Good Education for 3,000 Brazilian Kids post Covid

We would like to invite you to get to know who the reading mediators who make up our team this year are and what they think. Reading at Schools is a program that encourages dignified employment for high school students in the region, in addition to ACER Brasil being a place where they socialize, get to know themselves better and acquire a greater range of skills and professional aspirations in the careers they desire to have after this 1-year internship – which is the first job opportunity for most of these young people.
We interviewed six reading mediators who work in several schools in the neighborhoods of Eldorado, Inamar, among others in the southern region of the city. There are three girls and three boys, all from state schools, residents of Eldorado or neighboring neighborhoods. Even though the activities started a little less than two months ago, it was possible to capture some advances, given the testimonies that the teenagers brought us, in their knowledge about the world of work, life project, citizenship, among other skills such as argumentation, cooperation and empathy.
Juliana is 17 years old and monitoring has been her first job experience. She studies the Environment at a technical school in São Bernardo do Campo (a city neighboring Diadema) and is interested in the area of biological sciences. “As a reading mediator, I'm learning everything from scratch. It helps a lot with personal interaction and it certainly makes us more empathetic because if you manage to get along with children a lot, you will manage with anyone ”, she points out. Her colleague, Nicolas, 16 years old, on the other hand, has had other experiences in the service area working in snack bars and in a carpentry shop. According to him, "the basis of the project is to encourage children, whether in creativity, imagination, to speak and express themselves better. It is very important. We see children making connections between the stories we tell and things in their lives.”
Some teenagers are also willing to share with us some of their professional aspirations and how the project ends up influencing them to think about new possible paths for adult life. “Here I am having a totally new experience, the reading mediation work is helping me a lot with my communication, I believe, and socializing too, especially in this first contact I had with the children. At least with my family, contact was never that close, and that made me think about other areas of life and professions that I hadn't thought of yet and that I find interesting, such as Pedagogy", says Rafael, aged 17.
The living conditions of many families in Diadema are historically marked by a city with high population density, intense growth in a short period, lack of urban planning and by social, income and race/ethnic inequality. In addition, according to studies by the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (DIEESE), in the last survey we accessed, from 2010, family income is the lowest in the region in the State of São Paulo and at least 30% of it is committed with housing. Almost 7% of young people aged 15 to 24 do not work or study. Unemployment in this same age group is the second highest in the region. In a scenario of abandonment by the government, dreaming of having a life with full access to basic rights can be a bold gesture. However, below, we will bring some reports about the dreams that mediators "dare" to have.
Alicia is 17 years old and determined to pursue a career as an artist. “Since I was a little girl, I've been thinking about going into the artistic field, I've always worked with that, but I'm also thinking about new areas so I don't have just one option if that area doesn't work out”, confesses the young woman. Nicolas explains that the stipend he receives has been helping the family and making him more responsible with what he spends. “The issue of having my money helps to take a “burden” off my parents, leaving them freer. I think it teaches a lot about responsibility too, how to handle money better, how to organize myself”. Juliana adds that starting to have her own money, she became more aware. “It teaches you to have priorities. You learn not to be inconsequential.”
Breno is the youngest of those interviewed, he is only 14 years old. Despite his young age and experience, he is already involved with his relationship with the children as well as possible career plans for adult life. “I really enjoy spending time with children because I am a very happy person and they transmit that joy to me too and I feel very energized with them”, and he adds “I was thinking of becoming a veterinarian because I think it's really cool to deal with with animals, and I also thought about the area of Information Technology”.
Other young people say that the experience so far has helped them in other aspects, which are more in the personal sphere of their lives, such as facing shyness and discouragement, as Evellyn, 15 years old tells us. “For me it's been a good experience too, I've been expanding my creativity and I've been taking away my shyness, in addition to helping me to speak louder and socialize with people. Staying with the kids has made me a happier person and I see a more colorful side of life.”
We thank you for your support and hope to be able to update you soon about the daily lives of the children and young people involved in the program. See you soon!