Salvaterra de Magos Branch, Portugal / November 2008 - Contributor: Branch Master Jorge Monteiro

"Child and Youth Free Time Occupational Program" The Project

Philosophy lecture for children

The "Child and Youth Free Time Occupational Program" of the Salvaterra de Magos Branch is part of the "10 Years Development Plan" for the Shorinji Kempo in the Salvaterra de Magos region.

This plan has four simple steppes:

1.Establish the Salvaterra de Magos Branch;

2.Train the oldest kenshi to teach mainly children's and young people, following the idea that those children will be the man and women, which tomorrow will create a better world.

3.Split the branch in four classes:

Preparing the activities

a.General Class
b.Juvenile Class
c.Children's Class
d.Initiation Class

4.To open Branchs in the whole region of Salvaterra de Magos.

The project main lines are oriented by Kaiso's vision of a world where all people can be material and spiritual rich, supported by the principle of live half for our on happiness, half for the happiness of the others.


How to integrate the local society in the project?

One night at the Dojo

First of all, it was necessary to develop a work and an image inside de Dojo that people can trust. A kind of image, which allows local society to trust and support the Shorinji Kempo activities as a way of self and social development with transparent and elevated values.
After achieving that image, the branch has organized his efforts into four strength lines of influence:
1.Parents and kenshi relatives;

2.People who sympathize with Shorinji Kempo way of being (friends);

3.Private entities;

Good morning

4.Public entities.

The first group (parents and relatives) they maintain a constant relationship with the branch, participating straightly his initiatives, overcoat in the logistical support of the actions and punctually integrating them.

The second group (friends) is invited and it participates punctually in the slope logistics of the actions of great dimension, when those were directed to the society in general.

Preparing the games

The third group is constituted by media, private enterprises and citizens' associations, with which the branch maintain relations and shares activities normally organized by Official Entities.

The fourth group corresponds to the local Official Entities that ask for our collaboration and, to which we propose activities of social global intervention which, they partial or totally support.

In these four levels of relationship, the branch tries to understand the reality and social difficulties of the region, and to presents solutions so that the Shorinji Kempo can intervene efficiently for the improvement of the quality of life of the society where if it integrates.

Child and Youth Free Time Occupational Program
The problem

Someone felt down. Can I help?

Salvaterra de Magos is a region situated at 60 kilometres of the capital of the Country (Portugal) which activity suits the agriculture and the agricultural industry. However, most of his inhabitants work out of his zone of residence, living home at 07:00 and returning about 20:30. In most of the cases the children of these persons study in the local schools, in Salvaterra de Magos.

The teaching system in Portugal works in 3 different periods of study, separated by 3 periods of vacations. In these vacation times the children and youth stays at home without activities promoted by the Official Entities.

Let me help you.

On the other side, the school daily time-tables for the youngest children, from 3 to 10 years old, works between 08:00 and 18:00 while leaving a space of approximately 2 hours in which the children are handed to relatives or leaved alone.

These empty spaces for the children, and particularly for the youth, offer serious levels of risk, increased by the social latent threats and potentiate the school failure.

The solution

In this scenery it becomes necessary to create moments of attendance of the children in the periods of risk, acting proactively, in the sense of avoiding the development of serious damages.

How to do it?

Parents cocking for supporting activities

Regarding the daily periods, the considered solution was creating activities that include the children and the youth, providing them several activities mainly Shorinji Kempo.

On these children there is effectuated the control of the scholar success, answering, in the cases of failure, with moments of study, orientated to the difficulties of each case.

The kitchen team

Those persons in charge for answering to this situation are the oldest kenshi, who orientate the classes, booth scholar and Shorinji Kempo. However, some of the younger kenshi, with good performance in school, also help the other in difficulties. That allows them to create special relations and strong felling of mutual help.

Due to the great dimension of the region of Salvaterra, the absence of the parents, and the transportation difficulties, from the school to the branch and from the branch to their houses, we surpassed it through the acquisition of three vehicles that provide the transportation for the children. These vehicles were acquired by the kenshi mensal contributes, with donations offered by official entities and also by actions for gathering donations.

It's an honour to have them among us

In what it respects to the vacations periods, the branch establishes protocols with to Official Entities for the transportation of the children- kenshi or not kenshi - and uses the branch facilities and other public places lent by Official Entities, to provide those children with outdoor an indoor activities, of recreational and formative nature, as well as of the practice of the Shorinji Kempo.



The roll of the Shorinji Kempo parents, relatives and, friends

Party

The dimension of these activities obliges to a great financial and logistical effort.

This group, they have a fundamental role in the process. A great number of those persons conjugate his periods of holidays to support the activities on behalf of the project and the wellbeing of the children.

The necessary resources to the project of Free Time Occupation, it implicates the acquisition of a lot of equipment. It's this group of persons whom mobilizes and organizes themselves so that the events may happen and for that the branch disposes of the resources to carry on with these initiatives.

Project Intersections

Promoting Shorinji Kempo in a Children School

Focused in the children, the project crosses several lines of action:
- Regular support to poor families, through gathering of food clothes and medical supplies;
- Connection to the Children and Youth Protection Salvaterra de Magos Bureau*, receiving and accompanying the children that this organism consider of risk;
- Connection with the public and private schools.
- Specific actions of social solidarity, covering all the social groups (at this moment a house is being built for a family to whom the children were removed by de Welfare System, since they have not sufficient conditions of dwelling and hygiene).

* At this moment the Salvaterra de Magos Branch represents all the Citizens Associations from Salvaterra the Magos in the Bureau.


Conclusions

Playing

This project is way of reaching all the local people heart and mind.
As a result of all these work, the Salvaterra de Magos Branch is considered an important strength in the local society, lifting up the name of the Shorinji Kempo and, a relevant social partner for all the institutions of Salvaterra de Magos; persons in whom the society can trusts, and resorts whenever needs help is needed.

Training

Camping

Camping

On the beach

Showing Shorinji Kempo

Showing Shorinji Kempo

They like it

Cycling

Learning Mathematic

 

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