by David F. Luborsky

This Summer about 800 young people met in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for a conference called Connectivity, "from thinking to action."  The conference took place at the SENAC campus, a sparkling clean facility protected by security where we were able to connect with each other.  Connectivity, though, was the incredibly lively and exciting time that it was not only because of the many amazing people who attended, but because of where it was, Brazil. 

Sao Paulo is a city of about twenty milllion people, many of whom live in the favelas (slums).  The rich are richer than the rich elsewhere, and the poor poorer.  Despite the poverty, Brazilians are among the warmest people on Earth.  The class difference can be seen in that the rich fly with their helicopters over the city, in order to avoid contact with the people next to whom they live.  Sao Paulo has more helicopters than any other city. Yet a stinking river flows through it and many don't have water or electricity.  Education and healthcare are reserved for those with money.  But there is something that lives in Brazilians that leaves those of other nationalities looking poorer, whatever their status.  It is in this atmosphere of extreme poverty and mysterious inner richness that we came together for connectivity.  Every morning, participants were bussed from the athletic club where we were housed, to SENAC.  There, after breakfast, was the morning presentation.  After lunch were discussion groups, and then workshops.  Aftter dinner were performances of music and dance, and in the late evening we were all bussed back to the club,where the night cafe took place.  There were also symposia and free initiatives going on during the day.  A central feature of the conference was the "marketplace."  The main hall was filled with stands where people from different volunteer organisations and social initiatives, as well as sponsors and other businesses, were there to answer questions and provide contact information.  Conference participants could visit these at any time.  Outside, there was a craft village sheltered by artfully spanned orange tarps.  Here, people could create works of art out of clay, iron, or wood in their free time, even if they were not part of the art workshops.  The workshops included many different themes, from economy, politics, self knowledge, ecology, and health to music, theater, and dance.  Workshop leaders included Christopher Houghton Budd, Eric Utne, Orland Bishop, and Julia Butterfly Hill.  The morning presentations were given by speakers  such  as  Lucia  Martinelli,  who spoke of her experiences travelling through Brazil and meeting  Brazillian youth;  Ashu, from India, who spoke about her life growing up with Nanhi Dhunya, The International Association of Children and their Friends; Ute Craemer with teachers and chidren from the Community Association of  Monte Azul, who did a colorful performance in traditional costumes with song and dance and told us how they had come to live at Monte Azul; and Santiago de Marco, who's project for youth at risk, called Aramitan, is taking shape outside of Sao Paulo.   At the  conference,  participants were given the tools to go into life and try to realize  projects  which they  had envisioned.  Young people were encouraged and empowered to follow their own impulses.   Before and after the conference, some of us participated in work camps for a few weeks.  "Work camp" means a place where people live together for a time and work on a construcion project.  This not only gave real meaning to the words "from thinking to action," but provided a place for people to exchange and meet each other in a way which lessened the isolation that can come after such an event.  At all the work camps, buildings were brought closer to completion, and young people were able to experience helping in a concrete way.  In the time around the conference, violence came closer as conflicts between an organization which controls much of the city and the government erupted.  Busses were blown up, and on one day after the conference, the police killed one hundred people.  These tensions reminded us of the need for sustainable social initiatives, which was, in a way, the central focus of the conference.  The Associaciao Communitaria Monte Azul, founded by Ute Craemer, is an example of how a favela can become a beatiful community.  What was once a slum with open sewage is now a village within Sao Paulo, where children go to school and to the doctor.  At the cultural center, there are events such as dance performances and lectures.  The kitchens, which are supplied in part by the association's biodynamic farm outside the city, prepare meals for people who work at the favela, international volunteers, and school students.  The  project is  such a sign of hope, not only for Sao Paulo, but for all cities of the world.  The community has developed in the face of violence, the violence that is found in the favelas of Sao Paulo.  Many young men do not live to see their twenty-fifth year.  This is the reality that the people of the favelas live with  day to day, and one does not find superficial outrage about the violence, there isn't time for it, because every day is a battle for life. Connectivity was organized by the Youth Section and IDEM - Identity Through Initiative.  IDEM is a young organisation which has organized conferences and offers work camps.  It seeks to support initatives, and help youth find projects where they can be active.  IDEM groups exist in Germany, Brazil, and Sweden.  An IDEM USA group is in formation.  Connectivity created a light - filled space which will always be there to remind us that we can take part in and form new initiatives  if we connect.

You can watch a 10 minute 'teaser' movie to give you feel for the conference here.