Training for Youth with Disabilities in Brazil

Dear friends,

Meet Willian, a 22-year-old living in Curitiba, Brazil, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He discovered our POETA Center in 2022 through a friend he met while practicing Judo. Willian has always been passionate about research and technology, creating apps to promote inclusion.

Today, he is part of two technology groups: one for people with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, where he is developing an app to assist them in using smartphones, and another for people with autism and Down syndrome, where he uses a 3D printer to help with motor coordination for playing musical instruments.

Before joining our technology center, Willian faced challenges due to a lack of inclusion and understanding of autism in other environments. Thanks to your support, POETA has brought a new perspective to his life, and he is now focused on his personal and professional development. Most importantly, through POETA DigiSpark, Willian has taken various courses and has even secured his first job.

As for the future, Willian plans to continue his work in technology, participate in groups, and complete his education. He is also focused on improving his social relationships. YOUR support has helped him pursue his passion for technology, improve his skills, and achieve his goals.

Thank YOU for being a part of Willian's success story and helping him create a brighter future!

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your support and commitment to helping train people with disabilities in Brazil. The core objective of our regional program is to create new economic opportunities and to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into society.

With your contribution, The Trust for the Americas has continued strengthening one of its main pillars, education. Through the POETA program, we seek to create new ways to help participants establish their economic independence through technology. Thanks to our local partners and people like YOU, we have been able to positively impact the lives of hundreds of people in Latin America.

For instance, Beatriz, a young woman with a physical disability, tells us her story of overcoming challenges. She has received training in finance and advanced excel in one of our centers in Brazil. She has managed to obtain a position as an administrative assistant. Her family assures that Beatriz has gained independence and confidence. She aspires to continue her higher education and fulfill her dream of becoming a judge.

Beatriz is an example for all the people who find themselves in similar situations Today, she has a different reality thanks to her desire to improve herself. She incorporates all her knowledge in technology to open new career plans in today's labor market. 

Once again, thank you very much for your support. We will persist in working to make a difference in the Americas.

Dear Friends,

Do you know that one teacher may have the potential to impact the lives of around 90 other individuals? Microsoft estimates that a teacher influences about 3,000 lives per year. A pretty impressive number for such an amazing and inspirational job.

At The Trust for the Americas, education is the core of what we do. Thus, it has proved to be the most effective path to ensure access to more and better economic opportunities, especially for those who cannot find jobs easily. We are able to accomplish this thanks to partnerships and to people like you who have continuously supported us in transforming lives in the Western Hemisphere.

For instance, Ivani is a pre-K teacher in Palmelo, Goiás, Brazil. She is one of the many lives impacted by us with your support. Her participation at the POETA Center changed her life. It gave her more skills to improve her work profile and continue teaching more people.

Ivani learned from an early age that technology plays an essential role in one’s life, as she obtained her bachelor’s degree online. Nevertheless, during her training at the POETA Center, she improved her technological knowledge and now applies it in her job as a teacher and her entrepreneurship. As a result of this project, she was also able to continue teaching people with disabilities during lockdowns in her small town, Palmelo. Among other things, she expanded her business after completing the project.

Today, Ivani faces many different types of challenges. However, she is more aware of the importance of cultivating 21st-century digital skills in people and boosting her agricultural business to make Palmelo a better place to live.

We are grateful for your help. Through your support, we continue to make a difference in the lives of those in most need.

Stay tuned to learn more about these local heroes!

Links:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBVEi0S2mhQ&list=PLRCSe4mWDI-Apvh2XFHenzMPZlo8toGOQ&index=8&t=12s

Dear friends,

2021 was a great year at The Trust for the Americas! Your support was crucial in our endeavor to create a brighter future for more people in the region.

Thanks to our donors' support, we impacted the lives of more than 7,500 people in Brazil. Stories like that of Sonia are vivid successes to what we, together, can accomplish.

Sonia lives in Curitiba, Brazil, with her 17-year-old daughter. Sonia arrived at the POETA Center in Curitiba while being unemployed and scared that her new limitations, from a brain aneurysm, would hinder her from getting a job.

At the POETA Center, through our Project POETA DigiSpark, she learned about Computer Science, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and soft skills. She also took the Hour of Code, which helped her develop personally and professionally.

Thanks to her process at the center, Sonia not only applied for a job as a Sales Assistant at Wiser Educação, but she got it! She says: "I felt confident again and was encouraged to train myself and reinvest in my professional career. With this opportunity, I could also improve my daughter's quality of life.

Sonia plans to continue taking courses and acquiring knowledge at Centro Poeta. She's more encouraged and eager to develop more skills to accomplish her personal and professional life.

Once again, THANK YOU for supporting us! Stay tuned for more stories!

Dear friends,

We’re only halfway through the year but have already seen remarkable progress thanks to your incredible support. This year we have continued our efforts to reach vulnerable folks but have also started new initiatives like an Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Brazil. Through this Bootcamp, we have supported over 300 entrepreneurs in Brazil who are at different stages of their business, from those who are only just starting their business to experienced ones. We recognize that there are diverse interests and learning preferences with such a large group, which is why we provide training in different topics and through different methods, such as webinars, videos, podcasts, and discussions.  

The ambition to enable people to help themselves and others is also present at our POETA DigiSpark Centers across Brazil. Priscila is an example of how we are expanding our training opportunities to teachers and employees. Priscila works as a facilitator at the IDEAR Center in Maracanau. Because of her work, she was already familiar with online courses before starting her training. However, she felt like she could improve class activities and decided to enroll in the Digital Skills for Educators – Methodology for Virtual Teaching class in partnership with Eidos. This course allowed Priscila to learn new pedagogical methods to improve class dynamics and better connect with students, which reduced the number of students skipping a class. She was also able to monitor and manage the class virtually. 

Priscila claims that the training was critical for her class, as she now has more knowledge to impart to her students and in more efficient methods. She also claims that the course is more dynamic and engaging. Priscila did not know how vital digital skills were in an educational environment. Now that she sees the importance, she will add topics to her class related to the use of technology and is looking to pursue technology in pedagogy through her graduate studies. 

Training and encouraging staff and teachers will always be a priority for the Trust for the Americas and POETA DigiSpark. Doing so will ensure that we provide the best education to our participants and enable them to access the best opportunities. 

We once again want to thank you for all your support. Without it, we would not be able to reach as many people as we have, and more importantly, provide them with high-quality training that will empower them to improve their quality of life.

Thank YOU!