Young EcoLeaders Protecting the Rainforest

Hello dear supporters, and we hope you are doing well. 

And just guess where our EcoLeaders program has touched down now?

Our coordinator Dayana recently traveled nearly six thousand miles to Denver, Colorado! She was lucky enough to have been chosen as a participant in an international exchange program organized by Partners of the Americas, and funded by the US Department of State. As you can see in the photo, she is feeling on top of the world! 

Over the course of three weeks, Dayana visited universities, high schools, innovation centers and outdoor education centers. It was her first trip outside the country, her first sight of snow, her first ride in a train. And it was an experience that, as she notes, was totally transformative. She worked hard, made a host of new friends, and returns to Brazil full of ideas on how to make our education program better than ever.

“My experience in the United States was amazing," Dayana says. “Every classroom I visited gave me fresh insights into participatory methodologies, practical activities, and innovative ways of integrating schools, local communities and the environment. Seeing my American colleagues at work opened my eyes to how we can incorporate dynamic strategies into our curriculum, connecting our program every more closely to the everyday reality of the students.”

Dayana’s presentation of her work in the rainforest was received with great enthusiasm by the Colorado students, and we can’t wait to see this partnership grow and flourish. We’ve already made plans to build on these contacts through setting up virtual exchanges between Brazilian and US students, and we're working towards hosting and sending students in both directions.

If you want to go fast, go alone, says the proverb. But if you want to go far, go together. Thank you, Partners of the Americas, and, as we say in Brazil “Tamo junto” – We’re in this together.