on the practice of religious education for social justice, using a variety of contemporary venues such as theater, art, music, dance and poetry. The program will be structured with ITC’s Faculty leading the seminar with student participation and students leading each of the explosive and highly practical workshops. Hours and descriptions are to be developed with faculty and workshop leaders. The participants of this program will also have to attend 2 workshops offered by local scholars on religious education, leadership formation and general culture of the region.
2. Religious Education and Economic Development of the Quilombola Community of Pesqueira The program aims at community organizing towards the creation of a local cooperative to foster economic alternatives for an independent community of former African slaves. The program participants will engage in the conceptualizing, practicing and reflecting of the intersection of religious education and social justice in the context of an afro-Brazilian impoverished community. The participants of this program will also have to attend 2 workshops offered by local scholars on religious education, economic development and general culture of the region.
3. Religious Education and Economic Development of the Native Brazilian Tribe of the Xukurus of Pesqueira The program aims at community organizing towards the creation of a local cooperative to foster economic alternatives for an independent community of native Brazilians. The program participants will engage in the conceptualizing, practicing and reflecting of the intersection of religious education and social justice in the context of a native Brazilian impoverished community. The participants of this program will also have to attend 2 workshops offered by local scholars on religious education, economic development and general culture of the region.
4. Religious Education and Community Development in Chã de Cruz The program aims at a) assisting in the development of a Religious Education curriculum at the unit of Chã de Cruz that serves 500 children, and b) assisting in the development of a pastoral care program linking children of the unit and their families. The program participants will engage in the conceptualizing, practicing and reflecting on the intersection of religious education and curriculum development and pastoral care in an impoverished community. The participants of this program will also have to attend 2 workshops offered by local scholars on religious education, pastoral care and general culture of the region.
Mission Trip to Brazil
BRAZIL MISSION TRIP 2010-This year from July 10 to July 24th, volunteers from South Presbyterian Church in Yonkers, students from the Interdenominational Theological Center and the team of Point of Encounter will serve, learn and dialogue with communities in Recife and Pesqueira in the state of Pernambuco. Pernambuco is one of the States in Brazilian northeast.
The capital is Recife, by the Atlantic Ocean; the second largest city is Olinda, in the metropolitan area of Recife. These two cities were occupied by the Dutch from 1630 to 1654; traces of the occupation are still visible in the architecture and costumes of both. The Dutch were attracted by the fertility of the soil, proper for the culture of sugar cane; until today, a good part of the coastal zone of Pernambuco is taken by cane plantations and sugar mills.
The State is clearly divided into three geographical zones:
1) The coastal area (known as "Zona da Mata", or zone of the forest: the area which was once covered by the Atlantic Forest), with a well defined wet season; it´s a strip of a few tens kilometers, where most of population is concentrated. The beach of Porto de Galinhas is in the small city of Ipojuca (not shown on the map), a few kilometers south of the city of Cabo.
See bellow a short video of our partner, ZOE serving over 500 children in Pernambuco.
2) The Agreste, a transition zone between the coast and the sertão; the climate is not so wet as in the coast, nor so dry as in the sertão. The city of Garanhuns, on the top of Borborema, which used to be famous for the unusually low temperatures, has recently gained a bit more of fame for being the birth city of President Lula. 3) The sertão, where rain is scarce and irregular, average temperatures are high, and the vegetation (called caatinga) is adapted to such tough conditions. Roughly speaking, the sertão is the area to the west of Arcoverde; Serra Talhada, Cabrobó and Salgueiro are important cities of the sertão. Petrolina, although also in the semi-arid zone, has benefited from the irrigation of the river São Francisco, and has become an important center of irrigated agriculture. The sertão of Pernambuco is known as a dangerous zone. The region is sparsely populated; official authorites have a limited presence; despite frequent police raids, plantations of marijuana are found often (consequence of the lack of alternatives of the local peasants). Buses go in convoys, usually with police scorting; avoid driving around this region."
See bellow for a short video on the state of Pernambuco and its capital Recife.
The team will work in Recife and Pesqueira another city about one hour west of Recife. See bellow short videos on Pesqueira and the two groups that the team will be serving: the Xukurus Tribe and the Quilombolas.
Our team will be working with a group of women of the Xukurus. See bellow a short video on the Xukurus of Pesqueira.
Another group with whom our team will be working is the Kilombolas of Pesqueira. See bellow a short video on this group.
See this other video on what ia a Quilombo (in Portuguese)
