Sustainability in the eyes of children and young people

Sustainability in the eyes of children and young people
Sustainability Workshops 2007
Cleiton
Renata
Michael
Presentation
While developing actions to enhance its management by improving processors, honing
policies and strengthening relationships with stakeholders Banco Itaú also strives to
disseminate the concept of sustainability. In addition to bringing about positive social
impacts through our financial activities, we believe it is our duty to be involved in the
transformation of society and ensure progress toward sustainable development.
Since 2000, Fundação Itaú Social has played a fundamental role in this process as our
mobilizing and educational arm facilitating direct contact with Banco Itaú and its values for
children and young people in communities all over Brazil. In its everyday work, the
Foundation relies on the invaluable support of several partner institutions working together
for the ideal of building a fairer and more balanced society.
Our investments in projects and initiatives all over Brazil, and the work of thousands of
professionals dedicated to the mission of contributing to the critical sense of children and
young people in relation to the world we live in, have gradually been getting results.
Sometimes an uncomplicated drawing or a piece of writing made by a teenager can tell us a
lot about the work that we are doing. Are we succeeding in reaching our goals? You may
draw your own conclusions on the basis of the work shown below, which was done by
participants at the Sustainability Workshops we held in January 2008.
Objectives and method
Disseminate the concepts of sustainability and encourage young people to reflect on the
urgent need for change in our habits, relating small gestures of everyday living to the cause
of environmental conservation and life on the planet.Those were the main objectives of the
Sustainability Workshops, which were the fruit of a partnership between Itaú, Cenpec and
Instituto Akatu.
These 16 workshops held in January 2008 involved 249 children and young people who
took part in social projects supported by Fundação Itaú Social in the cities of Campinas (SP),
Lucena (PB), Osasco (SP), São Paulo (SP) and São Raimundo Nonato (PI).They were
encouraged to think about sustainability and conscious consumer behavior and then
present their ideas in writing or as drawings.
To convey the messages to these young people, Cenpec and Akatu trained 22 educators
from the following organizations: 7 de Setembro, Kolping, Pombas Urbanas, Projeto Gente
Nova, Associação Eremim, Apôitchá, Fundham, AVIB and Plugados na Educação.
Responsibility
Urgency
Action
Statements
“Partnership between Itaú, Cenpec, Instituto Akatu and the
organizations involved gave us a rare opportunity to sow the seed
of consumer awareness in the hearts of these young people.”
Helio Mattar,Chief Executive Officer of Instituto Akatu pelo Consumo Consciente.
“It was very important in broadening these young people's outlook
on the world and helping them acquire more critical perception of
their own reality and how to transform it. ”
Anamélia Nascimento,educator for Plugados na Educação.
“Working with the theme of sustainability was a very pleasant
experience.The young people interacted and raised issues from
their own everyday lives for discussion.”
Fabíola dos Santos Guimarães,educator for Comunidade Kolping São Francisco.
“We need education, art, culture and spaces for reflection,
information and exchange of knowledge such as this one provided
by the Sustainability Workshops.”
Juliana Motta,educator for Instituto Pombas Urbanas.
“Encouraging children, teenagers and adults to raise their level of
awareness is no easy task, but if each of us does his bit there will be
major changes.”
Aline Maria Alves,educator for Projeto Gente Nova.
“The world for a drop of water.”
The message in one of the pieces of works below expresses the
urgent need to transform attitudes, because our planet is already
showing signs of exhaustion. Too much garbage in one place,
shortage of natural resources in another. Thinking about the critical
situation facing the planet prompts us assume our responsibility for
the present and future of society.
I am in the year 2066, I am now too old to survive, and I can only tell
you about the latest incidents that have occurred.Whoever reads
this, if they are still alive, will see how far men went with their gold
and their haughtiness.
Now it is water that has occupied this place in the heart of the same
man that once loved gold more than nature, and devastated it in the
name of capitalism.Today, seeing a tree is a source of pride; having
water is a great glory! Having a home with one liter of water a day is
reason enough to be happy, the only companies that have survived
are the water companies; people who used to wear fashionable
clothing can now own only 6 items of clothing per person.Today
there are more diseases, such as infection in urine, and women no
longer have beautiful hair.
We no longer have the right to take a bath, we use oils to clean our
body, and there is no peace on Earth.
My daughter's questions remind me of the time of my childhood,
how we so carelessly wasted water without worrying about the
future of other people. Most wars are fought over water, or the
shortage of water in other places.
Whoever reads this letter, please remember that in 2070 there will
be no young people, only old-young people, because a 20 year-old
today looks like a person aged 40. It's all over, there is no more life on
Planet Earth.
author:
Giovana Canaza Choquehuancas
aged 17
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Plugados na Educação
I am to blame myself and my generation, if I could go back in time it
would be a different story it did not depend on governments, and it
depended on us. Do something about it, do your bit!
