"Build up a free, fair and solidary society; Stop with poverty and exclusion, reducing social unequalities; To promote the welfare for all people, with no predjudice on origin, race, genre, colour, age and no others…."
Excerpt on Brazilian Constituition.

They are on big cities streets, in general in small groups. Nobody knows exactly how many are them. Common reaction to them is fear. We see these streetkids always walking. As they were being searching for tha way back to become again just simple children.

In Brazil there´s a traditional children song: If this street was mine, I command to put over it little shinny stones, to my love pass on…" From this song come the name of the project "If this Street was Mine". With a lot of art, this project opened a way for many brazilian children in streets. "If this Street was Mine" was born on 1992, when Betinho, a well-known brazilian social activist, decided to organize some kind of movement to help these children.

Despite being a haemophylic and physically fragile, Betinho had a strong force to make common people and politician to become envolved on social trouble and begin to act. His first action was to organize a great game with some brazilian soccer stars and, besides this, the recording and selling of a record with great brazilian musicians, with the name "If this Street was Mine".

Project first goals were, due on his actual coordinator, the teacher César Marques: to know the streetchildren and how they live; to create a new way to work with them; and make people to care and contribute to change their lives. From this, street teachers begun to work with streetchildren groups of boys and girls on the richest neighbourhoods in the city, as Copacabana and Leblon. Later, there were the first house where children could eat, sleep and wash their clothes. On 94, was opened the first Helping House, where youngsters and children could live if they want.

Actually "If this Street was Mine" attends around 1.500 children. For the work with them, it uses mostly the circus art. "Circus needs teamwork, continued effort and concentration and at some time is joyful" talks César. Besides that, trained children can teach easily other children, envolving them easily.

This happened. On 96, some of the first children inside the project went to the National Circus School, a public school to graduate circus professionals. When they finishec, become teachers for new children. "They talked the same language of streetkids. It leads to a great work, including a circus troup that has gone even to abroad", commemorates César. Step by step, five new working nucleous were opened on Baixada, on the poorest áreas in the city. Finnally, on 2002, with support of international organization Terre des Hommes, was opened the Baixada Circus School.

Children linked to the project has different backgrounds. "Some of them has families, some not, some live in the streets with the family", explains César. Drugs abuse is common. The teacher tells the same that other socialworkers with risk-situation communities tell: alcohol, the legalized drug, is today the biggest problem on streetchildren and poor families lives.

He says that there are a lot of circunstances on streetchildren´ addiction. Social integration inside the group, forces to dare abandonment, family rupture, hunger and loneliness are some of them. Inside the project, they try to deal with drug question face-to-face. It´s not possible to simply take it off. But is possible to talk and show, for instance, that it brings the cops inside the work that is being tried to be done.

César has another strategy too, the "shaft-and-I can" game. Each children marks how many days stayed clean ("I can") and when used drugs again (the "shaft"). Another way is to talk about the sensation of pleasure that children has on the circus and group work, that sometimes is better than the drug sensation.

There are big difficulties, including that drug-dealing scene means to many children a work possibility, money to buy clothes, tennis. "Sometimes one of this kids gets 25 bucks a day", points César.

Great part of teachers work in the project is to change the story that children brings with them: "Tomorrow I can be dead", they say. To break this, teachers try to make them deal with life as alcoholics on recuperation: live the present, each day, once by once. Another problem is to win the fear that chidren feel to become envolved with someone or something and become rejected in the future. Finnaly, for most of them is necessary to readapt themselves to convivence, to rules, as the necessary to live inside the helping houses. Most of the children has bad references with this kind of houses: kidnapping, loss of personal papers. "Usually the State only appears on two ways", accuses Cesar. "It gathers the children or brings the cops."

"Theres a great intolerance between people, today", he says. "Citizen says: 'I pay taxes, I want the city cleaned'." To break this intolerance, Cesar suggests a different way: with some precaution, try the contact. "When possible, you can try to become a reference for some children on your street." It is necessary just to have courage to break the fear cycle. As César tells, other people´fear is felt by abandonned children on two ways. At one hand is something that feeds inside power sensation - "I kill". On the other, that has no value at all - "I kill myself". His proposal: "A street kid comes, asks for food or some money. Stablish a relationship. Give him more, give some human contact."

Rafael´s story is a sample as fear and intolerance can bring strange consequences. Rafael is a streetkid. He comes into a bakery to ask for a coffe. The waitress gave it to him. He asked for some more sugar, but the woman begun to complain: "these dirty kids, never satisfied", etc. So, Rafael become furious and threw a stone on the bakery. He must to leave running, with bakery bodyguards on his knees, until the house of the project, where explained to Cesar: "I just wanted more sugar, I would pay for the coffee…". That´s why César suggests: "We need to hear… Come in contact."

Today, besides to solve needs as pedagógical material and food, great goal on "If this Street was Mine" is to create new "Young Leaders". It means to have new ex-streetchildren working as teachers for others. Due on it the project now searches for financial resources to build up a Formation Center in Art-Education, where they could complete also what is offered by public regular school. "In general we hate school", jokes Cesar. "It´s done to leave it".

If this school was mine...

To know more:
www.seessaruafosseminha.org.br
Donations, informations:
César Marques - sessarua@visualnet.com.br

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