Pathways

Fight for Peace’s educational pillar has been supporting the young people enrolled in its activities since it was founded twelve years ago, helping those who were out of education or facing learning issues to attend literacy and numeracy classes. In 2008, Fight for Peace began the “Pathways (Novos Caminhos)” education project in order to respond to a demand that existed among its members and the local community. After a successfully evaluated pilot-project, Pathways started its activities offering two classes of 35 students each Primary and Secondary fast-track education (equivalent to “Ensino Fundamental” and “Ensino Médio” in Brazil).

The success of the first cycle led Fight for Peace to open two additional classes, increasing the number of participating young people to 140 young people every year. The programme supports young people ranging from 16 to 29 years old who have been at least two years without studying and its success in the local community has meant there is currently a waiting list of over 300 people, something which also illustrates the lack of educational opportunities in the region. Similar to the Open Access project, students from Pathways have to attend weekly Personal Development sessions which, combined with individual mentoring from the social support team, offer broader learning and a stable base of support.

Since 2009, more than 500 students have already benefited from Fight for Peace’s support. There are an insufficient number of schools to support the people from this age range in the local area and so New Pathways has become an important tool for the development of the community.

The Pathways Education to Employment Project was first designed and implemented in the UK in 2008 and has since been taught every year at the London Academy. Initially it consisted of only one programme, Module 1, but an additional course, Module 2, was developed towards the end of 2010 and delivery commenced in March 2011. Both courses are designed to attract the most hard-to-reach and vulnerable young people between the ages of 16-25 years, who have dropped out of the formal education system, to return to their studies. The courses offer numeracy and literacy training and support; courses in nationally recognised education and training qualifications; individual mentoring and support; personal development classes; job training and workshops; careers guidance and advice; boxing and martial arts coaching.

Furthermore, Module 2 includes the YMCA Gym Instructor Level 2 qualification which is the best recognised qualification within the fitness industry. The aim of Pathways is to provide the necessary training and specialised support to help young people successfully access the job market. After completion of Module 1 or Module 2, participants are supported by staff to secure internships and/or job interviews at companies in line with their interests and ambitions.