Catalytic Communities
Catalytic Communities (CatComm) is a Rio de Janeiro-based non-profit, think tank, and advocacy non-government organization (NGO) that conducts work in sustainable community development, human rights, communications, and urban planning. It is "one of the first online initiatives to share solutions to civic and social problems." Founded in 2000, the organization has been recognized in media news outlets, academic publications, and local communities for their work. Its stated vision is to "leverage social media, provide community training, and advocate for participatory planning and pro-favela policies with the long term goal of realizing the potential of Rio de Janeiro as a true example of inclusive urban integration".

CatComm gained particular media and news coverage following the Olympics in 2016 held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The organization influenced the narrative on the Olympics by publishing articles with community perspectives (in both Portuguese and English) and maintaining contact with international journalists through press conferences and social media engagement. It offered reality tours to journalists, described the complexities of the informal economy, and promoted community-based environmental projects. It was also widely known for eliminating the word "slum" to describe Rio's favelas, historic neighborhoods in Rio that were being threatened with illegal occupations and evictions. Instead, they argued that these communities were subject to misrepresentations around the world and should be instead referred to as favelas. It aimed to avoid blanket statements for describing neighborhoods as dramatized descriptions of drug trafficking and shanties, which didn't apply to the vast majority of favela residents. The RioOnWatch initiative was subsequently recognized as the go-to source for information on favelas in Brazil, particularly amidst the media coverage of the Olympics.
Q8678
Rio de Janeiro-based
LOC
Q163740
non-profit
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think tank
Concept
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non-government organization (NGO)
Concept
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sustainable community development
UNK
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human rights
Concept
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communications
Concept
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urban planning
Concept
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Olympics in 2016
EVE
Q8678
Rio de Janeiro
LOC
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Brazil
LOC
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Portuguese
Concept
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English
Concept
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favelas
Concept
Q693827
favelas
Concept
Q85750957
Catalytic Communities
UNK
2000-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2000
DATE
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2016
DATE
subclass of
country
point in time
country