CENTRO DE REFERENCIA DA JUVENTUDE

Zoe Edel

On one of our last days in Rio De Janeiro, we walked 15 minutes from our hotel to an elevator that lead to one of the city’s favelas. In groups of 6, letting locals go in front of us, we took the elevator high up onto the hillside to a former government building. We walked around outside the building and looked at the two drastically different vistas on either side of the building. One side showed the beautiful beaches and surrounding high end neighborhoods, where our hotel was located. The other side was beautiful in a different way, this side of the building had another hilltop covered in the homes of local residents. The drastic difference in such close proximity reflects the long history Rio de Janerio holds.

After exploring some of the space behind the building we were welcomed into the CENTRO DE REFERENCIA DA JUVENTUDE, CRJ, program space. The space was lively and full of activity even at 10:30 in the morning. There was a boxing class, cosmetology lessons, a coding course, and an art studio all being used simultaneously. The space has colorful murals throughout the halls and a very caring staff dressed in bright yellow uniforms. I was reminded of an afterschool matters facility or a YMCA.

We were brought to this space by our tour guide Gabriel. The visit was unplanned and I am so grateful that he was able to show us this part of the community. Gabriel is such an amazing person with such an amazing story. The first day that we met him he pushed us to come up with the real reason for sugar loaf mountain’s name. He tolerated our huge group of gawky Americans that wouldn’t stop talking for a single second. The pride I saw on his face as he was showing us the CRJ afterschool programing space was inspiring. I think that it was clear that he would much rather show us this part of Rio than go to Christ the Redeemer for a 500th time. In our conversation that he facilitated in the CRJ space I thought that his story embodied perseverance and a commitment to educating non-cariocas on the real Rio. I haven’t been part of a lot of tour groups but I imagine that very few guides sit down, encourage everyone to face each other, and talk about inequities. Learning that Gabriel grew up in the Favela and was able to stay away from violence and drugs by spending time in the CRJ space highlighted the importance of giving kids somewhere to go and learn and develop life skills.