São Paulo - SP
Sustainability Workshops 2007 Banco Itaú Holding Financeira S.A.
author:
Tarcila Rodrigues Menezes
aged 18
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Casa dos Meninos
São Paulo - SP
Legend:
The world for
a drop of water!
Legend:
Waste
Destruction
Inequality
Consumerism
Irresponsibility
When will this end?
I am afraid!
author:
Jaiane Lucio de Santana
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Kolping
São Paulo - SP
aged 19
Legend:
Global warming.
It is happenning now.
author:
Everton Gabriel
aged 17
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
ONG 7 de Setembro
author:
Ana Paula Silva
São Paulo - SP
aged 17
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Casa dos Meninos
São Paulo - SP
Legend:
The planet is gradually dying.
author:
Rafael Costa Pantoja
aged 12
Project: Canto das Letras
Shortlisted for the 2007 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO:
Instituto Pombas Urbanas
São Paulo - SP
Legend:
How hungry I am!
Go to sleep, you won't feel hungry then.
Sustainability Workshops 2007 Banco Itaú Holding Financeira S.A.
Realizing that all our actions have consequences for
society and the environment is fundamental. The
children and young people that grow up with this idea
will have more opportunities to become involved and
build a more sustainable society through their actions.
Sustainability
We came here to talk to you
about sustainability
wichi is a theme to be studied
so that our environment may be saved.
For this to happen
learning about it is important.
Sustainability is an action
that we should take
so our planet we will protect,
children, young people and adolescents
being aware as consumers
think about the environment!
Consume carefully
so that water does not vanish,
take care of your heart and think in the next
generation!
author:
Manoel Ventura de Assis Neto
aged 12
Project: Pró-Arte Fumdhan
National winner 2007 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO: FUMDHAN Fundação do Homem
Americano São Raimundo Nonato - PI
Legend:
The time has come
for us to be more aware.
author:
Harry Conceição dos Santos
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Kolping
São Paulo - SP
aged 17
Sustainability and conscious consuming
author:
Alexandre Ribas Corrêa
We all know that we are consumers to some extent, some
less and others more. But everybody has to do their bit
ecologically to protect the world.
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
Some people will not give up even a little of their power,
even knowing that the Earth is a target for their
destructive activities.
NGO:
Plugados na Educação
aged 18
São Paulo - SP
Other are less to blame, but some people ride cars when
they could use public transport at least once a week or
more, use a bicycle if it's not far.
Many other people drop paper on the ground without
even caring about with may happen, and there are those
who consume too much, being individualistic and not
thinking about other people, so we should be thinking
about what we have to do for a better world.
I think sustainability is very important and indispensable
for our future, we have to save today so there is
something there for tomorrow, and we have to realize
that we must give nature time to reproduce, because
otherwise that we cannot survive.
We need the water, energy, and food produced by
nature.We must use them carefully so that in the future
our children can also survive and - without overdoing
things - enjoy the benefits the Earth has to offer!
Legend:
The great effort we have been making to
combat an evil that we ourselves caused.
author:
Rodrigo de Cássio Calado
aged 18
author:
Liliane de Melo Silva
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Kolping
NGO:
Casa dos Meninos
São Paulo - SP
aged 17
São Paulo - SP
Sustainability Workshops 2007 Banco Itaú Holding Financeira S.A.
author:
Jéssica Andrade
aged 17
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Casa dos Meninos
São Paulo - SP
Legend:
Why not take care of the Planet since this is where we live?
It is the same as not clearning the home you live in.
Legend:
Take good care of your planet.
author:
Tábata Camila da Cruz
aged 18
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
AVIB São Paulo - SP
author:
Joelmerson de Oliveira Santos
aged 16
Project: Rede Participativa
1st place, 2005 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO: Associação de Apoio ao Trabalho Cultural,
Histórico e Ambiental - APÔITCHÁ Lucena - PB
Legend:
Nature is life.
author:
Jeferson Gonzaga de Lima
aged 14
Project: Rede Participativa
1st place, 2005 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO: Associação de Apoio ao Trabalho Cultural,
Histórico e Ambiental - APÔITCHÁ Lucena - PB
Legend:
Everybody helping the Planet.
It will thank you.
author:
Iderlan de Souza
aged 22
author:
Aline Silva
aged 17
Project: Pró-Arte Fumdhan
National Winner 2007 Itaú-Unicef Award
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO: FUMDHAN Fundação do Homem
Americano São Raimundo Nonato - PI
NGO:
Plugados na Educação
São Paulo - SP
Sustainability Workshops 2007 Banco Itaú Holding Financeira S.A.
