They shine in the summer under the imprint of the carnival parades in the neighborhoods. There is no children's carnival in the country like this one, where inclusion, solidarity, play, and the rhythm of samba complement each other to give birth, in this way, to our "Pequeños Duendes". Organized by the Carnival Entity and the Neighborhood Workshops Coordination of the Municipality of Concordia together with the Conased Foundation, today the 14 "Pequeños Duendes" troupes are part of the municipal state policies that Mayor Cresto promoted with a focus on integration and inclusion. This weekend is the first parade.
Through the "Pequeños Duendes" Carnival, not only is the cultural and artistic promotion of the participating children carried out. It allows for the creation of instances in which educational and nutritional monitoring of each participant is performed. "What we want most is to get them off the street, so they don't grow up among things that are not good, that's why we try to keep them away from those bad things and let them enjoy their childhood," pointed out Lucrecia Benítez, from the Capullitos troupe.
Each activity organized for children seeks to help them grow in an environment conducive to them, thus allowing them to develop socially, since these instances are an instrument of communication and childhood socialization, which achieve affective-emotional development: sharing with other children promotes affective and emotional balance, therefore cognitive development, so they can create and develop mental structures, promoting creativity, and finally psychomotor development, since the child enhances the development of the body and senses with these activities.
We were all children and we know the importance of play in childhood; the child does not play to learn, but they do learn while playing. Lucrecia pointed out that "for them, it means a lot to be in the troupe, because they have fun, they play, and thus they learn to respect others; the meals that are prepared are to unite them and teach them to share."
For his part, Cristian Martínez, responsible for the "Fantasía Carnavalera" troupe from the Pancho Ramírez neighborhood, pointed out that in this municipal administration he has managed to have five social programs with the children of his neighborhood and the area. "We not only dedicate ourselves to working with the children in the carnival, but we are with them all year round; we carry out almost all activities at the 'Miguitas de Amor' CDI thanks to the impetus of Mayor Enrique Cresto and with all the support of Guillermo Echenause and Miguel Gallo, putting children first," expressed Martínez.
Andrés Aguilar, Gabriela Solís, Liliana Salinas, Nieves Ocampo, Luis Ledezma, Joaquín Ruiz Díaz, Juana López, Patricia Godoy, Alejandra Goy, Rosana Lezcano, Carolina Ferreyra, Griselda Benítez, are the leaders of the children's troupes, who with great effort and constant dedication carry out the work with the children. More than a thousand children and adolescents from 4 to 14 years old find their place in each rehearsal, in each snack, in each afternoon that was designed to dream of a different future: "the children enjoy it in the best way, they go with great enthusiasm to dance and play the instruments," say the coordinators.
The troupes that will be part of the 2018 "Pequeños Duendes" Carnival are: Favela do Samba, Zamba Ará, ADUC, Irupé, Fantasía Carnavalera, Maravillas del Sur, Capullito, Su Comparsita, Los Principitos, Arco Iris, Los Peques de Cambá Paso, Arami, Atrapando Sueños and Los Cabezones y sus Amigos. In addition, in this edition, they have the advice and artistic guidance in workshops and classes from the Unisur troupe.
"We are finalizing all the details for the first parade, which will be this Sunday, January 14th, at the Costanera," invites Sonia Albornos, general coordinator of the "Pequeños Duendes" Carnival. "7 troupes will parade, and everyone is invited to have fun and be part of this family celebration," she calls.