Young EcoLeaders of the Brazilian Rainforest

Dear donors,

In our last letter we told you the story of Rafael, and this week we thought we'd back up a little and give you a bit of the context that underlies our educational approach. It´s a little different from the traditional style still widely used in the public school system.

Until a generation ago, public schools, in rural areas such as ours, consisted of one or two room schoolhouses, presided over by teachers lovingly known as “Aunties” who would pass on whatever they had learned to a class of mixed ages and abilities. The infrastructure was almost non-existent, students were frequently kept home to work on the fields, and girls to help in the house, and the teachers themselves often had difficulty in getting to work due to the appalling state of the roads.

And yet Brazil was the home of one of the world´s most influential educators Paulo Freire (1921-1997.) Freire characterized the educational model in common use in terms of a straitjacket to produce citizens who conform. His philosophy was exactly the opposite, a style of education based on teaching people to transform their everyday realities.

While much has changed in the public school system over the past twenty years, teachers are still overburdened by the need to cram their curriculum into a four-hour school day, and work two or more shifts. Science teaching tends to be theoretical and children seldom stray beyond the confines of the classroom. This is where the EcoLeaders program comes in. 

We believe that learning happens when students develop an emotional connection with the environment in which they live. As they come to understand how climate change impacts their environment, we encourage them to discover their relationship with nature and develop their leadership qualities. At the same time, we support them as they become change-makers in their communities.

And our online program for Environmental Leaders as an extension of this as we work with students of all ages across the country. We hope that Paulo Freire would approve!

Thank you, dear donors, for helping make this possible. Between us we are raising a new generation of forest champions, to take care of this wonderful planet in which we are lucky enough to live. 

with love, 

Yasmin and the iracambi team