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Strategic Play and a Strong Social Pact make Pelotas a Safer City

Paula Schild Mascarenhas, Mayor of Pelotas, Brazil, attended the Urban95 Academy in 2023 and has prioritised social policies that support children and their caregivers.

December 9, 2024

Anya Groner, Writer, Journalist, Teacher

When Paula Schild Mascarenhas was elected mayor of Pelotas, Brazil, in 2016, the city had an alarmingly high homicide rate: 30 murders for every 100,000 residents. Preventing violence, particularly against children, quickly became her top priority. In 2017 she created the Pelotas Pact for Peace, an initiative that addresses the root causes of violence through social policy that supports children and families. The programme, which includes expanding access to high quality early education, supporting construction of naturalised playgrounds, providing teacher training, and funding home visits for families with young children, has been highly successful. Over the next four years, Pelotas saw a 9% drop in homicides, a positive trend which continues to this day. Mascarenhas says that the Urban95 Academy, which she attended in 2023, has been instrumental in helping the city pilot these programmes. (The following interview was conducted over email and has been edited for length).

AG: Education, particularly early childhood education, has become a key focus in your violence prevention programming. Can you tell me how supporting early childhood development can reduce city-wide violence? What steps has your administration taken to enhance early childhood development?

PSM: Early childhood development is closely linked to violence prevention. In the “Pelotas Pact for Peace,” social prevention is as important as policing. We understand the significance of actions that address the root causes of violence in the long term. Studies show that children who receive adequate education, along with emotional and social support in their early years, are less likely to engage in violent behaviour in the future. Childhood is a crucial period for developing social skills, empathy, and emotional control, which are essential for peaceful coexistence.

AG: To raise awareness about Pelotas Pact for Peace, you’ve hosted numerous public gatherings like bicycle excursions, walks, and picnics. Why was it so important for city officials to be occupying the streets alongside civilians?

PSM: Community engagement is a crucial strategy for building a culture of peace. It transforms the responsibility for safety into a collective effort that doesn’t rely solely on public authorities. A “pact” requires everyone’s participation. We held meetings with various social groups, community walks with schools, and themed events to generate engagement in the program’s implementation and sustain it. Collaboration among community groups (schools, NGOs, churches, associations, and companies) creates support networks that prevent risky situations and promote effective interventions.

“In early childhood we can transform individuals, change destinies, and prepare our youngest residents to reach their full potential.”
Paula Schild Mascarenhas, Mayor of Pelotas, Brazil

AG: Why did you first get interested in creating child friendly cities? As mayor, why have you chosen to focus on early childhood development?

PSM: Implementing the Pact for Peace made me realise just how important social public policies are. The Child Protection Programme was a good start, but my experience with the Van Leer Foundation truly opened my eyes. It became crystal clear that early childhood should be our top priority at the city level. Armed with this new perspective, we created a new focus within our city government, making Pelotas a child-friendly city.

AG: How did your training at the Urban95 Academy influence your approach to policy and infrastructure?

PSM: By the time I attended Urban95 Academy, we were already working on our City of Children programme. I brought along colleagues actively involved in the project. Sharing ideas [with mayors and officials from other cities] was inspiring. It gave us the boost we needed to keep moving forward, particularly with our pilot project to create a child-friendly neighbourhood plan in Vila Farroupilha. We are revamping the neighbourhood’s infrastructure and giving children and their families a say in how the spaces are designed.

Photo courtesy of: Michel Corvello/Prefeitura Municipal de Pelotas

AG: Can you give an update on how that programming is going?

PSM: Vila Farroupilha was the location of the municipality’s first Child-Friendly Neighbourhood Plan. The Urban95 Academy training was instrumental in launching it. We involved the community through workshops and a play street event where children had space to express their wishes about where they live. We conducted an assessment of early childhood needs focusing on children’s perceptions to identify the main challenges in the area. Then we linked those challenges to the competencies of all municipal departments in City Hall. Our intersectoral approach addresses the diverse dimensions of child development, including health, education, leisure, and urbanism.

Last May, our state of Rio Grande do Sul experienced severe flooding that caused extensive damage to the people and infrastructure of several cities, including Pelotas. We faced a significant challenge. We’re finally resuming the development of the action plan with a focus on concrete measures to improve the quality of life of children and their families, with a keen attention to what the children told us. The plan includes the construction of playgrounds and the creation of other spaces for children to socialise.

We believe the pilot project in Vila Farroupilha will improve the lives of children and their families and build a fairer and more inclusive city, one where children’s voices are heard. In the long term, we hope to expand this program throughout the city, making Pelotas a model for early childhood policy.

AG: In an earlier interview, you said “To transform cities we need to transform people. To change people, we need to start with early childhood.” You’ve been working in Pelotas’s city government as vice-mayor and now mayor for over twelve years. How has that philosophy played out in practice?

PSM: It has been a long process of understanding, learning, and maturing. The city should serve its people, its greatest protagonists. Childhood, and early childhood in particular, deserve prioritised focus. In early childhood we can transform individuals, change destinies, and prepare our youngest residents to reach their full potential.

AG: What policy or changes are you most proud of? How do you envision child-friendly policy and infrastructure progressing over the next decade in Pelotas?

PSM: The Pelotas Pact for Peace involves all secretariats and highlights the importance of public policies focused on early childhood. It improves lives in measurable ways. Our policy is comprehensive, encompassing everything from strengthening bonds between parents and children and preparing young people for the job market to reintegrating former inmates into society, thereby transforming the lives of their families. We’ve reduced violence and homicides.

Looking ahead, the Municipal Plan for Early Childhood in Pelotas represents a historic milestone for the city with a ten-year horizon. By investing in the comprehensive development of children, the plan ensures a promising future for all Pelotenses. By promoting health, education, social protection, comprehensive development, and free play, we can build a more just, equitable, and prosperous society.

“By promoting health, education, social protection, comprehensive development, and free play, we can build a more just, equitable, and prosperous society.”
Paula Schild Mascarenhas, Mayor of Pelotas, Brazil

AG: In 2022, Brazil initiated Agenda Cidade, a UNICEF programme to reduce violence against children in cities throughout the country. How does it feel to see this focus happening on a national scale?

PSM: It’s very gratifying to see an initiative that emphasises giving a voice to children. We envision playful cities, pedagogical cities, accessible and inclusive cities, all of which contribute to building a child’s personality for their future. The UNICEF City Agenda is excellent. We feel hopeful for the future knowing that these policies will be even more successful as they are developed at the municipal level.

All photos courtesy of: Michel Corvello/Prefeitura Municipal de Pelotas.

Anya Groner’s award-winning writing explores the changing environment’s impact on community and equity. Her journalism and essays are featured in Guernica, The New York Times, The Oxford American, Orion Magazine and The Atlantic.