Bidna Capoeira
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Founding Story
Jill
Manske
Bidna Capoeira
, LND, London
1‐5 years
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Operating for 1‐5 years
Capoeira is played in more than 100 countries by millions of people from all walks of life. We aim to tap into this global family in order to share the gifts of the art form with vulnerable communities around the world. To do this, we are piloting a program in refugee camps and oppressed communities in Palestine in order to develop templates, tools, and resources that others could implement in communities worldwide. Furthermore, we are creating innovative administrative and online infrastructure that will connect interested volunteers with social capoeira projects internationally. We intend to support the launch of sustainable social capoeira programs such that kids and communities have the psychosocial skills and the emotional strength to endure their difficult circumstances.
The impact of capoeira on children we work with is immediate: teachers and families notice improvements in communication, respectful behavior, and emotional management from their first class. Kids learn to work together as a community, thinking beyond their individual wants, becoming more tolerant and patient, and understanding alternatives to violence as a solution.
Early-stage assessments indicate significant progress for participants. For example, of the 28 girls from the Jalazone Refugee Camp who were initially identified with behavioral issues, 22 girls have demonstrated enormous gains socially and behaviorally.
Children and adults are given a new space and method for expressing themselves, which has far-reaching implications in their social and personal lives. Capoeira teaches physical coordination, but also connection to and control over one’s own body, which is especially novel and important for girls and women in the conservative cultures found in the camps.
In Palestine, we aim to be included in school curricula in the refugee camps and elsewhere. After training several Palestinians to themselves become social capoeira teachers and counselors, we will help launch several locally-run capoeira centers. We envision capoeira to be a focal point of communities, providing intergenerational meeting spaces for healthy expression and interaction. As a result, we anticipate healthier communities exhibiting enhanced life skills: more self-confidence, interpersonal acceptance, empowered females, and enhanced ability to handle difficult situations that are part of living in vulnerable communities.
Moreover, we project that we will be launching similar programs in 3-4 additional countries, for which we are already doing assessments and making contacts.
Develop an administrative base of operations
Secure funding
Setting up main office in London, and local office in Palestine
Streamline and perfect documents, protocols, systems, templates
Teaching 500 kids a week in Palestine (15 classes/week)
Launch new website
Solidify local partnerships (e.g., Palestinian Red Crescent Society)
Identify 5 Palestinians and implement Training of Trainers class for them
From the beginning, we’ve worked in conjunction with UNRWA in Palestinian refugee camps. The Ministry of Culture in the Brazilian Embassy has supported us through funding and visibility. We’ve just begun a partnership with the Palestinian Red Crescent. The International Rescue Committee funded our last project, and we’re working on potential projects with Save the Children, Unicef, and the MA’AN Development Center. Al-Quds University provides us with participants, venues, and advertising, and we’ve received counseling support from Doctors Without Borders and the Palestinian Counseling Center.
At the core of our mission is a recognition that we could go anywhere because the need is everywhere, and capoeira is very portable, adaptable, and universally beneficial. While we are in the process of developing our administrative base that will allow us to expand to other countries and communities, we have been making preliminary connections with people in several countries around the world. We have received interest and offers from India, Bangladesh, Libya, New Delhi, Kenya, the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Pakistan, and even the city of London.
Capoeira is inherently cost-effective and requires few tangible supplies to practice.
This summer, we will intentionally scale back our classes to commit adequate attention to administrative infrastructure development, in order to optimize current operations and prepare for expansion. We anticipate receiving core funding that will allow us to hire staff for 1-3 years, allowing us to invest sufficient preparation for all aspects of the program.
Overall, we are successful because we model the capoeira principles that it espouses, valuing community, communication, high standards, and fun.
Theoretically, we could start capoeira projects everywhere with any partners, from local communities, to international NGOs, or even to corporate staff. We will grow our network of volunteers who will be interested in supporting all kinds of social development projects, offering multiple talents beyond capoeira, such as business management, marketing, fundraising, media, and technical know-how.