VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY

A teacher spotted Rene Silva's talent for writing when he was just eleven and encouraged him to set up a community newspaper. Rene accepted the challenge and took on publishing Voz da Comunidade (Voice of the Community) and he soon realised that the monthly newspaper could help his neighbourhood. Rene lives on the edge of Rio de Janeiro in a favela, a poor town that used to be controlled by armed drug gangs. Rene's newspaper quickly became a vehicle for protest about the poor conditions in the favela and gave a voice to local residents who were campaigning to make the community a safer and better place to live.

But one Saturday morning, Voz da Comunidade was transformed from a small local newspaper into Brazil's most popular source of information. The government had decided to force the drug dealers out of the favela and had sent soldiers onto the streets. Journalists from the mainstream media waited outside the favela for news, but Rene and his team of teenage reporters were in the middle of the action. Using their mobile phones to film and take photos, the Voz da Comunidade Twitter account suddenly had thousands more followers than usual and Rene's reporting was praised by the mainstream media. More importantly, it started a debate about how the government should help the inhabitants of Brazil's hundreds of favelas. Rene and the Voz da Comunidade brought positive change to the community.


1. How did Rene Silva get involved in journalism?

2. What was the purpose of the newspaper Voz da Comunidade?

3. Where did Rene live, and what was his neighborhood like?

4. What major event changed the newspaper’s role?

5. Why did the newspaper gain national attention?

6. What impact did Voz da Comunidade have on Brazil?