
to go beyond
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Campus b – To Go Beyond
Kia ora! Last July we virtually welcomed a group of students to the third edition of the Indigenous Rights program, offered in partnership with the University of Auckland.
This is a very special program for us that had its first edition in January of 2020, when we received the first group of students for an on-site program, funded by the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America!
We were honored to hear from our friends in Auckland that this first edition of the program was nominated for the GoAbroad Innovation Awards 2020, as a finalist in the Innovation in Diversity category. This program was a team effort and we are very grateful to have been part of this achievement. You can read more about the students’ experience here.
This time, we created a hybrid version of the program. Besides the classes, virtual meetings with Indigenous activists and leaders, we added a fun cultural element – a hands-on Indigenous cooking workshop, where the Auckland students teamed up to learn how to make a typical dish, taught by chef Kalymaracaya, and the famous Brazilian brigadeiro.
We also brought them a challenge: how can we help bring awareness to the many issues the Indigenous peoples of Brazil are facing right now? To help the Auckland students, we invited some Brazilian students to help contextualize our reality while working in multicultural groups to achieve their goal. We were honored to partner with ISA – Instituto Socioambiental to help students understand the current situation and think of ways to reach out to the people and bring awareness to such important issues.
University of Auckland student
The groups were free to create their own projects and the outcome couldn’t have been better! One of the groups created a website to bring awareness to the current issue of deforestation and fires in the Amazon, which affect not only the environment, but the Indigenous communities living in that region. The second group wrote a letter to Congresswoman Joênia Wapichana, the first Indigenous woman to be elected to congress in Brazil, sharing their support and concern about how Indigenous peoples are facing huge setbacks on policies and threats to their territories from illegal activities. Lastly, but certainly not least, the third group wrote an article about the conflicts of illegal mining and the environmental impact of hydroelectric plants on the ecosystems and Indigenous territories.
We were all impressed and with what the students presented, it was very inspiring and amazing to see their passion and the work they put into the projects!
During the 3 weeks of the program, students had the opportunity to learn about Indigenous rights in Brazil with guest lectures from inspiring Indigenous activists and leaders, while working in multicultural groups on a project in partnership with IEB – International Institute of Education of Brazil. This time, their challenge was: How can we help amplify and support the voices of the Indigenous women of Brazil?
Program Mentor and Secretary General’s UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change
Auckland students were invited to experience a hands-on workshop about Indigenous cuisine, where chef Deborah Martins taught them how to make moqueca and they were also invited to lunch in New Zealand, where they enjoyed Brazil’s famous feijoada, which helped them to get to know each other better and break the virtual barrier.
All groups did an amazing job and we could not be happier! It’s always an honor to be a part of this program and we would like to thank the University of Auckland, IIEB, Paloma, the students and all of our fantastic guests for another successful program. You can read more about the students’ experiences here. Ngā mihi!
Brazilian student
Campus b Team
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Rua Helena, 140 cj 103
São Paulo – SP – Brazil, 04552-050
+ 55 11 2679 0555