| WHAT we are |
| a bit on our views & ways |
| what we are doing now |
| what we need for doing it better |
| who we are (people) |
| partners & supporters |
| where we are (directions) |
| this in Portuguese – isto em português |
updated June 2003
WITH SOME JANUARY 2004 UPDATING
a 2001 moment at Tropis (Sao Paulo)
WHAT WE ARE (& since when)
At first sight, TROPIS is just a meeting point and an alternative education resource for young people (resembling more a house than a school). But… …we see it as more than that: we say it is a “mill of ideas and a laboratory of practices” working towards the ethical and cultural renewal of the Brazilian society in particular, and of Human society in general.
It started in March 1993 with informal classes and workshops offered by the writer Ralf Rickli, at his home, to youths who face economical difficulties in their search for development. These sessions were soon called OCAs – acronym for Oficinas de Conhecimento & Artes (Knowledge & Arts Workshops) – while OCA is also HOUSE in the Brazilian Indian Tupi language.
As we knew the needs are much greater than we alone will ever be able to meet, we deliberately focused on those youths who were themselves likely to become multiplicators of our approach – or social evolution agents in one or another way. Today most initiatives are lead by the first youths themselves, caring about new ones who steadily ‘sprout’ from those same conditions.
In 1998 an association has been formalized (ATDCS – Portuguese for “Tropis Association for Cultural and Social Development) with the aims of common fund-raising, public relations and general coordination of the relatively autonomous initiatives that gather under the name Tropis.
After 10 years working in the south outskirts of Sao Paulo, we took the radical step of moving as a whole to the outskirts of Sao Vicente, within the 1,5 million inhabitants aglomeration around the harbour city of Santos (reasons and plans further down).
Tropis has so far worked almost in a pilot scale; its direct quantitative impact was not yet big. However, success rates (%) are extremely high – and more: its innovating practices and concepts have conquered visibility, respect and voice in the Third Sector scene in Sao Paulo and abroad.
We can say that solid qualitative foundations are the starting point in our strategy towards quantitative goals – which should be always met eco-socially, more through multiplication than through one institution’s individual growth.
- social-cultural: human beings with human beings, as individuals or as groups;
- psychological: the different Ideas and different inner forces and structures in the human being;
- ecological: human beings and the nature of the Earth;
- cosmological: human beings and the Universe and its meanings.
This is not an arbitrary choice: in fact, all other possible social goals can only be properly met if we first – and for the first time – learn how to live with the different without any oppressive and/or suppressive attitudes. Thus we are speaking of investing in the indispensable basis for any kind of social development.
We realised also that young people are the key for that, because…
GET TO KNOW A BIT MORE ABOUT TROPIS’ PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS ON PAGE
SPECIFIC ACTION
It is directed to 13-22 years-old youths, mostly (not exclusively) economically deterred and from the neighbourhoods and slums around Tropis’ house, and aims centrally at:
- contributing to their whole human development (ethical, professional, cultural etc.) – in other words, towards what we call Universal Citizenship*;
- helping them to find paths into professional life which do not hinder them from exploring and developing the full extension of their potentials;
- cultivating hope, self-esteem and enchantment before life as the most powerful and possibly only effective resource against the involvement with drugs and violence.
*Universal Citizenshipmust include:• self-valorization through becoming aware of one’s right and capacity to take part in the human cultural heritage (= the whole of human heritage); • world-conscious, world-participative and locally active responsibility concerning environment, society, parenthood and general ethics.
WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW
The turn 2002-2003 brought us mighty, sometimes hard transformations (e.g. the original Cyber Café had all of its equipment, hardware and software, stolen in one night).
Moving to S.Vicente opened a new and hopeful time – however not easy:
we rented a very degraded 400 m2 compound, formely a restaurant and 5 small houses or apartments.Reforming it with our own hands (youths’ and coordinator’s) is taking a whole 4 months of 2003. But we are getting there:
CASA DE CULTURA TROPIS
(Tropis Culture House)
in Sao Vicente
is being innaugurated on the
05 July 2003
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS HOUSE?
To begin with, the same we already offered in S.Paulo – adapted whenever necessary.
The house contains four sectors:
- Espaço Jovem Tropis (Tropis Youth Space)
- KNOWLEDGE AND ARTS WORKSHOPS
(OFICINAS DE CONHECIMENTO & ARTES – OCAs)
in theatre, music, communication, drawing, general culture etc.- “SARAUS”
weekly open evenings of arts & human sharing- CYBER CAFÉ
access to computers and Internet aiming at culture, education
and citizenship; integrated to Rede Jovem (seat in Rio de Janeiro)- SMALL ATELIER
with painting, drawing and sculpture materials- PROVISORIO PERMANENTE
contemporary brazilian song group- Tropis Ponto de Estudos (Tropis studies place)
- TROPIS LIBRARY (serving also the Youth Space)
school books, reference books, literature and university level books;
records, periodicals, photo archive- STUDIES PLACE
meetings, debates and production of literature
within the fields related to Tropis’ proposals- ONE SEMESTER COURSES
for educators and for youths; waiting for supporter’s confirmation.
