Capoeira teacher offers a new path, gives meaning to life and transforms reality of children and teenage residents of the Recantus neighborhood in Baixada Fluminense

Belford Roxo became a city on April 3, 1990, when State Law No. 1,640 was approved and the district was dismembered from Nova Iguaçu, in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro.

In 2022, it had approximately 484,000 inhabitants and a HDI of 0.684. This index, although classified as UN standards, is significantly below the state of Rio de Janeiro, whose HDI is 0.762, according to the last census of the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE, 2021 (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

In other words, the municipality that houses the German pharmacist Bayer and where the actor, singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Seu Jorge grew up is, unfortunately, still known for local violence. It is in this scenario of vulnerability that the Educar para Transformar (Educating to Transforming) project was created, with the objective of generating social impact on the community. 

The creator was Renato Rocha, a father and capoeira teacher. Graduated in gastronomy, Renato works in the hospital and tries to be an active citizen through his involvement with capoeira and community social work. The project recently turned 20, serving children, youth, adults and people with disabilities.

Coluna da Neuza, through Lupa do Bem, made a visit to the space where the initiative takes place and talked with the creator of the initiative and some students. Check it out:

Coluna da Neuza: Where did the idea of ​​creating the project come from? 

Teacher Lobo: The Educar para Transformar (Educate to Transform) came up after a robbery I suffered upon arriving from work, in front of a school… I was approached by a young man and, with the desire to never have to see a young man with a gun in his hand assaulting a worker again, I decided to start working with capoeira.

Coluna da Neuza: What is the purpose of the project? 

Teacher Lobo: I think when we work with society, it is for the sake of the love of our neighbor. And only with a good heart can we convey this to society. And how do I do it? Through sport.

Sport has this power to transform something bad into something good. But the main objective is to form citizens, to give them the basis so that one day they can be a capoeira master or even an academic in the area chosen by them.

Coluna da Neuza: How did you know capoeira? 

Teacher Lobo: There was a project at Escola Todos Pela Paz (School All for Peace), which worked on weekends. 

In addition to formal education, the project offered capoeira and theater classes, and had a band that worked annually on September 7th. This is how I met capoeira and then I decided to create Educar para Transformar.

Coluna da Neuza: How many students are served? 

Teacher Lobo: An average of 40 students. Classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 19h. 

Coluna da Neuza: How is the community involvement with the project? 

Teacher Lobo: The community has been embracing it through the dissemination of our work on social networks. And, when we hold events, lots of families attend. 

Coluna da Neuza: What is your biggest difficulty in the project? 

Teacher Lobo: The difficulties are many! One is that throughout this time we never had an external sponsorship. But I hope that one day it will happen.

Coluna da Neuza: Have you ever wanted to give up? 

Teacher Lobo: A lot. I’ve spent nights awake, crying, kneeling, wondering why I’m here and how I could take it ahead. But the years went by and I survived, I just don’t know how. I only know that it exists, that it is a tool, and that I am an instrument for good.

Coluna da Neuza: What is the relationship with the project Um Passo a Mais Capoeira (One More Step Capoeira) like? 

Teacher Lobo: Together we become a little stronger, more resistant. This partnership is heart, body and soul. Both projects have the same purpose: to form good citizens. Educar para Transformar bends sometimes, but it doesn’t break. For many reasons, such as this partnership and the help of students’ parents. 

Working with people is a challenge, but I feel very grateful to have chosen me and capoeira. 

“When I’m sad, it’s for them that I call, it’s for them that I ask for a visit and I ask for advice. I don’t see myself without these students. For me, the greatest victory is to have them in my life.”

Generating social impact on the community 

Renato remembers that he trained the students on the street. Beneferable João José de Souza, seeing the precarious situation, gave in the space where the classes take place today, a victory for the project. 

Despite all the challenges, the project also welcomes PwD students, such as 24 year old Bruno Mateus Santos da Silva, known in Capoeira as Tom. He has difficulty expressing himself verbally, but made a point of sharing that he goes to the project to train. 

At this point, he uses Renato to help him convey his message. The teacher encourages, “Tell her, what you do here,” then he replies: “Playing and other things. I like it a lot.” The nickname “Tom” came up in capoeira, because he really likes musicality.

Below are some students’ testimonials about the Educar para Transformar project

Maria Vitória, 16, says that participating in classes brought benefits to her mental health. “Before I joined the project, I had a lot of problems with anxiety. There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed.” 

“I started thinking I wouldn’t stay, but I came once and I continued. I can say that the project helped me a lot to socialize. I had a problem with talking to other people, making friends and even with wanting to keep living.” 

“I had a lot of problems at home and with my mother. Here we don’t only find capoeira, as the teacher himself said; we really find a family. Capoeira changed my perception of life because I didn’t understand what it was to live very well.” 

“Here I got to know people, make friends. And I believe that, besides changing my life perspective, it changed me as a human being. I believe that capoeira helped me a lot in this regard, especially in conversations with the master in the matter of having more patience to hear,sit and talk to other students.” 

Andrew de Souza Fernandes, 14, highlights the improvement in socialization. “I was very stressed and I didn’t like to talk to anyone. When I entered Capoeira, I started venting with some people, talking. The capoeira is good and I like it. The teacher changed my life, I got a family. And with the partnership of Um Passo a Mais Capoeira, this family was huge,” he explains. 

Marienny, 16, says the discipline of the sport was reflected in her school life. “The project was a light in my life. I was a very aggressive and isolated person, always in my own bubble, I didn’t talk to anyone. I was diagnosed very early with problems such as depression and anxiety and capoeira helped me a lot to get out of this state.” 

“The teacher is always supporting me, encouraging me to talk to people and it helped me a lot. And, unlike many people think, capoeira and fighting sports do not make the person more aggressive, it is totally the opposite.” 

“Sport and capoeira taught me respect and doctrine; I was a person who fought at school and would be kicked out. Today, I’m very different. Thank God and capoeira, right?” 

Victor Moreira, 20, points out that the connections created helped him control his feelings. “The project, for me, was my salvation. At the time nobody knew, but I was not well and I almost tried against my life; it was then that I met capoeira.” 

“At first, I thought it wasn’t for me, but then my master was encouraging me to attend classes. Over time, I realized that I liked it a lot, even with some difficulties. I got the help of my colleagues as well.” 

“I didn’t talk to anyone, I was very shy and anything stressed me. I wanted to hit everyone, break things. Thanks to my master, who also talked to me a few times, I could have motivation to continue. Today I can’t live without this project,” he concludes.

Learn how to help 

You can help the Educar para Transformar project by donating mats, training bags, gloves, leg weights and other materials. 

For more information, contact them at +55 (21) 9 6560-2921 and speak directly to teacher Lobo. 

To help financially, use the Pix [email protected]. 

Follow the project on Instagram and help by commenting and sharing!