Opened in 2011, the Estrutural Olympic and Paralympic Centre offers members of this impoverished and vulnerable community built around a landfill on the outskirts of Brasilia a safe and healthy space. With UNODC's own programme using sports to help prevent youth from becoming involved in crime and drugs now underway, we visited this centre to speak some of the people there and hear their story:
Tatiana, a mother of two who says that sports offers a safe space away from street violence; Ana Julia, 11, who has seen improvements in her health since coming to a sports centre; Guilherme, 13, who goes to the centre almost every day after school and says that his studies have improved; and Romualdo, a teaching and learning manager at the Estrutural Olympic and Paralympic Centre, who says that sport is essential in building citizenship and learning key values in life.
Herbert Gustavo Simões, 46, is a Professor at the Catholic University of Brasilia with postdoctoral research experience at University of Miami in the area of physical education and exercise physiology. He is also a keen sporting enthusiast, currently ranked as one of the world's fastest 110 metre hurdlists in his age bracket.
Herbert is one of two lead trainers working with UNODC in Brazil as part of the Doha Declaration Global Programme sports initiative which looks to build vital life skills among 13 - 18 year olds to keep them safe from violence, crime and drugs.
UNODC recently spoke with Herbert about his background and his interest in this area.
This past week saw the start of phase two of UNODC's work in Brazil around using sports as a means to prevent crime, violence and drug use among youth.
Following the start of the Office's 'Line Up Live Up' curriculum in Brasilia, which will deliver life skills training in vulnerable communities, UNODC held a series of discussions with Government authorities, civil society and key sports organizations in Rio de Janeiro.
UNODC's life skills training initiative as part of its global activities to prevent youth crime under the Doha Declaration Global Programme has started in Brazil . The initiative focuses on sports in order to build resilience of youth by enhancing their life skills and increase their knowledge of the consequences of crime and drug use. With a view to positively influence attitudes and prevent anti-social and risky behaviour, the initiative is first being piloted in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, before being rolled out to other regions, including Latin America, Southern Africa and Central Asia.
UNODC and the Government of the Federal District of Brasilia recently signed a new joint agreement which looks to use sports as a tool to prevent crime and drug use among youth. The initiative, which forms part of UNODC's Global Programme on the Implementation of the Doha Declaration, provides life skills training programme to build resilience of at risk youth and reduce anti-social behaviour. It employs skills teaching in order to increase adaptive and positive behaviour and address risk factors related to violence, crime and drug use.
The signing ceremony was attended by high level authorities from the Federal District and the international community, including the First Lady Márcia Rollemberg, the Sports and Leisure Secretary, Leila Barros, and the Public Safety Secretary, Márcia de Alencar.
