Design for Change originally was developed and founded in India. Since its conception, it has spread globally, including to Brazil. The project has expanded to over 45 countries as of 2021. Design for Change encourages students and schools to focus on the sustainability of the planet through a variety of lenses. ‘Design For Change proposes the elaboration of projects based on a four-step methodology: feel, imagine, do, and share’. Students are able to design their own projects through the lens of equity, education, environment, citizenship or quality of life. The projects are all student led with the assistance of an adult supervisor. Groups create projects that are usable and sustainable in today’s world.

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Description of the project

The project idea is to travel to São Paulo, Brazil to visit the institution called Criativos da Escola. This institution was created in 2015 and incentivizes students to transform their reality by being the protagonist in their history of change. The program empowers children to be authors of their own histories as agents for change by strengthening their right to participate in the change of the world. The institute awards ‘prizes’ to schools or students around the world who would like to study and create an environmentally sustainable project. For example, there was a team awarded in 2021 from a city called Campos dos Goytacazes, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, that created a ‘bio pencil’: “Students developed a pencil from the waste generated from the use of other pencils. On one side, instead of a rubber, these prototypes carry a seed of sunn hemp, a plant used to fight dengue. By being reduced in size, this ecological pencil can be planted together with the seed and generate, in addition to a new plant, greater awareness against the disease.” Students submit their proposals to the institute in May and are awarded in October. In addition to visiting the institute, I would visit the school Centro Educacional Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora in Campos dos Goytacazes, to learn about the process of developing the plan, submitting the proposal and creating the ‘bio pencil.’

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Promote environmental sustainability

These findings would have a direct impact on the BGA community in several ways. First, to raise awareness of a global program such as this one, allowing students to write their histories and take control of the planet. Second, it would be an opportunity to connect our students with students and institutions outside of our country, bringing environmental sustainability to life and opening their eyes to a global perspective. Currently I teach ESL students who are new to our country, and they are able to compare life here in Boston with life in their hometown, however, it would be a fantastic experience to connect them with like-minded students from South America as well. An experience like this would bridge that opportunity for our students, as they will experience what their global peers are creating to make the planet a better place. Finally, I would be able to collaborate to generate ideas for the green exhibition with the BGA community, including teachers and staff who would be interested in working with a group of students to develop, apply for, and create a project. This would be an incredible choice for teachers to have for the BGA exhibition project.

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In my teaching, I would be able to incorporate more project-based learning experiences around

environmental sustainability. This opportunity would make learning English more organic, through

topics that are relevant and important in our students' lives. Besides that, many of my students come from

Latin America, are very creative, and interested in topics related to ways to solve or, at least, minimize the

impact of environmental issues we are facing as a global community.

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Goals

• I would like to consult with previous winners and return with their expertise in order to fully understand what BGA will be required to do in order to complete a successful sustainable project. I would like to model our program after the previous winners, while implementing our unique ideas.

• I would like to return with a rich experience for our school, in order to create a green and sustainable project for our community.

• I would like to understand what materials, resources and how much time the project will require from start to finish.

• I would like BGA to identify a team of students to create a sustainable project idea and complete the process through Design for Change, Brazil.

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Timeline

The project will begin in São Paulo, with a visit to the institute Criativos da Escola to learn about

the process and how international students may partner with the organization. Then I will travel to

Campos dos Goytacazes, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, to visit the school Centro Educacional Nossa

Senhora Auxiliadora. There, we will experience a winning project and learn how students created the

project, from the conception of the idea to creating the prototype to actual products. Finally, I will travel

to the state of Minas Gerais, to visit the school Escola Estadual Newton Ferreira de Paiva, where I will

meet with another winning team that transformed roofing materials by using bottles and packaging. This

group of students not only impacted their school but were able to bring it into the community. Total

travel time will be three weeks. The project will then be shared with staff via a PD, as the school begins to

think about and plan green exhibitions.