Mirim-Brasil and the IFM-SEI during this brutal violation of Constitutional order in Honduras declare:

1. We strongly condemn the coup d’état perpetrated by military and political corrupted sectors in Honduras;

2. We firmly condemn the restrictions on the freedom of media, freedom of press, freedom of expression and unjust deprivation of liberty;

3. We demand respect for the physical integrity of our brothers and sisters belonging to social movements and citizens who are mobilized in Honduras in defence of the rule of law;

4. We support the call for the continuous peaceful resistance and civil disobedience against the criminal action – coup d’état;

5. We demand the immediate restoration of constitutional order and appropriate punishment of those responsible according the Honduran law.

29th June, 2009

Human beings have achieved many things, in many different fields; achievements of all nations and by people from all world regions.  In the fields of social care, healthcare and education, Cuba sets the standard not only in Latin America, but also in the USA and Europe.  The development seen in Cuba is the envy of many so-called developed countries, built on the principle of to each according to their needs not each according to their means.  Nevertheless, in our globalised world, no country is truly independent and Cuba’s people, especially its children and youth, need goods not produced in Cuba to live a happy and fulfilling life.  Cubans have been deprived of these products by the blockade, violating their rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the past year as well as in past decades the people of Cuba starved and survived on the bare minimum as a direct result of the blockade.

The blockade impacts on all people, regardless of their opinion of the government of Raúl and Fidel Castro, and effects children disproportionately.  We must unite to fight for the rights of all children in Cuba, just as we fight against poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as we fight against sexual abuse and paedophilia in Europe. Let’s fight against the blockade in Cuba, for the children and for their human rights!

All the governments of Latin America have voted in favor of ending the blockade against Cuba. During the first meeting of a Latin American president with US President Barak Obama, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva transmitted, on behalf of all Latin America governments, the same opinion.

The IFM-SEI must join this act of international solidarity!  The IFM-SEI’s International Committee meeting, gathered in Colombia from the 24^th to the 26^th April 2009, expresses its opposition to the blockade in Cuba and commits to spreading its opinion about this abuse of power, against the economic blockade, for the rights of Cuban children!

In a bid to celebrate the world’s myriad cultures, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and dozens of partner institutions today launched the World Digital Library, a Web site featuring cultural materials from libraries and archives worldwide, free of charge. 

The new Library, known as WDL, will function in seven languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish – and includes content in over 40 languages. 

James H. Billington, the United States Librarian of Congress, first proposed the creation of the online library to UNESCO in 2005, stressing that such a project could have the “salutary effect of bringing people together by celebrating the depth and uniqueness of different cultures in a single global undertaking.” 

At today’s launch at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the agency’s Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura hailed the WDL, noting that it “offers and invaluable platform for the free flow of information, for international solidarity, for the celebration of cultural diversity and for the building of inclusive knowledge societies.” 

Developed by a team from the Library of Congress, the project seeks to expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet; provide resources for educators, scholars and general audiences; and close the digital divide both within and between countries. 

Among the information available on the WLD are manuscripts, books, maps and rubbings of oracle bones spanning the range of Chinese history, from ancient to modern times, contributed by the National Library of China. 

Also on the site are Arabic scientific manuscripts from the National Library and Archives of Egypt and early photographs of Latin America courtesy of the National Library of Brazil.

Source: Unesco - www.unesco.org

Built on varied legal systems and cultural traditions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards—also called human rights—set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments.

They are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to every human being everywhere. With these rights comes the obligation on both governments and individuals not to infringe on the parallel rights of others. These standards are both interdependent and indivisible; we cannot ensure some rights without—or at the expense of—other rights.

A legally binding instrument

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too.

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children’s rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.

By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children’s rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.

Source: UNICEF – www.unicef.org

December 15th was a special date. Officially, Mirim-Brasil completed 18 years old of action. And to thank the support that we have been receiving, we gave plaques in memoriam and medals to people and organizations which helped us with our mission:

In memoriam
ANATILDE DE PAULA CRÊSPO – Mirim-Brasil
For your solidarity, present in part of a poem that you wrote against child labour (in Portuguese):

Meu dia eu passo sonhando com as estrelas do mar.
De noite durmo pesado, cansado de trabalhar.
De dia, um sonho abafado. De noite, nenhum sonhar.
Meu dia eu passo é inventando uma vida pra levar!

