Bela União Neighborhood and Community Development

Bela União Neighborhood and Community Development

The Bela União neighborhood is the largest neighborhood in Horizontina, Brazil and considered the most “marginalized”.  The neighborhood is stigmatized within the wider community and the region as a “difficult” neighborhood with little social cohesion and a strong culture of living off of government handouts. Global Communities is implementing the Sowing Futures in partnership with the John Deere Foundation to build the capacity of communities and local institutions to prioritize needs and mobilize resources that improve socio-economic conditions, particularly for at-risk youth in Horizontina, Brazil. When Global Communities first convened community members to participate in the program Sowing Futures in early 2015, many of those that participated in the community meetings desisted once they realized that the program’s objectives were to build local capacity and not to “give stuff” to the community.  It took some time to find a core group of community members committed to mobilizing community participation and working collectively to strengthen the community social fabric. As seen in the video, the community leaders have begun to strengthen community organization and action. Community leaders formed a neighborhood association, which enabled them to submit a youth capoeira (a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music) project to the Horizontina Community Council, which was approved and is now being carried out by the neighborhood association in partnership with the local primary school. Read more about the program here.