Guia Cultural da Costa Verde

Paraty • Paraty

BIBLIOTECA CASA AZUL

Educational actions for children and young people during the entire year, crowned by the Flip

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With noteworthy activities in Paraty, Associação Casa Azul has undertaken projects of great social and educational relevance to the town’s population. Under the management of its creators Mauro Munhoz and Isabel Costa Cermelli, a local resident better known as Belita, its history goes back to 1994 with a project intent on sponsoring actions aimed at sustainable urban planning, which increased its concern with the local population’s requirements.

With its mission of improving the quality of life, in particular the lives of the region’s children and young people, Associação Casa Azul was converted into an OSCIP (Public Interest Civil Society Organization) in 2003 with offices in São Paulo and in Paraty, and expanded its activities into cultural productions, while preserving Paraty’s historical and natural heritage. Among Casa Azul’s achievements with the greatest impact, the Festa Internacional Literária de Paraty – Flip is certainly a highlight.

Since 2003, it has become a key event in the town’s annual calendar and attracts thousands of visitors, converting Paraty into a reference destination for cultural tourism. However, more than merely a literary event, the Flip is a cultural expression on the way to its 13th edition. Its underlying theme in Paraty appears not only during the five traditional festive days, but during all 365 days in the year, by means of permanent educational actions conducted by Biblioteca Casa Azul. This entity was organized in 2005, and since 2013 Biblioteca Casa Azul has had its seat in Ilha das Cobras, a densely populated district off the beaten track for visitors, providing facilities open to the population and confirming day by day its vocation as a cross-functional cultural center and meeting place.

It currently receives on average 1200 visits every month and provides a collection of over 12,000 books.

Among its projects, there are daily reading sessions that also include the children in the town’s hospital.

Its educational programs include workshops for children and young people, such as lessons in corporal expression, arts, musical initiation, production of literary texts, audiovisual productions, audiovisual philosophy classes and studying for the Enem (national proficiency exams). With its key focus on adding value to the local identity and preparing readers, Biblioteca Casa Azul acts jointly with the town’s schools and encourages the reading habit, the training of teachers and organization of literary and artistic courses and workshops.

It also supports school and community libraries by means of book and furniture donations, and by exchanging experiences. Visits to the library are free and scheduling is recommended for large groups.

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