In memoriam
LOLO JIMÉNEZ – Club Los Cachorros (Peru)
For your dedication to happiness of children and youngsters around the world.

Por su dedicación a la felicidad de niños/niñas y jóvenes de todo el mundo.

In memoriam
NIZETE ARAUJO – Mirim-Brasil
Your presence will live forever in children, youngsters, adults’ hearts of Mirim-Brasil.

In memoriam
NILS-ERIK ARTMO – Unga Ornar (Sweden)
Vår eviga Jultomte, alltid solidarisk med barn och ungdomar i hela världen.

Our eternal Santa Claus who was ever solidarity with children and adolescents around the world.

In memoriam
TED BIRCH – Unga Ornar (Sweden)
För din kamp för barns och ungdomars rättigheter i hela världen.

For your fight for the children’s rights around the world.

Source:  Communication Coordination - Mirim-Brasil

2008 was a special year for Mirim-Brasil (The Child and Youth Reinvindication Movement). It was the year that Mirim-Brasil reached “adulthood.” It has been 18 years of action in defense and promotion of children and youth rights.

In 2008, Mirim also celebrated 18 years of the Brazilian Child and Adolescent Law. Unfortunately, until nowadays, many Brazilian children and youngsters do not know the law which places the child and youth populations as a central concern for society, and guides the creation of public policies in all governmental spheres.

In order to raise awareness about children and youth rights, the organization developed the project “ECA (Brazilian Child and Adolescent Law): Absolute Priority!”. During the last year, about 240 children and youngsters, all of them students of public schools in Recife, Brazil, attended workshops on children’s rights, access to justice, education, information, culture, sports and leisure.

The 18^th anniversary celebrations included a seminar: “Effectiveness of children’s rights around the globe” which took place in Recife, in past December. About 50 people from Mirim-Brasil as well as Latin American and European organizations attended the event to discuss international solidarity as a tool to improve children and youth lives, making their rights more effective. South-south cooperation and IFM-SEI internal democracy were other issues discussed.

“The international action requires that people respect and treat each other with equality, regardless of cultural differences. We strongly believe that this is necessary in order to make social change happen”, says one of IFM-SEI (International Falcon Movement - Socialist Educational International) Vice-Presidents in Latin America, Anna Maria Forsberg de Paula (Brazil).

The seminar also had the participation of IFM-SEI Vice-Presidents in Latin America, Anna Maria Forsberg de Paula and Marcela Careño (Chile), and the Secretary General of IFM-SEI, Tamsin Pearce. After the event, the international delegations visited some neighborhoods in Greater Recife where Mirim-Brasil has been developing projects with the cooperation of local entities.    

Source:  Communication Coordination - Mirim-Brasil

An architectural project was developed by Søren Witt, who received suggestions from the other members of the organization. When “Mirim-Brasil’s House” is ready, the place will have a multifunctional structure. There, it will be possible run administration activities, development of projects, meetings, actions and projects with children, adolescents, youth, and support community organizations.     

Do you believe in Mirim-Brasil’s goals? So, know how to help us!

Financial contribution:

Movimento Infanto-Juvenil de Reivindicação

Bank Account: Banco do Brasil | Agency: 1839-2 | Account: 1392-7

Donation of materials and/or voluntary work:

Come to Mirim-Brasil’s office, in Recife, Brazil

Source:  Communication Coordination - Mirim-Brasil

In 2008, Mirim-Brasil is reaching “adulthood.” It has been 18 years of action in defense and promotion of the rights of children and adolescents. In this path, it has built its history together with hundreds of people, families, and institutions, promoting education, culture, sport and access to justice, as well as strengthening civil society with local, national, and international action.

Mirim-Brasil’s life began at the end of the 1980s, when a group of friends - idealists and activists for democracy - became engaged in the discussions and meetings in Recife, Brazil, concerning the drafting of the Statute of the Child and Adolescent. With it approved on 13 July 1990, the group intensified its activities, founded the Children and Youth Revindication Movement, and from there worked with greater efficiency and effectiveness towards the construction of a world with justice, equality, and solidarity.

