Translator: Elisa Santos Reviewer: Maricene Crus
Who here, ever, has been carried away by someone’s vision, about something?
Many people.
A few years ago, I had just finished elementary school,
with 13 years, at the time.
And I had decided that I would run for a place to study at the technical school.
But, being very young, I could not compete for this vacancy.
I despaired because there was more left for me
only the high school regarded as the worst in the region,
and that it was expressionless in all possible respects.
After much reflection on what people were saying to me,
I started to question myself about what was true
and what I could do to change that reality.
That was the challenge I decided to face.
Already in the first semester, I realized that much of what they told me
about school was true.
For example: the students were demotivated;
the school was inexpressive in relation to scientific projects;
the School Science Fair was compulsory;
and the students only did projects based on Control C, Control V, of the Internet.
And they still did it just to get a note.
Talking with a group of friends, we realized that this was the reason
the inexpressiveness of the school in relation to scientific projects
in the fairs of the region.
After months of thinking, we decided to create a project that was not based
in Control C, Control V, copied from the Internet.
We started talking and we created a project that took people
the knowledge about the history of our municipality, Cascavel, Ceará.
For, after field research, with residents, students,
we realized that 80% of the residents did not know the history of the municipality.
They knew nothing.
So after much work, after much research;
have been months researching, raising sources, going on the field,
we decided to create all that work within a string.
The cord is a very common literature of the Northeast
and that serves to energize and bring knowledge to people.
After we made this project, it’s time to present at school.
It was very tense because it was the first time,
but we worked hard, worked hard,
and we got the first place
and the right to represent our school at the regional fair.
Until then our school already had this right.
But when we got there, I did not want to go out with third place, of course.
We wanted to get out of there with the first, but we stayed with the third thought,
since we had never been able to.
And incredible as it may seem,
We left there with the first place.
That was the realization of a dream, because that had never happened.
So after we won the first place,
we had the opportunity to represent our school at a state fair,
which brings together the best projects in the state of Ceará.
We thought, “God, what are we going to do there?
But we went and did not let that upset us.
We wanted to show that, even though our school was the worst in the region,
could come out a nice project.
When we got there, we presented.
People were very fond of our project,
their eyes sparkled, and we were very moved by it,
because we wanted to be recognized.
And again, we got the first place and the right to represent
our school in a national fair.
We thought, “Oh my God, we can do it again!”
After that, we did not just want to present projects.
It was not just this transformation that we wanted.
We wanted to bring this transformation into our school.
I did not want this to happen to me alone, but to my colleagues, to the students,
both from my school and from the region.
So we went to talk to our director Iara, who is here.
She overpopulated and said yes:
the student should have time and voice in school.
She made a decision that was very shocking to teachers,
that was to let the students
participation in school decisions.
That is, everything decided at school had to have a student present.
In the beginning, the teachers were like this:
“Ah, the students will attend.”
They had resistance.
But later they accepted and said that the projects would have to be
developed from the problems of the community and school.
It worked very well. We got a lot of results.
After passing this methodology to our school,
we have been awarded in more than ten national and international scientific events,
and we were finalists and winners in the School Creative Project,
which is a wonderful project that talks about social activism.
We think we can not change,
simply because someone else thinks you can not change.
This is the case of “what if” …
Do not let the “whats” get in your way.
The world needs us to show that we can change,
that we can rather transform what is around us.
Do not let the “whats” get in your way.
Try, believe, dare, risk, err, but back.
We need it.
It does not matter if it will impact a thousand or a million people.
Believe, roll up your sleeves and do it.
Thanks.
(Applause)
Who here, ever, has been carried away by someone’s vision, about something?
Many people.
A few years ago, I had just finished elementary school,
with 13 years, at the time.
And I had decided that I would run for a place to study at the technical school.
But, being very young, I could not compete for this vacancy.
I despaired because there was more left for me
only the high school regarded as the worst in the region,
and that it was expressionless in all possible respects.
After much reflection on what people were saying to me,
I started to question myself about what was true
and what I could do to change that reality.
That was the challenge I decided to face.
Already in the first semester, I realized that much of what they told me
about school was true.
For example: the students were demotivated;
the school was inexpressive in relation to scientific projects;
the School Science Fair was compulsory;
and the students only did projects based on Control C, Control V, of the Internet.
And they still did it just to get a note.
Talking with a group of friends, we realized that this was the reason
the inexpressiveness of the school in relation to scientific projects
in the fairs of the region.
After months of thinking, we decided to create a project that was not based
in Control C, Control V, copied from the Internet.
We started talking and we created a project that took people
the knowledge about the history of our municipality, Cascavel, Ceará.
For, after field research, with residents, students,
we realized that 80% of the residents did not know the history of the municipality.
They knew nothing.
So after much work, after much research;
have been months researching, raising sources, going on the field,
we decided to create all that work within a string.
The cord is a very common literature of the Northeast
and that serves to energize and bring knowledge to people.
After we made this project, it’s time to present at school.
It was very tense because it was the first time,
but we worked hard, worked hard,
and we got the first place
and the right to represent our school at the regional fair.
Until then our school already had this right.
But when we got there, I did not want to go out with third place, of course.
We wanted to get out of there with the first, but we stayed with the third thought,
since we had never been able to.
And incredible as it may seem,
We left there with the first place.
That was the realization of a dream, because that had never happened.
So after we won the first place,
we had the opportunity to represent our school at a state fair,
which brings together the best projects in the state of Ceará.
We thought, “God, what are we going to do there?
But we went and did not let that upset us.
We wanted to show that, even though our school was the worst in the region,
could come out a nice project.
When we got there, we presented.
People were very fond of our project,
their eyes sparkled, and we were very moved by it,
because we wanted to be recognized.
And again, we got the first place and the right to represent
our school in a national fair.
We thought, “Oh my God, we can do it again!”
After that, we did not just want to present projects.
It was not just this transformation that we wanted.
We wanted to bring this transformation into our school.
I did not want this to happen to me alone, but to my colleagues, to the students,
both from my school and from the region.
So we went to talk to our director Iara, who is here.
She overpopulated and said yes:
the student should have time and voice in school.
She made a decision that was very shocking to teachers,
that was to let the students
participation in school decisions.
That is, everything decided at school had to have a student present.
In the beginning, the teachers were like this:
“Ah, the students will attend.”
They had resistance.
But later they accepted and said that the projects would have to be
developed from the problems of the community and school.
It worked very well. We got a lot of results.
After passing this methodology to our school,
we have been awarded in more than ten national and international scientific events,
and we were finalists and winners in the School Creative Project,
which is a wonderful project that talks about social activism.
We think we can not change,
simply because someone else thinks you can not change.
This is the case of “what if” …
Do not let the “whats” get in your way.
The world needs us to show that we can change,
that we can rather transform what is around us.
Do not let the “whats” get in your way.
Try, believe, dare, risk, err, but back.
We need it.
It does not matter if it will impact a thousand or a million people.
Believe, roll up your sleeves and do it.
Thanks.
(Applause)
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