SEC Belo Horizonte (Brazil)

The socioeducational centre gives service to an area of 10 neighbourhoods in the Belo Horizonte suburbs, which present a low level of educational, cultural and leisure facilities. These neighborhoods show high levels of poverty, illiteracy and child labour. The centre is located in a frontier zone between the cities of Belo Horizonte and Sabara, so it also welcomes users from the neighbouring city.

Its 935 sq m. contain: 4 classrooms, dancing rooms (capoeira), theatre, computer room, telecentre, library, auditorium with changing rooms, dining rooms, meeting rooms for the psychologists and the social services and administrative rooms.

The following programs are developed:

• Entrepreneurship: learning skills for the self-employment and generation of companies. Courses for people over 16.

• Groups of coexistence: spaces of life, exchange of life experiences and strengthening of community links.

• Social rehabilitation: group of self-help for the recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.

• Youth prominence: lectures, exhibitions and professional orientation aimed at the emancipation and the civic education of young people and teenagers.

• Professional qualification: courses on professional qualification and basic work skills formation, for people over 16.

• Socialization: cultural and leisure learning in the school for children from 10 and teenagers.