PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL TRANSFORMATION
This is the column Who Makes Redes, a compilation of the stories of people who build our organization and who work hard every day to do what we do best: actions and projects for residents of Maré. Learn about these stories, trajectories, experiences and the history of Redes da Maré itself - and how this work and the challenges faced since the pandemic have transformed them.
Helio Euclides (46) is our memory journalist. He arrived at the organization along with one of the first projects, Not One Less, and continues on the mission of informing and telling stories about our territory with his work in the newspaper Maré de Notícias. This time, the story he told was that of the ties he created with Redes da Maré and the transformation that this work provided in his personal and professional life.
Helio was born at the Federal Hospital of Bonsucesso, like many “mareenses”, and lived a good part of his life on Rua Bela, at Parque Maré. Then he moved to Rua Ivanildo Alves, at Baixa do Sapateiro, and finally at Vila do Pinheiro. It was the approach to social work that made him choose the journalism course. Even before working with Maré de Notícias, Helio contributed to the newspaper O Cidadão, still in training on the profession.
The main moments of his professional and personal life, Helio spent with the organization, which he considers as a family. He also met his partner at work: Viviane coordinated ‘Not One Less’ and the wedding took place in the same year the journalist started working at Redes, in 2008. “I transformed a lot at Redes. My wife and I met and grew up here.” Their daughter, Angela Maria, inherited the comedian spirit of the journalist, she jokes: “what is a purple speck in Nova Holanda? It's Redes da Maré”.
During the pandemic, Helio worked with the production of information at Maré de Notícias and for him the biggest challenge was to transmit the correct information in face of so much news that the virus brought to people's lives; in addition to fighting fake news. In the days he collaborated with the distribution of food baskets, he also saw and heard things that impacted him.
For the journalist, Redes da Maré's work is fundamental and fills a gap in the territory. “When Maré was thought to have a UPP, I heard it would be difficult because here we have many institutions, such as Redes. And I think they have a fundamental role, because the government does not look how they should for Maré, there is a lot missing”. Helio highlights the plurality of organizations that operate in the territory and contemplate sports, education, culture initiatives, among others. Remember that Redes has the differential of working with several axes, in addition to communication. He emphasized a moment of extreme importance for the territory that relied on the organization's activities: the mobilization to guarantee more public schools, with the Maré We Want project.
Regarding the future, Helio assesses: “I think Brazil is divided: there are people who are taking care of themselves, but others are not. It is very difficult to know how everything will be in 2021, but economically it will be very bad, unemployment will continue to be high.” Let's fight together to improve this scenario, Helio!
