Mais Caminhos Summer Camp 2023

We kicked off 2023 with our annual Mais Caminhos summer camp! This year we had 16 children between the ages of 7-11 all of whom came from the Pavão-Pavãozinho Cantagalo community. Each week we organized fun activities for the children. We were helped by a fantastic core team of volunteers, most of whom are also studying Portuguese at Caminhos Language Centre. It was great to have so much support and all volunteers commented on how much of a personally enriching experience it was for them as well.

Activities included trips to the beach, the cinema, and even a sports afternoon in Lagoa with rollerblades and slacklining! The children mostly agreed that this was their favorite day, particularly as they saw our fantastic volunteers falling over a lot!

We were also able to introduce the children to people from the Language Centre for our fortnightly ‘quinta-quentinha‘ lunch where the adults and children came together to share a meal.

Mais Caminhos Summer Camp Report

The program was structured as follows:

Two days per week, every Tuesday and Thursday, for 3 weeks totaling 6 sessions. Each day began at 12.45 pm with two different pick-up locations in the Pavão-Pavãozinho community. Three of our volunteers at Mais Caminhos accompanied the children to the language centre, where the remaining volunteers greeted the children with an introduction to the day, followed by a light lunch. Lunch comprised of ham and cheese sandwiches. On the first Thursday of camp, we coordinated with Davi to have ‘quinta-quentinha’ with Caminhos students, which was a huge success and as a result, garnered a lot of attention for Mais Caminhos.

Following lunch at the school, activities included two beach days in Copacabana, one afternoon trip to the cinema, one sports day in Lagoa, including a session on the paddle boats — the cost of which was fully donated by the paddle boat company. The final day of camp was a rollerblading and slacklining afternoon. Again, the company we collaborated with gave us a 50% discount on equipment and transportation costs.

We are thrilled to report that the summer camp this year was a huge success and all the children who were welcomed to the Mais Caminhos summer camp this year have also signed up for our English program starting in March.

If you want to volunteer with Mais Caminhos or donate to our social program, contact Mais Caminhos at volunteer@maiscaminhos.org. Follow our Instagram and keep up with our projects, actions, and activities.

About Mais Caminhos

Mais Caminhos is a non-governmental organization based in Rio de Janeiro that was founded in 2009 by Caminhos Language Centre, striving to promote education and maximize the potential of underprivileged children and teenagers from Rio de Janeiro’s communities.

Our mission is to transform the lives of disadvantaged children and adolescents living in social-vulnerable situations in Rio de Janeiro. Our overarching goal is to bridge the gap across socio-economic groups through our programs.

Our aim is not only to recognize the sheer abundance of potential within youth but to actively provide them with basic human rights such as safe environments where they can learn as well as opportunities to grow educationally and socially, regardless of social or economic circumstances.

Mais Caminhos History

Check our infographic here.

Caminhos Language Centre is the largest and most exciting Portuguese school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We have an excellent infrastructure, over 15 experienced Brazilian teachers, and a friendly multilingual support staff. We are the only school in Brazil able to offer Portuguese group courses throughout the year on 10 different levels. Moreover, our school also offers more than just Portuguese lessons for foreigners, we offer you the complete Rio de Janeiro experience. Every day we organize 100% free and fun activities for you to socialize and practice your Portuguese. We can also help you with a student visa for Brazil and accommodation in Rio de Janeiro. Follow us on Instagram for some Portuguese tips and news.