Guri Santa Marcelina (GSM) is a programme that takes place in the capital and in Greater São Paulo. Its mission is the musical education and socio-cultural inclusion of children and teenagers aged between 6 and 18, as well as that of their families. Since 2014, the Amácio Mazzaropi pole has been very warmly welcomed into the structure of Compassiva. This partnership goes far, and beyond…
Of the many musical projects and initiatives on offer, it is worth highlighting the unique perspective Guri has on musical education, which is based on the understanding that music is a right, just as Education and Culture should be.
Since the beginning, Guri’s methodology has been based on a marriage between social work and musical education, where the work’s social and musical dynamic follows a path of dialogue, empowerment and the integral protection of the child and teenager*.
Each social worker carries out various socio-educational activities with the children, teenagers and their families: work which seeks to contribute to and increase the potential of their development, through workshops and conversation circles.
In March, the theme was “Linguistic Prejudice”. Using the song “ABC do Sertão” (“ABC of the Sertão” – the Sertão is a region in Northern Brazil), by Luiz Gonzaga, we reflected on the concepts of prejudice and negative judgement of linguistic variations.
The goal was to leave the participants more aware and to shine a light on cultural diversity and its many forms of pronunciation. We also talked about traditions and manifestations of popular culture.
The activity took place with the choir classes, during both the morning and afternoon sessions. In both, discussion of personal experiences was provoked, involving migration, the culture of other regions of the country and the foundation of different neighbourhoods in the search for a home in São Paulo in the 20th century.
The conversation circles are a space in which the children and teenagers can discuss their dramas and fears, share their dreams and expectations, as well as getting stronger as a group in the search for solutions which affect their daily life and young identity.
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*Basically, the legal doctrine of integral protection permeates all that is proposed by the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA). Through this law (8.069/90), every child and teenager becomes a legal subject. Consequently, they receive absolute priority, meaning that it is the duty of the family, the State and of society in general to ensure their legal and social protection and to respect the particular condition of a person in development, amongst other things. It is also worth mentioning that it is the duty of the State to promote actions for the common good, such as creches, schools, parks, social assistance and health care, culture and leisure services, or what we call “Public Policy”. This is why it is so important to promote participation in the defining of these policies, and commitment to effectively fulfilling the rights of the child and adolescent.
Vinnícius Almeida is a social worker for Guri Santa Marcelina.
