By Marisa Glassman | visitor
Marisa Glassman is GlobalGiving's Business Development Manager. She recently traveled throughout Brazil and visited a number of GlobalGiving projects. On May 1st she visited "Mobile Rede Jovem: SMS for social change in Brazil." When asked what she would tell her friends about this project, Marisa said: "Incredible: You need to see this!"
"I had such a lovely morning visiting with the ladies (and one gentleman) at Rede Jovem! They truly have their finger on the pulse of what is important to Brazilian youth, and have found innovative and effective ways to reach them.
"Rede Jovem, which was started in 1999, began as an organization bringing technology to youth via computer labs and technology centers. But because of the relatively small amount of Brazilian youth who do not have regular access to computers or the internet, and the ever-growing proportion of Brazilian youth who have access to mobile phones, Rede Jovem decided to expand their services to SMS text messaging. Through outreach in local communities, Rede Jovem finds youths (ages 15-24) who are interested in entering the job market but do not have the skills or means to do so. Interested youths sign up and create profiles of the types of jobs and information they’re interested in receiving, and the Rede Jovem team sends them information about employment opportunities, vocational training, and other issues relevant to their interests and needs.
"Rede Jovem has figured out a way to successfully use a medium that many large corporations have yet to use effectively: SMS text messaging. This low-cost but highly effective and direct means of communication can really benefit from your continued support. I was very impressed with their work overall and am so happy to have met them in person. "
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