UniDiversidade das Kebradas is an experimental school nestled in União de Vila Nova, São Paulo, the second most violent city in the world. The space of UniDiversidade values local wisdom and practices for the development of youth, fostering of livelihood opportunities, as well as the strengthening of community bonds. The school’s objective is to bring together diversity, value the intelligence of the favela, and through this improve people’s quality of life and aim at community sustainability.
| ⧼rv-case:info-authors⧽ | Hermes De Sousa |
|---|---|
| Topics | Education, Social change, Youth |
| Case Report | Volume 1: "Stories of Regeneration and Resilience" |
Founded in 2000, UniDiversidade operates from five interactive and integrated centers that communicate, articulate and strengthen each other by creating a set of initiatives, namely: Art and Culture; Gastronomy and Nutrition; Environmental Education; Community Communication; Entrepreneurship and Income Generation; Ateliê Gambiarra.
The school seeks to create a community and democratic space focused on education, citizenship and work, which encourages the well-being of all. The pedagogical pillars of UniDiversidade are:
- Art-Education as an instrument of social transformation.
- Diversity: "UniDiversidade" is the most efficient way to combat all types of discrimination, respecting and coexisting with differences and promoting social inclusion.
- Innovation: Co-creativity and participation in the implementation and dissemination of socio-environmental technologies.
- Sustainability: what is socially fair, ecologically correct, and economically viable, in building legacies for the next generations.
- Ethics: respect for citizenship rights and people’s physical and moral integrity, as the foundation of relationships with transparency and responsibility.
- Faith: Believing in human beings, in their capacity for regeneration and transformation, hope, dissemination of love, humility, solidarity, joy, commitment to a new way of living and coexisting.
- Transparency: Considering it essential that society has access to information about our actions in the community.
One of the founders of "UniDiversidade" is Hermes de Sousa, who after being a chemical addict for 10 years, has been living with the community for over 20 years. On asking about the genesis of the school he said that after serving in prison, he was out of work for a while. He once went to a nearby landfill and started picking up some waste items. A group of children playing nearby went over and curiously asked, “What are you doing?” Hermes explained that he was collecting objects to create art. The children got excited and wanted to join him in creating artwork. This art community slowly grew and that’s how the New Union of Art was created, which is now UniDiversidade.
He realized that solidarity is the community’s biggest resource and was inspired to create UniDiversidade. This initiative was to create a new kind of entrepreneurial community that shares, exchanges, and creates a new mindset about how to make their own resources. Over a period of time, they brought together people from various races and gender and social groups with different religions and cultures.
One of the biggest problems in the periphery is the deep indoctrination of education. Schools are often viewed as tools for preparing students to enter the workforce and become productive members of society, rather than as places for personal growth and exploration. This has become the mainstream culture. Furthermore, there are significant disparities in the quality of education available to different socioeconomic groups. UniDiversidade has been challenging this system of education by emphasizing Educação Desenrolada, which is “education that is based on what to do with the resources that one has now”.
They have initiated various inspiring projects, such as the Mulheres do GAU (Womenof GAU) Group of Urban Agriculture, Flor de Cabruera, Escola Embaixo da Ponte (School Under the Bridge), and others. These projects focus on regenerating abandoned spaces, promoting sustainable agriculture, and recycling waste to create products. They believe that regeneration of spaces and resources can be achieved by looking at the community’s needs, and then taking action to meet those needs.
Some of the projects are elaborated below:
Mulheres do GAU (Women of GAU) Group of Urban Agriculture: This is an agroforest built in a landfill place. There are 300 types of plants, herbs and medicinal plants and they now have a gastronomy that is called resilience gastronomy where they are trying to bring back ways in which they cook traditional recipes. They teach community women children and schools ways to sustain life through this medium.
Flor de Cabruera: This is an enterprise that recycles waste to create products such as purses, bags, etc.
Escola Embaixo da Ponte (School Under the Bridge): This project tries to regenerate places that were once abandoned. Once, when Hermes was walking around in the neighborhood, he spotted a bridge that was unattended and forgotten. Being the curious person he is, he went and spoke with a few children about what they wanted under the bridge. They wanted a place to watch movies, an art gallery, a space to play basketball and soccer, and even a library. Hermes was impressed by their imagination and decided to make their dreams a reality. The team got to work and painted a wall under the bridge in bright, shiny white. This wall became a movie screen, and every week, the community gathered to watch films and have a great time. This space also became their art gallery which is open to the whole community. Ultimately, the idea was to collectively understand that we have the power to regenerate the spaces we live in. And so, the bridge went from a symbol of neglect to a shining example of what can be accomplished when people come together with a shared vision.
All the projects are usually initiated from the intersection between the public sector, private companies and communities. They are funded by private companies that receive a fiscal benefit by doing this social work. After 2 years of receiving funding the projects slowly start to self-organize resulting in them becoming sustainable. The women of the GAU project are entirely independent and self-sustained now, which is a huge feat for the community. They are now trying to establish a school of business, where business is taught in a different way.
An instance that Hermes mentioned was based on how some of the youth made a field trip to an ice cream parlor to study business. As they spoke with the ice cream seller, asking about his secret ingredients and the strategies he used to attract customers, one young girl piped up. She was from a family that made cheese, and she started talking about their business with enthusiasm. The ice cream seller showed interest in her cheese and even proposed a partnership. As they discussed the possibility of cross-selling each other’s products. The ice cream seller could serve cheese-flavored ice cream, and the girl’s family could offer ice cream toppings made from their cheese. The group was amazed at how collaboration could lead to mutual benefits. They realized that instead of competing, they could work together to expand their businesses and reach more customers. The young students left the ice cream parlor with a newfound understanding of how businesses could grow through collaboration and cooperation.
This case offers a concrete illustration of teaching in an alternative way, highlighting the benefits of experiential learning through real-world applications. Rather than relying solely on theoretical lessons and textbooks, the students were given the opportunity to engage directly with a local business owner, inquire about their strategies, and witness firsthand how businesses operate. Such ways of learning allow one to grapple with the intricacies of a subject more closely, fostering a deeper understanding and facilitating long-term retention of the acquired knowledge.
Key Lessons
Their new approach to education is rooted in spirituality, one that seeks to promote the well-being of all, strengthen community bonds, and foster a culture of care and sustainability. Their focus is on seeing the divine in each person by realizing that love is the bigger force of divine spirituality. By standing up for their beliefs, listening deeply, and expressing themselves in different ways, they are on a journey to build a community and instill a sense of belonging where they live.
Uni-diversity’s approach to education and learning is one that does not mirror the dominant educational system and instead embraces the unique characteristics of the local context and available resources. It accounts for the specific needs, challenges, and strengths of the community it serves. Rather than adhering to a one-size-fits-all approach, the focus is on tailoring learning methods that align with the cultural, social, and environmental aspects of the surrounding area. Such an approach seeks to foster a love for learning, cultivate a sense of purpose, and equip individuals with the skills and knowledge required to tackle the diverse challenges we face on a global scale.
This article is based on the interview conducted by the editorial team with Hermes de Sousa.