Further information coming soon!- Tropis Association offices (private area)
- communication sector (including tropis.org domain)
- administration
- Tropis Republic (private area)
- community kitchen and dinning room
- community children room
- 4 flats for resident staff
(essential in Co-Living Education methodology)
THE FUTURE TROPIS VILLAGE
In the second half of 2003 we intend to make the first steps towards the future Tropis Village in the Praia Grande municipality (18 Km from S.Vicente’s house), in partnership with SACAR (St.Raphael’s Society of Love to the Child – Santos) and VNB (Verein niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen – Union of Lower Saxony Educational Inititives – Germany).
Tropis Village will be the seat of the Oca Mundi Projects, which will be further exposed soon. They are going to involve youths’ and educators’ courses and other activities in such areas as Universal Citizenship, Sustainability, Eco-Tourism, Eco-Building, Cooperative Organization, Education Re-enchantment etc.
At longer term all this aims at the stablishment of an Open University for the Re-Enchantment of Education and Universal Co-Living, to be developed with a wide group of partners. If you feel interested in this project, DO GET IN TOUCH.
OTHER THINGS WE HAVE ALREADY DONE
• Course “Community Communication with stress on Radio” (supported by official Capacitacao Solidaria programme) • project development and initial execution of Monte Azul’s Assocition Assisted Freedom Programme (for sentenced youths) • Cyber Café in S.Paulo with suppot from Rede Jovem / Comunitas (Rio) •
•10 years of Oficinas de Conhecimento & Artes (Knowledge & Arts Workshops) in S.Paulo • medical room (anthroposophic approach) • art-therapy atelier • “Tropis Republics” in S.Paulo and Peruibe (intensive co-living education and counselling for youths •
• Submundo Theatre Group: plays Esquina Brasil (Brazil Corner) and 45 Minutos de Amor (45 Minutes of Love) (shown) and Aos Homens Honestos (To the Honest Men) (created in group) • Provisorio Permanente band concerts • Weekly “saraus” (informal art meetings) • the Reencantamento do Mundo (World Re-Enchantment) campaign: shows, culture fairs, talks, public space recuperation meetings •
• youths’ mobilization in schools for the Aprendiz ComGas project• various activities together with Instituto Sou da Paz • youths presence in national scale events (Curitiba Music Workshops, Adolescents National Meetings (ENAs) in Porto Alegre and Salvador, Faxinal do Ceu PR etc.) • presence in Third Sector events and fairs (2nd stand in public preference among 115 institutions at ExpoSolidaria 2002 in Sao Paulo) •
WHAT WE NEED FOR DOING IT BETTER
WHY should someone support an institution like Tropis?
If this is a question for you, talk to us. We will be glad to clarify any doubts.
If that is already clear to you… there are 4 kinds of contributions that van help us:
(1) money; (2) services; (3) voluntary work; (4) things.
A bit more about each case:
(1) money: No matter what some may say, money still is the most practical way of giving help to anything: it enables the institution to acquire the goods or services it really needs – instead of, lets say, having to replace a table’s leg with a pile of catalogues… — Presently money is most needed in the following fronts:
- EXCEPTIONAL EXPENSES WITH MOVING AND HOUSE REFORM: moving to S.Vicente will have excellent consequences in the middle-long run – but for the moment it lowered our reseves to a dangerous level. This includes restoring the donated computers for our new Cyber Café. (Notice that costs are being kept extremely low, as most reform work is being done by the youths themselves).
- INSTITUTIONAL MAINTENANCE: the general attitude before this item is paradoxical: people want to support specific projects, and no one wants to support the basic institution maintenance. How then can institutions exist to put the projects in practice – especially when they sprout within the lower economic layers of society? In a country like Brazil there is definitely no surplus in those layers of society, for any kind of self-financed maintenance.
Of course we can discuss this point further, but… while we discuss, please help us to go on existing, with your smaller or bigger regular contributions! Be sure it will make a meaningful difference!
(2) services – this is a local-level way of contributing. If you want to see details, check the Portuguese version of this page, or ask us.
(3) volunteers with know-how
– different than apprentices. – Volunteers sometimes become effective members of staff, later on.
