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Tatame Para Vida Project
Discipline, respect, and transformation that begin on the mat and continue throughout life
The Tatame Para Vida Project is an initiative that uses Jiu-Jitsu as a tool for education, discipline, and human development for children and adolescents. More than teaching a sport, the project instills values that accompany each participant both on and off the mat: respect, self-control, perseverance, and confidence.
Active for more than three years, Tatame Para Vida demonstrates that when purpose and care come together, transformation happens in a genuine and lasting way.
A story built with courage and purpose
The project was born from the initiative and commitment of Leonardo Nogueira, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt, founder and coordinator of Tatame Para Vida. In its early days, the work was sustained entirely by his own efforts, driven by the desire to offer children and young people a path of discipline, belonging, and opportunity through sport.
At the end of 2024, this journey gained even greater strength when Tatame Para Vida joined forces with Instituto Guirlanda (Instituto Anderson Furtado). The union of Leonardo’s dream with the Institute’s mission marked a new phase for the project, expanding its reach and strengthening its structure—while preserving its core purpose: to do more for children and adolescents in development.
A project that grows and adapts
Throughout its trajectory, Tatame Para Vida has gone through different phases and locations, always adapting to the possibilities and needs of the community. The project began in the facilities of a church in the Taquara neighborhood, later expanded to a covered area of a football field in the Malet neighborhood, and today operates in both spaces, increasing the number of participants served.
Currently, the project supports approximately 120 children and adolescents per month, offering regular Jiu-Jitsu classes in safe, welcoming environments committed to the holistic development of participants.
Sport, social care, and family support
Tatame Para Vida understands that transformation goes beyond the mat. For this reason, the project also offers free online courses for parents, guardians, and siblings of participating children and adolescents, expanding access to education, knowledge, and family strengthening.
In addition, whenever possible and according to identified needs, Instituto Guirlanda contributes by distributing food baskets to families in situations of greater vulnerability, reinforcing social care and the commitment to dignity in every household served.
Love that sustains and transforms
What drives the Tatame Para Vida Project is not only techniques or belt rankings, but a deep commitment to social work. This commitment is shared by instructors, volunteers, families, and partners who believe in sport as a powerful tool for real change.
Each child who steps onto the mat finds more than a training session—they find a space of care, guidance, and future-building.
Tatame Para Vida is more than a sports project.
It is discipline with affection.
It is education with purpose.
It is a daily fight for life.
Because when we teach values today, we transform destinies tomorrow.
Support this project
If this project touched you, you can directly support the Tatame Para Vida Project.
Your contribution helps sustain spaces of care, discipline, and opportunity for children and adolescents.
Donations are allocated exclusively to the Tatame Para Vida Project.