What is Joga Bonito? By: Muhammad Rahman (MSW, LCSW, Outpatient Therapist)
Porto Allegro, Brazil,and he was quoted
as saying that his father told him to do
the following: "Off the pitch, be an
honest and straight up person. And on
the field, play soccer as simply as
possible. One of the most complicated
tasks you can do is - to play simple.”
Often the hardest thing to do in life is to
be simple and do the most challenging
tasks simply. Trying to draw a parallel to
working with children and families in
Penny Lane, often we get bogged down
with the technicalities of the business and
forget about the most important aspect of
our work - enriching human life
through simple human interactions!
Maybe we can draw inspiration from
World Cup soccer.
Love life and love soccer!
PENNY LANE’S MISSION,
VISION, AND VALUE STATEMENT…
“What is Joga Bonito?” asks my 14 yr-old
client…
Having just experienced another season
of World Cup soccer - that which brings
many cultures and its colorful people to
the world theater like no other - one of
the most soothing metaphors that is
music to my ears is Joga Bonito. The
literal translation means “Play it
beautifully” in Portuguese. It’s more
than just kicking a round ball and having
it chased around by 22 ‘socceroos’ on a
green soccer pitch.
It is a phenomena, a unique and supreme
blend of uncompromising talents, mixed
with sublime, yet out-of-this-world ball
control skills, precise and accurate
passing, and the most important
ingredient of all - the passion for the
game. All this makes it a moving rhythm
equal to the Samba – a dance that is fluid
and rhythmic and contains the magic of
life- Joga Bonito.
One of my soccer heroes, a legend from
the Pantheon of the Soccer stars from
Brazil and Barcelona F.C., is Ronaldinho
Gaucho, the reigning footballer of the
year for 2004 and 2005. He was
reflecting about his late father Joao’s
influence on him as he was growing up in
MISSION:
Penny Lane’s Mission is to foster
hope and dreams by empowering
children, youth, and families
to reach their highest potential.
Residential News By: Trina Lewis (BodyWorks Fitness & Performing
Arts Studio)
VISION:
To be the leader in the child welfare, mental health, and social services arenas by setting trends that showcase our creativity and commitment to our communities.
Penny Lane residents have been given
the opportunity to work with BodyWorks
Fitness & Performing Arts located in the
central San Fernando Valley in the city
of Mission Hills, California. Bodyworks
was founded in 2003 by Trina Lewis,
former Talent Agent and Business
Director for fitness celebrity Kathy Smith. Trina shares more about Bodyworks in
her article below.
Although BodyWorks offers a variety of
dance, performing arts, and fitness classes,
it is through special programs like The
Healing Circle and Boot Camp where we’re
able to focus on alternatives for at-risk
youth. In these 4-8 week sessions, we
educate students about the importance of
healthy eating and exercise, stress
management, relaxation techniques, and
tools for conflict resolution. Additionally, we
support positive thinking, self-esteem and
(continues on page 2)
VALUE:
P erson and family centered services E mpowerment for independence N urturing natural strengths N ew beginnings Y es to cultural diversity
L asting changes A dvocacy for the needs of children and families N etworking and community outreach E qual access
