Published on: 12 September, 2016
Last Saturday (10), CESE held an early celebration of the arrival of the new season with the official launch of the 16th edition of its Spring for Life Campaign; this year with the slogan “Young People’s Right to Life”. Representatives from movements and from populist, religious and ecumenical organizations were in attendance, as were CESE’s Network of Friends.
For the Reverend Bruno Almeida, from the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil: IEAB), the campaign is of fundamental importance. “We are going through a very difficult time for our young people. What worries me is that, given all we have experienced in this country in a very specific way, we increasingly hear young people using fundamentalist discourse, conservative discourse. This is often because of a lack of understanding about the world or about diversity. Very often, these young people do not have access to information and simply reproduce what they see in the media. And I think it is extremely important for CESE to adopt a campaign calling on young people to discuss the importance of being young, the importance of transforming the reality around you, the importance of constructing a different world, a new vision, a new way of being, of respecting diversities.”
Paulo Carbonari, from the National Human Rights Movement (Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos – MNDH Network, RS) shed light on current times, recalling that rights are gains and that, in line with all international documents, must be guaranteed progressively rather than the reverse, which is also forbidden in our constitution in what is known as the non-retrogression clause. “However, the announcements being made to a section of the population, the poor and, above all, to the young, are in a process, if not of loss, of the imminent loss of rights,” he asserted, highlighting that this has had the most impact on young black people.
He also addressed the role of ecumenism in defence of the rights of young people. “Historically, the ecumenical movement has played a fundamental role in the struggle for rights. The religious, above all the ecumenical, movement has an essential role in fostering hope in people, in fostering the desire to see a better world, and to effectively organize in movements and organizations to fight so that this world can, in fact, be better. It can also help to strengthen young people, so they can see themselves in this transition and see themselves as powerful when confronting the current situation”.
“To talk about the rights of young people in this political context is to light a candle of hope and encourage the search for rights,” reflects Bianca Daebs, also from IEAB.
Programme
A mystical ritual opened the day’s activities at 10.30 am and included reflections from Tárcito Fernando (Koinonia) and a performance and poetry by the Popular Cultural Movement from the Suburbio (Movimento de Cultura Popular do Subúrbio: MCPS).
On Saturday, a clothes bazaar was held in partnership with Brazilian Caritas Northeast Region 3 – Bahia and Sergipe, as well as a raffle of products and gifts. The revenue obtained from the official launch of the Spring for Life Campaign will support projects linked to young people’s rights. Donations are welcome throughout the spring.
This event was supported in solidarity by CESE’s service providers.
You can still support the campaign!
BANK DEPOSITS CAN BE MADE VIA:
COORDENADORIA ECUMÊNICA DE SERVIÇO – CNPJ (Charity Registration No.): 13.589.270/0001-21
Bank: Banco do Brasil / Sort Code: 3459-2 / Account No.: 19.756-4 / Salvador-Bahia-Brazil
Bank: Bradesco / Sort Code: 0592-4 / Account No.: 42.144-8 /Salvador-Bahia-Brazil
Bank: Caixa Econômica Federal / Sort Code: 0061/ Account No.: 3431-0 / Operation No.: 003 /Salvador-Bahia-Brazil
Donations also may also be made via credit card:
https://www.cese.org.br/apoie-a-cese/faca-sua-doacao/