Instituto Playing For Change
Cajuru, Curitiba, Brazil
120 students
18 staff
Since 2014
The starting point of this new new music program has been a outstanding benefit concert hosted at the Opera de Arame in Curitiba, in October 2014, that allowed us to raise a consistent amount of money to start the project. The music program is being hosted at a facility owned by the community of neighbors in Cajuru on which we’ve been doing structural and sound proofing works in order to welcome the music program in good conditions.
The program’s leaders use music as a tool for education to reach local youth, instilling self-confidence, providing structured and supervised activities, and promoting a larger sense of community. The school reaches 120 youth per week in different disciplines ranging from traditional and modern music, dance , English, drama and more.
VIDEO OVERVIEW
Life in the community
Cajuru is located 7 kilometers from the center of Curitiba and has a population of about 90,000. The name “Cajuru” comes from a native word that means “the entrance of the wood.” While Curitiba is a city of over 1.7 million inhabitants in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil, Cajuru is a lower-income area, in the outskirts of the city with many residents working in informal or service-sector jobs.
120 weekly students
Local leadership and fundraising
Thousands of yearly beneficiaries
STAFF ON THE GROUND
FEATURED STORIES
Meet Kethelyn, music student in Curitiba, Brazil
Meet Kethelyn, a 15-year old student at the Instituto Playing For Change in Curitiba, Brazil. Her testimony about her own experience at the music school is an example of how music and art can bring positive change into the lives of youth.
PFC Day 2023 in Curitiba, Brazil
This is the ninth year in a row that an amazing PFC Day event is organized by our team in Curitiba, Brazil. This year’s edition saw 10, 000 attendees throughout the day, 16 bands on stage, 40 volunteers as well