The Haircutting Course was held between August 18 to September 9, 2022, with in person classes occurring during the afternoon.
Sponsored by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), and carried out by Senac, the object of the course was to have the participants learn the haircutting craft, generating autonomy for the development and sustainability of their own businesses, individual or collective.
Around 15 indigenous individuals of the Warao, Taurepang and Wayu tribes, assisted by the Indigenous Cultural and Training Center (CCFI), benefited from the training.
The course is very complete and comprehensive, with the possibility of a lot of practice in all types of haircuts, with a direct projection to the job market. The techniques learned were practiced on the course participants themselves and their families.
The hairdressing instructor of Senac/RR, Angela Level, analyses: “the indigenous participants come from a different culture and arrive here with an open heart and mind for a new learning.”
“The men’s haircuts are very different than what is traditional here” – she explains – “so I can learn something different from them so that in the future, I can also pass it on to other students. And this is very special. The women’s haircuts are the same as ours. For me it’s an honour to receive them. And I see the happiness in each one’s eyes, as if they were children starting from zero, learning something different, and it’s something they’ll have for the rest of their life.”
The instructor affirms that the difference in the class is the human interaction and warmth. She notes that the students are very involved with everything they learn. “Here we have four hours straight with them, but it seems like those four hours fly by, because it becomes such a pleasant environment to be in and be able to exchange information, exchange knowledge that, when you pay attention, you realize the time has already passed,” she says excitedly.
Elaine Ribeiro, humanitarian aid volunteer of the Humanitarian Fraternity (FIHF), who followed the training, says that when the indigenous people went to register for the course, “they were insecure, but as soon as they started, we could see they were much more confident in themselves.”
New opportunities
Angela explains that at Senac/RR there is a Bank of Opportunities in which students who graduate from the course can enrol. From there, businessmen make a search and Senac selects professionals. “Here we make no distinction of nationality, of anything”, she clarifies. “Here we train professionals and for us, everyone is equal. The job market is there, very large, looking for these professionals.”
“At the end of the course, the CCFI offered the beneficiaries assistance with the preparation of personalized portfolios and other necessary guidelines for a professional performance in the area of beauty,” explains the humanitarian aid, Elaine.
Sharing and gratitude
“I’m very grateful to all of them,” continues Angela. Some of them, even at the end of the course, bring food typical of their communities to share with us here, and for me, this is priceless… We have some who are still living in shelters and are cutting hair there. They send me photos, you know…, so that is something that only someone who really likes the work understands”, she concludes.
