Gabriela Peixinho, director of Luta Pela Paz in Brazil, describes how the organization addresses the impact of armed violence on young people in Maré, a large favela complex in Rio de Janeiro. Founded 25 years ago, Luta Pela Paz developed its Five Pillars methodology—sports, education, employability, social support, and youth leadership—to build resilience and create alternatives to joining armed groups.

The organization’s work combines direct services, training, and advocacy to strengthen both individual and community wellbeing. It approaches mental health as a collective issue, anchored in local realities and designed to reduce stigma and increase access to care.

Luta Pela Paz’s work includes:

• Offering boxing and martial arts programs linked to personal development sessions on gender, race, and mental health.
• Using care diaries and a community care network (developed with UNICEF) to help young people understand and manage their mental health, and to train professionals to identify warning signs.
• Applying a theory of change centered on self-perception, relationships, and future outlook, using tools like the Upshot system to track progress.
• Training community-based organizations across Brazil and Latin America, including in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and El Salvador.
• Advocating for systemic change, including supporting the approval of a public policy for mental health services in favelas in Rio de Janeiro.

Peixinho notes that after using the care diary approach, young people reported that they understood that mental health matters and knew how to seek help from the protective network around them. However, structural barriers persist. The approved Rio policy was not implemented due to lack of funding, and Brazil’s fragile mental health system still struggles to absorb referrals. In high-risk communities, ongoing violence and security operations also disrupt daily life and programming.

Despite these challenges, Luta Pela Paz continues to expand its mental health methodologies to schools and share them with its international network, while promoting youth leadership as a key force in transforming community perceptions of care and resilience.