What can we make, in our day by day, to reduce our
impacts to the environment? Small things - if everybody
has the right attitude - can gain the scale the planet
needs. Our young people are learning that recycling
garbage is worthwhile, so is using public transport, and
saving water. Our own future depends on the choices we
make!
About Sustainability
So, what I thought was...
I liked it a lot because it helped me think more about the issue, but I didn't know
that it was called “sustainability.”I thought about that a lot, so now whenever
I brush my teeth, chew on candy I really think about this, and when I saw my
friend dropping litter on the ground I told him not to drop it.
Well, this helped me to think more about what seemed to me would be the
“Apocalypse”when we saw those images of the future. I was already imagining
drowning or being burned by the sun, or eaten by a shark etc.
But I hope that none of that happens. But of course it is not just me, even if there
is somebody dropping a candy wrapper on the ground they never even think
about “Sustainability”, even though are dropping litter, it may be lack of
awareness, but I want everybody in the world to do everything good, for
example not dropping litter in the street, those kinds of things.
Hopefully I won't do anything bad now, and nor will other people. Let's hope
other people become more aware and stop making things unsustainable.
author:
Rosana Oliveira da Silva
aged 19
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Casa dos Meninos
author:
Francisco Estanislau Uribe
aged 14
Project: Canto das Letras
Regional Winner 2007 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO:
Instituto Pombas Urbanas
São Paulo - SP
Sustainability...
means using things without overdoing it,always thinking that
everything we have today may not be here tomorrow,since the
way we are acting our planet is going from bad to worse,and in a
few years time maybe life will not be able to exist on our planet.
But I think there is a solution to this problem,we just have to start
thinking of the future - which is not for us alone since other
people too want their descendants to continue existing too.
São Paulo - SP
Shall we all get together to fight for life to continue existing?
Legend:
After
Landfil transforming
Before
Deposit of garbage and rubbish prohibited
author:
Daniela Andrade
aged 20
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
7 de setembro
São Paulo - SP
Planet Earth
Great Planet Earth
but small too at the same time.
Small in the willingness to help and interest
shown by everybody, and those who have the power.
But the recovery of the planet is not happening
because we are thinking that one day there will be a solution today.
And not tomorrow.
author:
Francielle Pinheiro da Silva
aged 17
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Plugados na Educação
For us to sow things on the planet we need soil.
To have life we have to change.
For this change the world has to be different and looked after more.
So that in the end the world will be better.
For the best, let the force grow among the small people
and reach to the beginning of this goal.
São Paulo - SP
Sustainability Workshops 2007 Banco Itaú Holding Financeira S.A.
author:
Tábata Camila da Cruz
aged 18
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
AVIB São Paulo - SP
Legend:
Planet Earth is sick...
We are the cause of it...
But we are the doctors too!
Think about that!
author:
Jeferson Gonzaga de Lima
aged 14
Project: Rede Participativa
1st place, 2005 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO: Associação de Apoio ao Trabalho Cultural,
Histórico e Ambiental - APÔITCHÁ Lucena - PB
Legend:
Paper, metal, glass, plastic.
Planet endangered
Knowing that the power to choose can have an influence for a better world is
important.
Let us build for tomorrow today, be more careful, and conserve nature...
It all depends on us being aware of our actions and their consequences.
Fighting for our rights and duties is citizenship too.
Be a citizen.
author:
Jeane Benevides
aged 18
Project:
Jovens Urbanos
NGO:
Casa dos Meninos
São Paulo - SP
Legend:
Leave your car at
home and use
other means of
transport such as:
Legend:
Have residents learn to put garbage
and separate recyclabe garbage.
Legend:
Reuse products
such as cooking
oil to make soap.
Legend:
Save water and reuse it to wash
your back yard, sidewalk, car etc.
authors:
Cleiton Soares da Silva aged 14
Michael dos Santos Silva aged 17
Renata da Silva Lima aged 11
Project: Eremim:tecendo novos caminhos
3rd place, 2005 Itaú-Unicef Award
NGO: Eremim
Osasco - SP
Sustainability Workshops 2007 Banco Itaú Holding Financeira S.A.
Cleiton, Michael and Renata of the project Eremim: tecendo novos caminhos got
together to produced the four pieces of works on the opposite page showing attitudes
people must have in order to consume responsibly, create less garbage, travel or
commute more rationally and save water.
It is only when people get together around a cause - just like Cleiton, Michael and Renata
- that challenges as big as the ones involved in the issues of sustainability can be tackled
successfully. Let's hope this path is followed by the future generations who will be
steering the course for Brazil.
This insert is an integral part of Banco Itaú Holding Financeira's 2007 Sustainability Report and
was printed on recycled paper with ink from vegetable oil extracts.
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