Social inequality and racism: the fight through education

Movimentos (Movements) is an organization of favela and peripheral youth that uses education, communication and art to combat violence, racism and inequalities. The organization operates in Complexo da Maré, Parque União, in Bonsucesso, North Zone of Rio.

The target audience is the favela, the periphery, the young black man, the lady, the mother, people from the LGBTQIA+ group, those who make up the plurality of what is the place of all these people.

Human rights activist and defender Jessica Couto, born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, North Zone of Rio, architecture and urbanism student and executive director of the organization, talks about this initiative.

“CESeC, in 2016, still based at Universidade Candido Mendes, offered a series of training on drug policies for a group of young activists from different favelas in the country. At the end of these training sessions, this group understood that it was necessary for the favelas and peripheries to be increasingly part of this debate. After all, we were targets of policies that were not thought of by us or for us. So this group decided to consolidate itself as a collective and with the help of CESeC, we were able to continue our training cycle. During our period of existence we stopped being a collective to become an organization, that’s why we use the feminine pronoun, because we stopped being the Collective to become the Organization”, explains Jessica.

Movements’ mission is to build fairer and more equal futures for favela and peripheral youth; to strengthen their protagonism and empower their capacity for transformation through art, communication and education.

The organization wants favela and marginalized youth to be read as the power that they are. And that they are part of the transformation they need and want. For this reason, Movements’ motto is: Nada Sobre Nós Nem Nós (‘Nothing About Us Nor Us’).

Movimentos Activities

Jéssica Couto says that the organization works with the themes that are central, such as anti-racism, human rights, war on drugs and others, through the activities that take place at Laje Cultural Cadu Barcelos, which are theater classes, photography, saraus, Slam, among other actions. They also carry out activities in schools, develop research, work on communication in networks with a young and informative perspective for the target audience; in addition to the work of incidence building paths to insert the favela in the legislative agendas. In addition to the work of network building, adding and building with other collectives and organizations from different favelas, seeking joint constructions and solutions. Finally, they give lectures, participate in congresses and provide training for partners.

Although the work is aimed at favela and marginalized youth, the actions are not exclusive. The place is open to all people. Movements believes that the favela is the greatest symbol of the meaning of community, a big family working and building together. Casa Movimentos (Home Movements) is a reflection of this community, of the residents who worked together to revitalize the alley where the institution is located.

Jéssica ends by saying that the challenges faced are gigantic, such as trying to stop a system that was built to target the favelas and peripheries. And the organization still has to fight for the guarantee of life above all, with a state that shoots first and asks questions later. “It is the dehumanization of our own”.

Despite the many difficulties, Jéssica recognizes that every small victory is a victory, such as having participated in the training process of more than 6 thousand young people, building memories, rescuing ancestry, politically guiding and placing the favelas and peripheries at the center of the debate.

The institution was founded by people from different favelas and peripheries of Rio de Janeiro. Today it is formed by 13 people.

You can help Movements by inviting them to activities and buildings, volunteering or in other ways that you can suggest and think of together.

Follow Movimentos (Movements) on Instagram and Facebook.

Listen to the Movicast Movimentos Podcast.

Want to know more?

Access the institution’s website by clicking here.