Stay focused on the essential skills already developed by the Institute, which are health education and promotion of corporate volunteering.
Communities are always consulted and projects result from actual demands. Projects are written by doctors, psychologists, biologists and teachers, but the language is simple, accessible to every social sphere and full of fun activities for better understanding and retention of concepts.
All activities of the Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) are supported by their “Strategic Alliances,” organizations which help build knowledge. We rely on the support of Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP), the Escola Viva, the ProSex (Projeto Sexualidade) of the Psychiatry Institute of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FM-USP), Instituto da Criança of the Clínicas Hospital – FM-USP, Companhia das Letrinhas publishing house and Hospital Sírio-Libanês.
All projects go through a pilot stage before being made available for large-scale multiplication. They are continuously reviewed and have annual editions.
They use low-cost materials for multiplication on a large scale.
Continuous assessments are made with directors and coordinators of institutions and schools and implemented by the operating staff.
Over the course of these 23 years, the Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) has developed a widely-accepted social technology. Our training programs and materials are very much appreciated by directors and educators from different institutions. We have been able to multiply projects on a large scale maintaining a high standard of quality.
Following observations made by educators, our projects was reviewed to make the educational objectives of each health education activity clear.
Over the course of two decades, we built new projects based on the acceptance of the previous ones. Listening to communities, we expanded themes and age groups.
In 2015, taking into consideration the demand of community educators and directors, the Executive Board made a decision to extend the age range for projects.
From 1996 to 2015 we directed our work at 0-to-12-year-old children.
Beginning in 2016 we started to multiply projects for 13-to-15-year-old adolescents. The first project for this age group is Educação Sexual (Sex Education). The project was written by biologist Célia Siqueira and reviewed by a group of psychologists with experience in the multiplication of projects focused on sex education and the care of adolescents. Prof. Dr. Carmita Abdo (PROSEX, FM-USP) personally reviewed the apostilles. Our sex education project covers knowledge of the human body, sexuality and reproduction, but it stresses the importance of self-knowledge and learning to understand and analyze our emotions. It attaches great importance to building self-esteem, teaches to seek a life project and tries to provide elements that can be used by adolescents to make decisions for building a better future.
Based on the result of this initial experience, beginning in 2017, we are adapting the Crescer com Valores (Growing Up with Values) and Viver Bem (Living Well) projects for the new age group.
Keeping the focus on its mission – to cooperate for the building of a healthier country –, the Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) works to strengthen children, adolescents, families and communities.