The 2025 Vacation Course, “Growing Mind”, held by the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) at the Indigenous Cultural and Formation Centre (CCFI), stood out for its focus on formation and identity. This program, aimed at the different migrant and refugee indigenous peoples living in Boa Vista, offered an opportunity both to acquire new knowledge and to strengthen the traditional cultures of the participants, thus contributing to the development of their intellectual and socio-emotional autonomy in their current context.
Lucero, a volunteer humanitarian actor, says that the Vacation Course, entitled “Growing Mind”, involved 19 children between the ages of 6 and 12 living in the Jardim Floresta shelter, representing four indigenous peoples: Warao, E’ñepa, Yukpa and Akawaio.
The course focused on cognitive development through various activities. The first two days were dedicated to recognizing primary colors, teaching numbers, working with clay, developing motor skills and aligning and working with straight lines.
The following days of the course focused on working with the senses through music, recognizing animal sounds, creating musical instruments, working with the body accompanied by sounds, experimenting with touch, tasting food and developing the sense of sight through drawing exercises.
Lucero tells us that, through all these activities, the program sought to allow participants to connect with their cognitive and sensory development, with creativity and the construction of thought. In addition, the program has managed to create a space for the children to build personal security, develop teamwork, share and strengthen bonds between them.
Richard, a 12-year-old participant from the Akawaio people, was motivated by the training and told us that he would like to continue learning more because “he likes everything here.” He told us that he wants to do activities that help him develop as a person. While he plays, writes and reads, he doesn’t get bored and his mother is happier too. Richard told us that he enjoyed the course activities and appreciated the breaks and the food they tried during the exercises.
“What I liked most was the singing workshop, coloring and the activity book we used in the course,” Rusbelis, an 11-year-old participant from the Warao people, tells us. She confesses that at first she was a little afraid of having tasks she didn’t like, but eventually she felt good and happy about taking part in the course. She liked the activities and especially the drawing she painted with blue and red “which looks like a pink light bulb”.”The main goal of creating this vacation course was to promote the integral development of the children from the indigenous communities in the shelter, covering both cognitive and socio-emotional skills,” explains Oliver, a volunteer humanitarian actor.
Lucero, the course facilitator, added: “The content of the program focused on connecting with the children’s cognitive development, by working with themes that are relevant to the daily lives of indigenous peoples.”
Through sensory games, free expression and group work, the children’s cognitive development was promoted and their self-confidence was strengthened.
In addition, the course content was adapted according to the realities and needs of the indigenous communities, seeking to make the learning relevant to the children and respecting the cultural diversity of the peoples. The activities therefore made the most of traditional knowledge, using elements from nature and the surrounding area. For example, one of the course tasks consisted of establishing links with the Kingdoms of Nature and their care, by planting, watering and cleaning the medicinal garden located at CCFI. The course also promoted active participation through conversations, sharing knowledge and collaborative learning. At the same time, the language was adapted to take into account the different languages of the indigenous peoples.
One of the challenges faced in carrying out the course was that the content could be aligned with all the ages and backgrounds of the children taking part. To achieve this integration and inclusion, the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) sought to create the best activities and worked on adapting them for each participant group, making learning fun and enriching for everyone.
An active participant in the development of the “Growing Mind” workshop, the Pirilampos Institute, an implementing partner of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), contributed its experience in accompanying migrant children and adolescents, especially in the context of cultural integration and emotional support. The Institute collaborated in mobilizing and selecting the children to take part in the workshop, promoting a safe and welcoming environment. The Institute also made an indigenous teacher available to support the course, accompanying the interaction between the children. It is worth mentioning that the Fraternity Without Borders was another great ally in the development of the meeting, collaborating in the coordination of the Jardim Floresta refuge, where the participating indigenous children live.
Juliana Ramos Ribeiro Nascimento, coordinator of Indigenous Affairs at the Pirilampos Institute, says that working together with the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) enables the creation of workshops such as “Growing Mind”, which provides the opportunity to broaden the children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development, exploring their creative and problem-solving abilities in a playful and interactive way.
In addition, contact with nature and group relationships strengthen the sense of belonging and identity, which are essential in a context of forced migration. It also highlights that the joint effort of both institutions provides a platform to rescue the self-esteem of these children, allowing them to connect with their cultural roots and, at the same time, adapt to the new environment in a healthier and more positive way.
The focus on knowledge of colors, numbers, senses, music and nature promoted multidisciplinary learning that responded to the children’s individual needs, respecting their culture and strengthening their social integration. The active participation of the children and the positive comments of the teacher in charge, demonstrate the significant impact of the project, which contributes directly to the well-being and education of indigenous children in vulnerable situations.
Alberto Conejero, an indigenous E’ñepa teacher from the Pirilampos Institute, who is a migrant and resident of a shelter in Boa Vista, says that the workshop was carried out very satisfactorily, with adequate planning and duration, which resulted in an organized and safe environment for the participation and work of both the facilitators and the participants. “A dynamic and recreational space was created that was conducive to learning and reflection.” He tells us that the participating children were very happy at the end of the course and excited to continue with other activities and training. The teacher concludes that he is grateful to continue learning in his role as a teacher and is also willing to support future educational proposals with the Pirilampos Institute and the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FMHI).
This type of activity is fundamental for the children’s cognitive and social development, as the workshop experience is not limited to the duration of the course, but has an impact on their lives.
“This training promotes a culture of peace, allowing, in the short term, an improvement in the quality of coexistence between peoples and generations living in the same indigenous shelter,” says Aajhmaná, from the Coordination of the Roraima Humanitarian Mission, who goes on to say: “In the long term, socialization and the development of activities in Portuguese give the children greater confidence and resilience, facilitating their integration and socialization in school and in Brazilian society.” As an example, the humanitarian worker tells us that recently, “one of the young people who took part in a Portuguese course at CCFI in the second half of 2024 got a job because, in her words, ‘she felt more confident to express herself and look for a job.’ Once again, this demonstrates the great role of education in valuing and strengthening indigenous cultures, promoting their practices, training, expression and autonomy,” she emphasizes.
