Comunidade
Rio Flow
EN
A volunteer high-fives children on the artificial pitch in Vidigal, in front of a goal and a wall covered in graffiti.

Community-based field-learning, internships & volunteering programmes

English through sport, arts and civic engagement in Rio de Janeiro.

English immersion · Sports · Arts · Social entrepreneurship · Internships · Research · Civic engagement

Explore our programmes University & institutional partnerships

Comunidade Rio Flow is a Brazilian NGO offering high-quality, free after-school language immersion for children and young people.

Based in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, we invite you to live in Vidigal, connect with local life and take part in meaningful programmes alongside an international community.

“Tamos juntos” — we're in this together.

Comunidade Rio Flow at a glance

  • children and young people engaged each week

    Free educational and extracurricular programming. Students do not pay a programme fee.

  • international participants hosted, most of whom stay for at least four weeks

  • local nonprofit & community partners

  • university students and interns hosted from Europe and North America

  • English immersion pathways

    Civic engagement workshops, sports and arts — plus a fourth pathway, the Social Entrepreneurship Programme, and internships, field studies and research.

Impact & reach

Our aim

is a two-way exchange.

International participants bring their skills and perspectives, and learn from and work alongside the local community.

A two-way model

  • Local community

    Children, young people, educators, entrepreneurs, community organisations.

  • Comunidade Rio Flow

    Professional coordination, educational programmes, local partnerships, international exchange.

  • International participants

    Students, interns, researchers, experienced practitioners.

Find your people in Rio

Our co-living space in Vidigal brings together 15–20 participants from Brazil and around the world. Most stay for at least a month, and many end up staying longer than they originally planned.

Life beyond the programme

Outside programme hours, the adventures continue. Head to the beach, go dancing, chase waterfalls and discover new corners of Rio together. There’s always something to do, and always someone to share the experience with.

Three languages, one community

Life in our co-living space unfolds across three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish. From conversations over meals to exploring the city together, everyday life creates opportunities to practise, exchange knowledge and learn from one another.

Stay for a few months, and you’ll pick up another language along the way.

A volunteer with long dark hair smiles up at a friend while sitting with others on painted steps in Vidigal.
Two friends lean in together, laughing, in front of a stone wall in Vidigal.
Two friends hug and smile beside a bookshelf in a community library.
Two friends in a painted Vidigal alley, one throwing her arms up in celebration.
The houses of Vidigal climbing the hillside, lit orange by the evening sun.

Vidigal

Stunning views, vibrant cultural life and a strong sense of community — a walk, bike or Uber ride from the beaches and mountains of the Zona Sul.

Where you'll live

Life in our co-living space

Share our house in Vidigal with fellow participants — united in a shared mission, and eager to enjoy the beach, go out to dance and embrace life in Rio de Janeiro.

Privacy curtains on all bunks, private rooms with en-suite bathrooms, a co-working space, an expansive kitchen and a rooftop terrace with views of Ipanema Beach, Dois Irmãos and Vidigal.

Explore the co-living space

Explore our programmes

Three English immersion pathways for children and young people, and a fourth pathway in social entrepreneurship.

This is community-based field learning: volunteers, interns and researchers take part in real programmes in Vidigal, Rocinha and the Rio de Janeiro public school system, alongside local educators and young people. No programme fee.

  1. Young people and volunteers sit together in a circle on blue mats, talking during a workshop. Civic Engagement WorkshopsOur World, Our Voice: English through dialogue, civic engagement and international exchange.
  2. A boy kicks a football across the artificial pitch in Vidigal while other children play behind him. Sport + EnglishFootball, volleyball, frisbee, recreation and games — where English becomes part of the activity itself.
  3. Seen from above, children and volunteers paint on a long strip of paper laid along a Vidigal street. Arts + EnglishTheatre, painting, creative workshops and dance, with local practitioners leading workshops.
A man and a young woman talk through a project at a desk in a classroom with blue walls. Pathway 04 · Social entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneurship Programme Practical work with grassroots projects and local entrepreneurs in Vidigal and Rocinha, in 4–12 week projects. More about SEP

Local professionals lead.International participants complement.Students learn.

Students experience English not only as a classroom subject, but as a language used through sport, arts, conversation and real-world interaction.

Each week, our programme aims to provide each child with around:

  • 1 hourStructured classroom English
  • 3 hoursEnglish immersion through sports, arts, games and cultural activities

How the education model works

A girl writes in English on a green chalkboard during a class.

Stories, impact & partners

Real activity with children and young people in Vidigal, Rocinha and Rio de Janeiro public schools, delivered with local teachers, coordinators and community partners.

See our impact

A girl in a checked, ruffled dress jumps to hit a volleyball in front of a brightly painted mural.
Two smiling girls with braided hair pose together close to the camera.
A boy in a yellow shirt sits by a volleyball net in a Vidigal alley.
A boy in a football shirt and a girl smile side by side in Vidigal.
A young girl in a checked, ruffled dress dances with her arms out.
Three girls pose together, laughing, at one of our activities.
Two girls sit together on a ledge, one making a peace sign.

Working alongside local organisations

We work with local nonprofit and community partners, the Vidigal community council and the Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro.

  • SER Alzira da Aleluia
  • AMVV — Associação dos Moradores da Vila do Vidigal
  • Prefeitura do Rio — Educação
  • Favela Bilíngue
  • UMPMRS — União de Mulheres Pró-Melhoramento da Roupa Suja
  • Arte D'Cor Vidigal
  • CSECR
  • Super Juntas

Students & volunteers

Join our programmes in Rio to volunteer, intern, take part in a field study or carry out research.

No programme fee

  • Around 12 hours of project work a week
  • Supervised by qualified teachers and coordinators
  • Shared house in Vidigal, or stay elsewhere in Rio
Volunteer with us
A volunteer in a football shirt passes a volleyball to a girl in front of a painted mural.

Universities & institutions

Send individual students, design a faculty-led cohort, or build a long-term partnership around your academic objectives and safeguarding procedures.

  • Internships, field studies, research, service-learning
  • 2027 Student Ambassador Programme — 10 places
  • Supporting documentation for funding applications
Partnerships for universities

Local organisation or community project? Contact the team directly.

A smiling girl stands at the front of a classroom beside a chalkboard.

Hear it from those who’ve been here

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