Olá! Bem-vindo.

cmap has commenced a new venture with the set up of a programme with ACER an NGO in Eldorado a suburb of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Volunteer Arts Educators Rhea McAteer and Rachel Silver together with cmap Director Lynn Weddle arrived in Eldorado in April. We were welcomed by lots of smiling children, sounds of caperia lessons, renditions of Adele, the monsoon rain and the most friendly, welcoming staff team.

We will be working with the 3 programmes that ACER runs: Education and Culture, Social Education and the Adolescents programme.

We have visited the communities were ACER work as well as setting up the arts projects. Rachel will be working across ACER’s programme to create three mosaics. One within the community centre and two at local football pitches. Children, young people and the local community with be involved in developing the designs for the large scale art works as well as the process of making them.

Rhea will be working with two groups from the Social Education team exploring self-identity through music, drama and visual art. As well as running a monthly art session for the children of families from the community who meet monthly to discuss their needs. Rhea is also planning to set up four weekly yoga class for all at ACER. Watch this space for more updates!

As well as developing the programme of arts workshops for a variety of groups here at ACER we have been involved in an international sharing project titled ‘Driving Inspiration’ inspired by the Paralympic games.

A group of young people were guided by oscar nominated Animator Gary Schwartz, who is based in the USA and producer Vicky Hope-Walker based in the UK, via a specifically designed live link up site. The large scale project is involving over 10 groups of young people from across the globe, each group will produce a 1 minute animated piece taking the Paralympic torch through their country.

The group were guided through a creative process of considering what Courage, Inspiration, Determination and Equality, the four core Paralympic values, mean to them.

We then explored ideas of how to represent Brazil. Our animation piece is going to be a guided tour of Brazil by a character who is a famous young Brazilian football player that has the flames of the Paralympic torch for hair. We have ideas of our character playing football with the animals in the rainforest, surfing on Guaruja beach in Sao Paulo and giving the Jesus Christ statue in Rio De Jarnio a ‘high five’. All along the way our character is being carious and determined to carry the Paralympic torch to celebrate his country.

All of the ideas, sketching, storyboards and photographic imagery created by the group will be shared with a class of Year 6 pupils from Chalfont school in the UK in June, who will construct the animation and share it via an online link up ahead of the live screening in August.

“I am lucky I am taking part in this project as I am putting together two things I like: art and football. I have also got to meet new people.”
Yago, 15

Thank you Mauro, Ana, Yago, Italo and Raquel for your amazing input to cmap’s first project with ACER. It was a a pleasure to work with you.

Thank you ACER. We are extremely honored to be working with you all and your truly inspiring organisation. May this be the start of a long, fruitful and most importantly creative partnership.

Muito obrigado.