Awareness, tolerance, understanding and involvement

The warmth and emotional expressiveness of the Brazilian culture inspired former IT professional Phillip Wagner to found the Rhythm of Hope in Brazil. To Phillip, the vibrant, warm, and energetic culture seemed a welcome contrast to the North American world of cold, electronic communications to which he had become accustomed.

The original Rhythm of Hope website could be considered a fruit of the Rio de Janeiro beach scene of 1997. A Colombian artist in Brazil who spoke no Portuguese and had no money or income, Alonso Gomez worked on Rio beaches with poor children from the nearby, marginalized communities commonly known as favelas. On his original trip to Brazil, Phillip discovered Gomez and decided to publicize his efforts. He asked a friend to design a website and, soon after launching the site, he began receiving calls from musicians in Salvador who were using music to improve the lives of impoverished children in their high-risk, high-crime neighborhoods.

Since then, the Rhythm of Hope has worked in Brazil and virtually to develop a networked community of artists, social organizers, and volunteers from around the world. Out of this, the Rhythm has began developing its own model of humanitarian participation: Constructive Social Engagement and Facilitation.