Empower 220 Futures: Youth Education in Brazil

The ceremony counted with the participation of the young people’s legal guardians and socioeducators from Instituto Reciclar

On December the 16th, educators, parents, legal guardians and young people gathered at Instituto Reciclar’s headquarters for the Class of 2024 Graduation from the Educational Program.

Over the past year, the young people began their technical formation, participated in the Mentoring Program and gained access to support workshops and our Educational Platform. The ceremony celebrated the completion of this cycle, with tributes to the educators and acknowledgements to the guardians, who supported the graduates throughout their professional development journey.

“Being chosen as the paranymph was the highlight of my journey as an educator at Instituto Reciclar. It was an unexpected gift that I gladly accepted, because this class was extremely special, caring and fun. It was a true pleasure to get to know these young people and to spend so much time with them.”, says Vivian Lavander, educator at Instituto Reciclar. 

Eduardo, the class valedictorian, says the graduation was a moment of gratitude. “The feeling that best sums up the graduation for me is gratitude, because we are closing a cycle in which we not only grew as professionals, but also as individuals. We realized that real connections are more important than walking alone and how much we have evolved, even when we doubt ourselves. We saw the pride of the people we love, who were moved to tears of joy.”, he says.

For him, Reciclar is more than a learning environment. “Reciclar is where I was able to build meaningful connections with classmates, and the professionals who work there. Here I became more professionally prepared and was able to see new horizons I have never imagined”, says Eduardo.

Starting in 2026, this class will start their first opportunities in the world of work. The young people will participate in employability support initiatives, as well as vocational courses and professional mentoring.

For Instituto Reciclar, the graduation is a special moment of celebration, as it allows us to see the young people’s growth and development. We know that this is only the beginning of a successful journey!

In 2025, 332 young people participated in our Educational Program, the highest number of beneficiaries we have ever reached. Additionally, for the first time, we offered two first-year classes in the program. Among the program graduates, we achieved a 94% employability rate, resulting in an average 70% increase in family income.

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