- library and archives organization
- accountancy and administrative organization
- fund-raising
- resources management (business and finances)
- computer hardware and networking, passing know-how on to youths
- attending at the library and/or Cyber Café
- volunteers for teaching: people who are in love with some field of knowledge (practical, theoretical or artistic), and who love to share that – in a living, informal yet not superficial way!
Tropis reserves the right only to accept volunteers whose contributions are in accordance with its needs, principles, methods, contents and aims.
(4) things: mostly computer, office, art, building and house materials. Talk to us.
AS A COUNTERPART, WE ARE READY TO PUBLICISE YOUR OR YOUR COMPANY’S NAME IN OUR MATERIALS, INTERNET SITES ETC.
How to contribute?
Get in touch with Ralf Rickli, comunic@tropis.org , +55 13 3464-6397
or pay directly in one of the following accounts:
-
Europe:
Partnerschaft Mirantao / Mantiqueira e.V. (you MUST mention: for Tropis).
Konto (account) 0115010301 – Raiffeisenbank Strücklingen BLZ 28069052 – Germany -
Brazil:
Associacao Tropis. Account 1591-1.
BRADESCO, agency 2841-0
WHO WE ARE (people)
ATDCS Board 2002-04:
- Dr Geraldo Gilberto Procopio de Castro Valle, med.doctor, PRESIDENT
- Ralf Rickli, educator and writer, SECRETARY
- Douglas Alcantara Alencar, social educator, BURSAR
Extended Executive Group in alphabetic order
(for Projeto OCA MUNDI; central group in darker):
-
Alessandra Schmitt (Blumenau, 1969), BUILDING PROJECT responsible and Scientific Coordination: Master in Anthropology and Doctor in Social Anthropology at the Universidade de São Paulo, studies also ecologically sustainable land use systems.
-
Free Nuspl (Guarapuava, 1964), Local Relationships Coordination and Tourism Counsellor: former ATDCS President and Housekeeping Responsible; presently studies for her technical degree in Tourism.
-
Gil Marçal (Sao Paulo, 1979), MEDIA front responsible, Art-Education and National Partnerships Coordination: since his childhood Gil had intense involvement with theatre, dance and community work in Favela Monte Azul (S.Paulo); entered Trópis in 1995 as a student, becoming soon a co-worker; was co-founder (98) and director of Grupo Submundo de Teatro; has worked in social mobilization and organization for Instituto Sou da Paz, Canal Futura (educative TV), and in 2002 for the São Paulo Municipality under direct orientation of Augusto Boal (Theatre of the Oppressed). Besides his functions at TROPIS works today as Supervisor in the cabinet of Sao Paulo Municipality Culture Department.
-
Gunnar Vargas (Caracas, 1981), YOUTH PROGRAMMES and Administrative Coordination: Gunnar is in Trópis since 1996, first as a student and soon as music teacher and co-developer of Co-Living Education; composer and band-leader, studied guitar at the ULM (Music Free University of São Paulo State); has been “young multiplier” at the UMES/SEBRAE Young Entrepreneurs Course (S.Paulo, 1998) and Trópis’ Administrative Coordinator since 2002.
-
Ralf Rickli (Curitiba, 1957), GENERAL, PEDAGOGICAL and International Partnerships Coordination: has studied Music at Curitiba Belas Artes School (1972-77), Rural Development at Emerson College (Forest Row, England, 1979-81) and Education at Universidade de São Paulo and Universidade Santa Cecília (Santos); works with extra-school education since 1976; in the 80’s worked shortly in publicity and was co-founder, docent and editor at the Instituto Biodinâmico (Botucatu); in the 90’s has proposed the Co-Living Education approach, around which Trópis has developed. Ralf has published translations, essays, poetry and youth literature.
Other co-workers:
-
Alexandre Vaz
-
Carlinhos dos Santos
-
Cicero Mendes Oliveira
-
Cintia Nuspl Oliveira
-
David Alves Silva
-
Eduardo Coutinho
-
José Alisson da Paz Alves
-
Paula da Paz
-
Peu Pereira (Wesley Pereira Jaime)
Present members of
Tropis’ Counsellors Circle
· Antonio Sérgio da Silva, Geographer, Environment Education post-grade. UNESP Jaboticabal.
· Araci Molnar Alonso, Master in Entomology, Doctor in Medicinal Plants. UNESP, Jaboticabal.
· Carla Lopes, journalist and actress, former Trópis student, Culture Secretary of the São Paulo Municipality.
· Carla Lyra, Terre des Hommes / Recife.
· Eduardo Lustoza, environmental engineer / SACAR, Santos.
· Harald Kleem, intercultural education consultant, Germany.
