Transcript
YOUTH
Drumming…dancing… and lots of smiles…that’s the way the day began in Vila Senhor dos Passos, a community of three thousand in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
It was a day marked by celebration. The reason? Volunteer Day, organized by IDB YOUTH in conjunction with the Brazilian government…
It was an event that honored the region’s youth and the role they play in the development, through volunteer work. It is estimated that over four million youths participate in volunteer activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
IDB YOUTH promotes participation and leadership, community service and technological and business development…
For IDB president, Luis Alberto Moreno, going to Vila Senhor dos Passos was a realization of his program’s vision:
“This is where we see the work of the bank. In our offices, we put in a lot of work, lots of intellectual thought…but here, we actually see it and that’s the beauty of the work we do. Here is where we are reminded that we work for the people.”
President Moreno watched the events with the mayor of Belo Horizonte, Fernando Pimentel, who he already considers a local:
“Our friend and partner of our city, who was born in Colombia, but has already become Brazilian at heart, Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the IDB.”
The language barrier wasn’t enough to keep focus away from the event’s importance.
“President Moreno said: ‘Mr. Mayor, I’m worried because I’m going to give a speech in another language. I am going to speak in Spanish’ and I said to him: “Don’t worry, Mr. President. Don’t worry, because we all speak the same language…. the language of friendship among people, the language of peace, the language of love, the language of solidarity.”
In Vila Senhor dos Passos, hope starts with youth – many of them volunteers that have participated in community improvement projects.
This nursery school is starting to be remodeled, thanks to their help… and even though there’s still a lot to be done here, the kids who will one day use it are already excited…
“Teacher, when is it going to be ready? What’s it going to look like? It’ll be a surprise! We have to cooperate when it’s ready conserve it…I tell them.”
The president visited the BH Cidadania nursery. Inaugurated earlier this month, it was built with IDB financing.
This sidewalk, near a community square, is also being revitalized…and a volunteer who worked on it agrees that hope is what shines here:
“It’s very gratifying to do community service to help our neighbors.”
The song is by Argentinean musician Diego Torres, and it was adapted for its Brazilian audience.
It says the most important thing is to know that you can… and to want it to be. The chorus says “paint your face the color of hope”…
For the IDB’s president, who was invited to leave his mark on a city mural, the young people are the true artists, who paint a country’s dream.
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