Teachers at the Paula Souza Center receive training to pass on concepts related to sustainability and the planted tree sector

Ibá, the Brazilian Tree Industry, took its first big step in the area of education with a project that has been in the planning and development stages for over a year. In partnership with the Paula Souza Center, a reference in technical public education in the state of São Paulo, Ibá exercised its mission to explore sustainability and positive aspects of the planted tree industry among young people, demonstrating the importance of this production chain to Brazil as a country and to the life of each person.

Throughout this process, 18 teachers were trained through materials which were specially designed to make it easier for educators to present the attributes of this sector. An intuitive and visually attractive infographic was created to combine information on sustainability, how forests contribute to this issue, and the importance of planted trees to the environment, economy, and everyday life in our society, in addition to new products that emerge from this industry and the technology it uses. Additional content can also be accessed using augmented reality.

It is no surprise that the project passed through this first stage with positive reviews. The pilot project involved 11 technical schools (ETECs) for students aged 13–17 in the eastern region of the city of São Paulo. Three thousand students were impacted directly and indirectly, and these in turn raised awareness among six thousand family members with regard to issues of sustainability in the industrial planted tree sector.

The results were inevitable: the Paula Souza Center commissioned a technical course from Ibá to be implemented in 2019 in all ETECs across the state. Besides addressing the image of this sector and avoiding the perpetuation of misconceptions among young people, the goal is to a create skilled workforce for the future of this industry.

Competition

As a way to engage students in putting the classroom concepts into practice, Ibá held a competition for students to propose creative solutions to problems faced by the schools using products derived from the planted tree sector. A total of 240 young people submitted more than 40 projects, nine of which were selected.

The winners were students from the Suzano ETEC, Micaeli Silva Santos and Sarah Antonia dos Santos Cremom, who under the guidance of their teacher Cesar Tatari described an application of industrial byproducts in the manufacture of roofing tiles. The announcement was made on December 6 at a ceremony that included representatives from the NGO Gerando Falcões, Hype 60+, and Feira Preta, rounding out a team that is united in their goal to provide quality education regardless of race, age, or social status. The winning project was featured on one of YouTube’s most popular education channels, Nerdologia.