· Jacira Cardoso, Editora Antroposófica, São Paulo.
· Judas Tadeu de Souza, cultural producer, member of Movimento Arte contra Barbarie, Sao Paulo.
· Marcelo Estraviz, Strategic Management Unit of Sao Paulo State Government.
· Marcos Ferreira dos Santos, Prof. Dr.
Education Faculty and Centre of Studies of the Imaginary, Education and Culture at the Universidade de Sao Paulo.
· Maria Cecília Santa Cruz, Associação Atletica Banco do Brasil, Sao Paulo.
· Marisa de Souza, Associação Monte Azul, Sao Paulo.
· Mauro Schorr, agriculture engineer, Instituto Anima de Cultura e Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Curitiba.
· Ronaldo Silva, choreographer, coordinator for Brazil of daCi – dance and the child international (S.Paulo)
· Warwick Manfrinato, agriculture engineer, Research Centre for Applied Economics, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz / USP, Piracicaba, Brazil.
Wilhelm Kenzler, Prof.Dr. Psychiatric Doctor. São Paulo, Brazil.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead)
PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS
from Sao Paulo unless stated
PRESENT OR RECENT
-
ABT – Associacao Beneficente Tobias
-
Bingo Lotto the Environment Lottery
The Lower Saxony Lotto Foundation (Germany) -
Colegio Miguel de Cervantes, www.cmc.com.br
computers donation -
COMUNITAS / Rede Jovem (Rio de Janeiro)
-
Ellerni comunidade de aprendizado www.ellerni.org
-
Projeto Salva Selva • Fundacao Quasar (Praia Grande)
-
Rede Social de Cultura, S.Paulo (co-founder)
-
SACAR – Archangel Raphael Society of Love to the Child (Santos)
-
schoolalliance21 • Partnership Mirantao / Mantiqueira
www.mirantao.de (Germany / Brazil) -
Sirimim farmácia homeopática • 11 5181-5120
-
Terra Preservada, info@organicfoods.com.br, organic products (Curitiba PR)
-
VNB – Verein Niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen
(Union of Lower Saxony Education Initiatives, Germany)
INDIVIDUAL DONNORS IN JANUARY 2004
• Frans Schoenmacher (Holambra) • Gil Marçal • Gilberto Valle • Gunnar Vargas
• Marcelo Estraviz • Mário Barbariolli (Curitiba) • Marta e Inrri Moscheto (Curitiba)
• Molnar-Alonso family (S.Vicente) • Ralf Rickli • Wilhelm Kenzler
FORMER DONNORS, SUPPORTERS OR
PARTNERS IN DIFFERENT MOMENTS
• AABB – Banco do Brasil Sports Association (Santo Amaro, S.Paulo) • Alessandra da Silva Santos • Alliance for Childhood, Brazil • Antenor Vaz • Associacao Comunitaria Monte Azul • Associacao Sarambeque / Zunidos do Monte Azul • Aprendiz ComGas • Aymee Correia Rickli (Curitiba PR) • BC Grafica • Berty e Lotario Ribeiro (Curitiba PR) • Canal FUTURA (Rio de Janeiro) • Claudia Longue Milhorança • Dirce Silva Correia (Curitiba PR) • Dionea Correia Brunetti (Curitiba PR) • EDUNEXO • Elenko / KVA • Elizabeth Cardoso • Faculdades FAITER • FEBEM SP • Gerard Bannwart (Buri SP) • Gonzalo Solia Iglesias • Ingrid Boehringer • Instituto ELOS, architecture (Santos) • Instituto Sou da Paz • IPEMA Institute for Permaculture and Eco-Villages of the Atlantic Forest (Ubatuba SP, cursonoipema@yahoo.com.br) • Ivete Ruy• Ligia Ramos Coghi, dentist • Maria Aparecida e Raul Martins (Guarapuava PR) • Maria Cecilia Santa Cruz • Max Brasil serviços e representações • Nelza Correia Cavalcante • Nilda Soliman Garrido • Patricia Barros • Programa Capacitacao Solidaria • Regina Stulmann Schnitzler • Rickli family (Ponta Grossa PR) • Secretaria Estadual de Cultura SP • Sarah Oliveira Santos Vilemar • Sitio Bahia (Botucatu SP, fdemetria@yahoo.com.br ) • Sonia Maria da Cunha • Staci Fotolitos • Thereza Lagana’ de Andrade • Thiago Lancia Santa Cruz • Tiago Angelo Schmidt • Ute Craemer – and others.
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WHERE WE ARE (directions) General e-mail address & telephone:
Postal and physical address (visits ONLY with previous arrangement. No exceptions!):
Bank data:
Brazilian basic official registration:
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