The Carioca Fund held a reception in Rio de Janeiro in honor of the organizations selected by the First Call for Project Proposals. These civil society organizations (CSOs) train youth between the ages of 14-24 in technical and vocational programs so they can be competitive in Rio de Janeiro’s expanding job market. On this occasion the talent of young people who participated in the contest “My Photographed Rio” was also celebrated.
These are the three grantees selected in the First Call for Proposals:
– Obra Social da Paróquia de Santa Cruz de Copacabana, located in Ladeira dos Tabajaras, with the project Bem Servir (Serving Well). Youth 17-24 will be trained in the vocational skills of the hospitality industry, especially for 3-star hotels in the neighborhood of Copacabana, where the demand for trained workers is growing.
– CEACA-Vila, located in Morro dos Macacos, Vila Isabel, with the project Conquistando o Futuro (Winning the Future). Youth will be trained in in computer re-building and maintenance, as well as in “help-desk” skills, training them to become help desk operators and machine operators in graphics.
– Instituto Esperançar, with the project Curso de Formação em Artífices da Saúde (Training in Maintenance of Basic Medical Equipment) located in Complexo da Penha and Alemão. The project will train youth in medical instruments maintenance, a skill in high demand in Rio’s hospitals. Theoretical and practical classes will be held at the headquarters of the INCA (National Institute of Cancer).
The first Call for Project Proposals resulted in 15 submissions from civil society organizations. Of these, six finalists were selected by the team of analysts, and site visits were made. Three of the organizations, all working in communities where the Peace Police Units have been established, were selected as grantees.
With the support of LCM Commodities all projects have a one-year time line with the objective of preparing local underserved youth for the expanding job market in Rio de Janeiro.
Besides that, the event also celebrated the photo contest “My Photographed Rio” released on July 23, 2011, in which 34 young photographers from five recently pacified communities of Rio de Janeiro participated. This activity was supported by LCM Commodities and was coordinated by Charles Siqueira and the photographers Gabriel Paiva and Mauricio Hora, who work in these communities.
The participants were divided into two groups (14-17 and 18-24 years at age) and had access to semiprofessional cameras after a period of two weeks to explore everyday life. Through the lens they could register feelings and perceptions about their communities and their city. The winners were selected by a jury of local, well-known photographers. The top two among the 18-24 group received a trip to New York and a camera. The top two in the younger group received a photography course at Image Atelier and a camera.
All the photographs will be organized in a book by LCM to be distributed among their clients. Additionally, an itinerant exhibition will take place in Rio de Janeiro and a website will be created to show the competition and to create an image database and permanent forum for exchange among the young participants.
