Cátia Sirlene Gonçalves Hahn:

“Each human being has potential qualities to
be developed”

The president of the Casa da Fraternidade (The Fraternity House)
in the city of Araranguá, in the Brazilian state of Santa
Catarina, talks about the awarded educational
work carried out by the organisation

	Cátia Sirlene (photo), a Spiritist since 1985, has been in the Spiritist Movement since 1996. She lives in the city of Araranguá, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, where she is a cultural producer. She is the president of the Casa da Fraternidade (Fraternity House), which carries out an important educational work.
Tell us more about the city of Araranguá.

Araranguá is a city of some 65,000 people in the south of Santa Catarina state, about 10km from the coast. The economy is based on clothes manufacturing and, in the summer, tourism. There are no major industries and unemployment amongst young people is high. Many young people leave the city to look for work elsewhere. The poorest area of the city in where The Fraternity House is located, in the Lagoão neighbourhood, but the situation there has improved in recent years thanks to our charity work. 

When was Casa da Fraternidade founded? 

It was founded in 1987, to meet the needs of the local community. It began with a day nursery. The couple that founded the group moved to a different part of the country in 1993. After a period of instability, we began a new project, focusing on children, teenagers and their families. More than 5,000 children have been helped by The Fraternity House. In 1997, when I joined the group, there was widespread poverty in the area and ostensive drug trafficking near our building. Many people stayed away. In 2000, the council decided to build a new day nursery in the neighbourhood and that is when we decided to renovate our old building and begin a new project for children in school age. That is when we began with the Juventude Luzes do Amanhã Project (Young Lights of Tomorrow).  

You also began a new educational methodology, human values classes. Tell us more about that. 

We strongly believe that religion cannot be imposed on people. But the principles of spirituality must be part of the lives of those who are assisted by us. One of our teachers had worked with Divaldo Franco and told us he put into practice the pedagogy of human values before each activity. We tested it and began opening a debate on a particular message every week, and the children loved the classes. We realised we needed to focus on an educational approach and we began applying then the method of Pestalozzi. 

Who are the main benefactors of your services and how many people are assisted daily? 

We attend 205 children and teenagers aged between 6 and 14 and 20 teenagers aged between 15 and 18. They take part in a number of activities, such as choir singing, ballet, theatre, guitar, information technology, arts, chess and capoeira. 

Your project was awarded the highly esteemed Criança Esperança award in Brazil. What did they take into account for their decision? 

Every year nearly 2,000 projects are submitted. They look into the innovation aspects of the projects, the pedagogic proposal, the changes in the community etc. After we got the award, we noticed we gained visibility. The number of children and teenagers attended nearly doubled.  

Tell us a bit more about your Youth Project. 

After 13 years, this project has become an alternative space for arts production in the city. The project has encouraged integration and the development of everyone’s potentials, under the motto: “To accept that each human being brings inside them potential qualities to be developed is to admit the concept of permanent transformation.” Our project provides education on a number of subjects using art together with education. 

What are your details for those who wish to visit or help the project?

The Fraternity House’s address is Rua Pedro Gomes, 740 – Bairro Lagoão – Araranguá, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Our phone number is + 55 48 35270214. The email is casa.fraternidade@gmail.com. Our website is www.projetojuventude.com.br.

Your final thoughts, please.

I would like to thank Jesus for the opportunity of working in his name and also to thank those who have trusted and supported us with their acts and words, which have enabled this project to carry on.