"It is essential that the school contributes to building a fairer society, in which girls and boys have the same opportunities"

In an exclusive interview, the superintendent of the Unibanco Institute, Ricardo Henriques, talks about the importance of education for social transformation and the democratic process.

Data from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reveal that 11% of children and adolescents in Brazil are out of school. This is equivalent to two million people between the ages of 11 and 19.

Among young people who dropped out of school, 14% are girls who left school because they became pregnant or had a baby. There are also 6% of adolescents who claim to have suffered racism and therefore decided to stop attending school.

Ensuring gender and racial equity in education is one of the premises for achieving social transformation. For this reason, ELAS+ Giving for change works alongside those who also believe in the power of quality education. The Unibanco Institute, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022, is one of these partners. Together, we held two editions of "Elas nas Exatas", to promote the school management policy for equity by bringing girls closer to the Exact Sciences and Technologies.

The executive superintendent of the Unibanco Institute, Ricardo Henriques, recalls that this is one of the initiatives that make up the Young People of the Future, the institution's main program. "It is essential that the debate on education goes beyond the walls of the school, because only then will education effectively be a priority. Civil society, social investment and philanthropy play an important role in our democratic strengthening".

Ricardo Henriques talked to ELAS+ about the entire trajectory of the Institute and what he projects for the future in the coming years. Check out the full interview:

Over these 40 years, what has changed in the Unibanco Institute's (IU) perception of how to ensure the improvement of education in Brazil?

In its early stages, the Institute - one of the first to have its own endowment in the country - supported, with development actions, initiatives related to ecology, the most common term at the time to designate the socio-environmental challenges for the planet. During its journey, however, it shifted its focus to education. Initially, the Institute's work was focused on promoting initiatives by organizations working in this area. The creation of Jovem de Futuro, 15 years ago, represented a turning point and a milestone in our history and continues as our main program, being implemented directly by the Institute in partnership with five State Secretariats of Education (CE, ES, GO, MG, PI). In the field of private social investment, the program was innovative in choosing High School and the management agenda for learning results as its focus. Since its creation, Jovem de Futuro has been subject to rigorous impact evaluation, reflecting our commitment to base our actions on evidence. Through our Center for Transdisciplinary Research in Education, we also invest heavily in the production of research aimed at both improving the program and generating knowledge that subsidizes the development of public educational policies.

And how does this investment in education relate to democracy?

The strengthening of democracy necessarily involves education. It is the role of schools to train new generations to exercise active citizenship, either through the development of skills and values, such as critical thinking and the capacity for analysis and reflection, or through knowledge about the rules of the political system and the spheres of participation and social control of public policies. In this sense, school management can act in a relevant way by opening space for student participation in decision-making on issues related to the daily life of the institution, for example, through the institutionalization of unions or the holding of assemblies.

In addition to working with formal education, in schools, the IU decided to support civil society organizations, especially those linked to racial equity and gender equity. What is the impact of this type of support for education in Brazil?

Among the values of the Unibanco Institute is the valorization of diversity and our work is very much focused on reducing inequalities in basic education. We cannot think about equity in education without taking into account racial and gender issues. The school reproduces the inequalities present in society and it is important that these issues are increasingly addressed by education systems, so that students feel welcomed and represented in their subjectivities and diversities. And so that specific actions and policies are developed to overcome these disparities, thus ensuring the right to learning and the full development of each student.

Tell us a little about IU's racial equity programs in formal education and how this work dialogues with the recently launched Anti-Racist Collection.

Jovem de Futuro, which is the main program of Instituto Unibanco, is completing 15 years in 2022. It has undergone many transformations and has evolved over time, along with the Institute itself, which has also gone through a process of constant maturation. With this, discussions about equity in education have been a fundamental point in this process of maturation of the institution and, consequently, of Jovem de Futuro. An example of this is the four editions of the School Management for Equity notice: two focused on the racial issue (Black Youth) and two on the gender issue (Elas nas Exatas). Another important point of these initiatives was their format, in a tripartite partnership with civil society organizations (such as ELAS+ and Baobá) and research institutions (such as UFSCar and Fundação Carlos Chagas) to strengthen this discussion internally and externally. 

These and other actions converged so that Jovem de Futuro increasingly incorporated discussions on equity. Since 2021, we have implemented, in partnership with the State Secretariats of ES and CE, a racial equity strategy aimed at the effective implementation of Law 10.639 in the schools of the partner networks. In addition to this direct action in schools, the Institute also supports and fosters initiatives and the production of content and instruments that stimulate this reflection and discussion with the networks, in schools and with educators. The Antiracist Collection is part of this aspect of our work.

Our intention is that the videos of the Collection are widely disseminated and used, contributing to the construction of an effectively anti-racist education.

The IU also has a keen eye for the empowerment of girls in the Exact Sciences. Tell us a little about this partnership and what it represents within the Institute's concept of education.

We had a very powerful experience with the "Elas nas Exatas" call for proposals, in partnership with ELAS+ and the Carlos Chagas Foundation. To this day, it serves as a reference to foster our discussions around gender inequality, both internally and externally.

As an institution that seeks to contribute to ensuring the full development of students, with equity, the issue of gender inequalities is central. It is essential that the school acts to address these inequalities, contributing to the construction of a fairer and more equal society, in which girls and boys have the same opportunities and can fully develop. We understand that this is only possible when the school looks at educational indicators from an intersectional perspective, crossing gender and race, and realizes the reality of specific groups, outlining actions to reverse inequalities.

It is also worth noting that the transformation of the imaginary about gender stereotypes and the expectations of parents and teachers in relation to boys and girls impacts relationships and institutions, which implies opportunities for women and also for men, normally repressed in the expression of feelings and emotions.

Why is it important that social investment and philanthropic institutions in Brazil support civil society organizations, and not only develop their own programs and projects?

This is a relevant discussion for us: civil society organizations play an essential role in strengthening public schools and ensuring the right to education. Our idea in promoting the Institutional Strengthening notice is exactly that: to give these organizations that already carry out very significant work in education, without specific focus, the opportunity to continue developing their activities with our financial support for three years, with freedom of heading, and also receive technical support with a training course that addresses topics such as fundraising, strategic planning and monitoring to be able to develop and enhance their activities. activities. With this, we are contributing to the institutional development and sustainability of 30 organizations from different regions of Brazil, with recognized performance, expertise and legitimacy in the territories where they develop actions.

Supporting the strengthening of these organizations, and not only the projects, is also the role of private social investment. In addition to their programmatic activities, these entities have maintenance, rent and personnel expenses that are not always covered by specific project funding.

Why is it important to take the debate on education beyond the walls of the school? And how can civil society, social investment and philanthropy contribute to a democratic society?

It is essential that the debate on education goes beyond the walls of the school, because only then will education be an effective priority. Civil society, social investment and philanthropy play an important role in our democratic strengthening, either by supporting public policies through the production of studies and research, or by guiding and influencing the public debate on fundamental issues and themes, or by fostering actions and initiatives of other organizations, or by developing programs and projects that serve as inspiration for policymakers.

In these 40 years of the IU, what do you highlight as great learning?

In this trajectory, especially with the experience of implementing Jovem de Futuro, due to its scope and longevity, we have learned that no program or policy design is static and can be considered finalized. Since its creation, Jovem de Futuro has undergone successive adjustments and changes, in line with the management model for continuous advancement that we propose. It is always possible to move forward and learn from implementation, but for this it is essential to listen to the actors at the top, evaluate and correct routes.