6/17/09 Report by Tatiane Andrade

The Day of Play

Every year the Alliance for Childhood in Brazil supports and funds the “Day of Play.” For the last 3 years I have participated in bringing about the Play Day in the south area of Sao Paulo. This year my experience was a bit different, not of the organization or the workshops that were offered, but in how I saw this world. Everything has changed since I’ve been in contact with a family whose situation is quite precarious, a family with six children whose eyes reflect a sea of dried roses.

Through Aramitan’s activities and part of the Preparacao Jovem program, work camps took place at the family‘s house, where we tried to build for these children (who live in extreme poverty, like millions in our country) a decent home to live in. We borrowed a car and had the opportunity to drive these curious children, juice and biscuits in hand, from Embu-Guaçu, the children’s hometown, to Jardim Vera Cruz, where the Monte-Azul nucleus Horizonte Azul was offering the Day of Play. Here we stayed for 3 and a half hours doing activities such as modeling clay, constructing kites, creating necklaces, dreamcatchers, and “Gira-gira” flags to be used for a circus performance. We also saw a wonderful theatre play with puppets (the story of Saint Elizabeth offered by the educators at Monte Azul).

I believe this tour has been quite remarkable for the children: leaving home and going to a place which wasn’t their school, interacting with other children, doing activities for which they didn’t need money, playing free and happy in an environment which is very different then their own. These are realities where much more light is needed.

We returned home with the kids, had lunch, and continued playing throughout the afternoon with the toys they had built on this Day of Play.

Tatiane Andrade


(I very much like this song World of Youth. The words are:

Worlds of Youth, Young World

The world is yours
Hey World of Youth
Young world, World of Youth
Free to live

How can man live and forget about the future?
knowing from what he plants today the young people will harvest the fruits.
Seek for power, fame, profit, and dirty money. It’s useless.
Wisdom is much better than all that. Our study.
For us to change the world it’s just necessary to be united. It is not asking for too much.
Just share a little bit, respect each other, love everyone, be fair.
In memory of childhood, the children’s innocence, and the hope.
It is time for change, confidence.

World of Youth ... [repeats the first verse]

Man, with little faith claim about this and that
Feel alone but never avoid making enemies.
Give an example to your children, This is live.
Teach them not to confront, but avoid conflicts.
Everyone has a bit of a hero, a bit of coward within himself
To apologize, it is needed a lot of courage
It’s never too late
Who has character and strength of will plays his part
Is not a coward.

World of Youth ... [repeat]

Who does not want to live the freedom of a Youth?
Who does not want to live without worrying about death?
So do not ignore
The world cries when it rains
Only you don’t see it
And insist in loosing your Youth
It is inside of you - your virtue is to be able to choose.
Then change through good, don’t be rude.
Change for good
Change

Hey World of Youth ... [repeat]

The world is already coming
Free to live ...)