The Cycle of Transformation- Part II

Paulo Freire, patron of brazilian education, always pointed out how much education needs to be liberating in its purest sense of emancipation for both the one who learns and the one who teaches.

Riqelme’s life was impacted by an educator, Paulo Adriano, better known as Uncle Paul, the young man said with conviction; “Uncle Paul changed my life. He was incredible!! It was because of this liberating educator Paulo, that Riquelme stated ; “ In 2025, I want to return.......”

The young man started spreading the word about the new classes at the Mentoring and Skills Training Project to his friends, he recalls: “Two of my friends participated in the classes and passed. Even I wanted to return because there was going to be a class on technology, that’s the area I like! I even joked with Uncle Paul that the tecnology class started only because I left”

And he really did return, not as a student but as an example to the new students of the care that he had received. He passed to become a monitor for the tecnology course class offered by The Mentoring and Skills Training Project in partnership with the Instituto Federal de Pernambuco – IFPE.

So, as Paulo reflects, teaching not only impacts the students but also the teachers. The young monitor explains “ During this supportive time in the classroom, I developed alot, speaking in public, taking on more responsibility. I felt I had the capacity to impact other’s lives”

During this phase of Riquelme’s life he directly contributed to his professional development for the future. Actually the job market demands a high level of development of human abilities and behaviour, known as soft skills, for example the capacity to communicate well, to lead, to be empathetic, to be resilient, adaptable and to reinvent yourself etc.

In 2022 UNICEF had already been alerted to the development of these abilities in young people. Amost three quarters of young people between the ages of 15 to 24  in 92 countries fell outside the abilities required for the job market, in accordance to a report by the Education Commission and UNICEF.

If 2024 was a time of learning, 2025 was a time of development. And in 2026 will Requelme continue wanting to return?

← This is Part Two of Riquelme's story. If you haven't already, we invite you to read Part One and discover how the Mentoring and Skills Training Project first impacted his life.

• Written by Eduarda Teixeira