Brazil

Black youth and political participation

In Salvador de Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil, Afro-Brazilian young people are particularly affected by violence. They have a significantly higher risk of being murdered than White young people. With our local partner organisation CIPÒ, we train Afro-Brazilian young people in communication skills so that they can share their knowledge and actively stand up for their rights.

Hear from the people on the ground

“Black young people want to live and dream like all other young people.”
Portrait Jugendlicher Brasilien - terre des hommes schweiz

Lucas Leão
17 years old

Background

Black young people in Brazil suffer from severe stigmatisation. There is public prejudice against them and they are accused of being involved in drug gangs or other illegal activities. These negative stereotypes mean that acts of violence against them are often seen as justified by society. The image of the ‘dangerous Black youths’ is spread in the media and politics, and helps to reinforce these prejudices. Almost 80% of people killed in police operations were Black, aged between 12 and 29 years old and, in 95% of cases, male.

Project goals

The aim is to improve the living conditions of Afro-Brazilian young people in Salvador de Bahia and reduce the widespread violence.

Project activities

  • Workshops. We run workshops for young people and teachers on communication issues, anti-racism and violence prevention.
  • Training. We train Afro-Brazilian young people in communication methods such as film, photography, graphic arts and theatre. They then act as multipliers and share their knowledge.
  • Solidarity fund. We provide a solidarity fund for young people from urban areas to support theirinitiatives.
  • Awareness-raising. We carry out awareness-raising activities in schools and other institutions.
In Workshops erlernen Jugendliche Kommunikationskompetenzen und setzen sich mit ihren Rechten auseinander.

Beneficiaries

tIn the last project phase, 2,250 young people, 52,000 family members and community members, and 400 teachers benefitted from our work.

Our partner organisation

CIPÓ (Comunicação Interativa) has been working to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people through communication, education and culture, and through activities at schools since 1999. terre des hommes schweiz has been supporting CIPÓ since 2015.

Project location and phase

The project is being carried out in Subúrbio, a district of Salvador de Bahia. The current project phase covers the years 2025–2027 with an annual budget of CHF 50,000.