In Brazil, installing community libraries and contributing to democratize access to art and culture.
EDP has joined Associação Vagalume (Vagalume Association), with the objective of installing community libraries, contributing to stimulate reading and democratize access to art and culture.
United by books
EDP Brasil supported the project to install community libraries of Associação Vagalume, whose mission is to promote reading and democratize access to art and culture in the municipality of Ferreira Gomes (AP) and in Vila Iratapuru, in Laranjal do Jari (AP).
Vagalume bases its action on the articulation between Structure - Training - Management, ensuring that, besides the delivery of materials, training is provided to the people involved and community management is encouraged, always valuing local culture.
Through books, a place is ensured that promotes the sharing of stories and knowledge and works as a tool to achieve greater and more significant changes in children and young people in the community. The library thus functions as the first step in setting a trajectory of empowerment for children.
Pillars of the project
- Books: through the donation of books, mats, and shelves, communities begin to manage and preserve their libraries, which can be located in schools or have their own autonomous space.
- Mediators: families, educators and community members are trained as reading mediators, connecting books to people.
- Community Management: by identifying local leaders and mobilizing volunteers, community management is promoted in order to stimulate a sense of belonging and identification with the project.
- Local Culture: We invest in strengthening the culture of each community by encouraging storytelling and training residents to record their stories in handmade books, valuing local orality and traditions.
- Cultural Exchange: intercultural dialogue is promoted between young people from Amazonian communities and schools and social organizations in southeastern Brazil, through an experience that aims to share information about their identities and communities.
Results already achieved by the Vagalume project
- More than 140,000 children, youth and adults impacted since 2001
- 150,000 books donated
- More than 85 volunteers
- 5,000 reading mediators trained
- 22 meetings and conferences held with the network of volunteers