But why found an organization with this objective? Brazil had passed on October 1988 a new Constitution, bringing in its body two articles that modify the institutional approach towards children and adolescents. A mechanism to demand and follow the implementation of these policies was nevertheless necessary, since Brazil was at the time still living under the norms of the October 1979 Minors’ Code, which had a repressive and correctional character. The Minors’ Code was thrown out in 1990, when it was substituted for Law 8.069, the Statute of the Child and Adolescent, which places the child and youth populations as a central concern for society, and guides the creation of public policies in all governmental spheres.

As such Mirim-Brasil came into being at a very important historical moment, and established its mission of fighting for the rights of children and adolescents. It is by keeping the well-being of the population in mind and recognizing that the child and adolescent are an absolute priority that Mirim-Brasil maintains its activism, courage, perseverance, and hope - factors which make the day-to-day battles possible.

This is a story worth telling, knowing, and supporting!

Source:  Communication Coordination - Mirim-Brasil

Nadie libera a nadie, nadie se libera solo, los seres humanos se liberan en comunión (Paulo Freire)

Quando pensamos na construção de outro mundo, na transformação da ordem atual numa ordem mais justa, baseada em princípios de solidariedade e respeito às diversidades, sabemos que a educação é o principal caminho. Sim, a educação é a única forma pela qual poderemos realizar transformações verdadeiras e completas, porque é através dela que nos (re)formamos e mudamos o mundo a partir da nossa mudança. Nesse sentido, estamos numa grande e constante luta por uma educação de qualidade, apoiada em valores democráticos e não-mercadológicos.

No entanto, os processos formais de educação não são suficientes para a formação cidadã e cultural completa. As propostas de educação não-formal utilizam linguagem y formas de expressão distintas, mais flexíveis, que se adaptam às diversidades das pessoas y complementam a educação formal. Atividades que envolvem arte, esporte e outros meios alternativos de aprendizagem fazem parte das experiências do contexto não-formal que estimulam a criatividade e a produção de novas formas de conhecimento que contribuem para a formação e expressão de identidades culturais.

Colocar a educação não-formal em foco contribui para estimular o desenvolvimento da participação coletiva, criada a partir de processos dinâmicos para que seja cada vez mais transformadora; que seja uma inovação com plataforma sólida com o envolvimento de sujeitos que participam com base na sua cultura, num processo de educação que gera produção social inclusiva.

O rol de atuação dos movimentos e organizações, especialmente para os/as jovens, é de extrema relevância como parte da educação não-formal. Nesses espaços, eles e elas têm a oportunidade de desenvolver suas habilidades de trabalho em equipe e respeito à diversidade, bem como a formação cidadã com liderança. São espaços que propiciam, passo a passo, uma vivência que traz bases sólidas.
A educação não-formal tem o benefício de se adaptar às particularidades de grupos, regiões, dando uma liberdade essencial para a transformação individual y coletiva, favorecendo a diversidade e a riqueza humana.

O conceito de educação não-formal está na “construção” y tem diversas faces justamente por sua não-restrição, pelas muitas formas de apresentação e representação. Por isso está presente em documentos internacionais da ONU, UNESCO, OIT e EU, o que reforça o reconhecimento da sua importância para o desenvolvimento. Como um instrumento indispensável, devemos ter em conta sua utilização como meio transformador.

Portanto, devemos não apenas promover atividades de educação não-formal, colaborando diretamente com o processo de transformação social, justiça e inclusão, mas também lutar pelo reconhecimento formal dessa metodologia e suas vantagens como complemento à educação formal.

Sem dúvida que nessa luta não podemos esquecer que a América Latina uma das regiões que mais se estabeleceu em valores opressores. Além do conhecimento técnico e acadêmico, a educação deve contemplar um pensamento voltado ao desenvolvimento humano e social, adequando-se a natureza, crítico e contextualizado. Por isso é necessário entender a educação como um processo para além, como algo que liberta. A educação não é um processo unilateral, não é transmissão de informações, mas sim integração de conhecimentos.

No nosso continente a libertação e especialmente necessária. A América Latina necessita conhecer a si mesma como uma unidade, como um povo com suas histórias e culturas. Necessitamos de processos educacionais que nos façam perceber, que nos façam pensar sobre nós mesmos/mesmas, nossos problemas y formas de enfrentamento, pois, como dizia Paulo Freire: “Ninguém liberta ninguém, ninguém se liberta sozinho, os seres humanos se libertam em comunhão”.