As part of the celebration of its 10 year anniversary, Norwegian NGO Dream Learn Work shares the dreams of some of the participants over the years.
The Dream Learn Work program emerged as a desire from several Norwegian companies in Brazil to offer vocational training to young Brazilians and at the same time, comply with their own need for qualified manpower. The Norwegian Brazilian Chamber of Commerce has been supporting DLW in its activities since the beginning.
In 2016 the organization celebrates 10 years, and the first happening in a series of events is the launch of the series «Dreams of Rio», where participants of the DreamLearnWork program share their dreams online, on the DLW homepage and in social media. In 10 years DLW has helped over 400 young Brazilians to fulfill their dreams of getting an education, a professional career and to become economically independent.
So far, the followers of «Dreams of Rio» have met Jaddy and Lohan. Lohan is a 17 year old football player from Karanba, who dreams of opening a Japanese restaurant. Jaddy (18) recently achieved her dream and is now studying for a Bachelor degree in Production Engineering at CEFET, a Brazilian federal institution in Rio de Janeiro.
A welder, an administrator and an electrician
NBCC was present when DLW met with three of the participants at the NGO Abrigo Rainha Silvia in Itaborai last month. The NGO is a shelter for women who are pregnant or have small children.
Juliana and her son (2).«All I want is to lead a quiet life with my son (2). I also want to graduate from high school, and eventually, I want to become an inspector in the field of welding», says Juliana C. Carvalho (22). She has taken several welding courses through Dream Learn Work, and worked at the Vard shipyard as a trainee.
«I am very grateful and know how important it is not to waste an opportunity like this», she says.
Neudiane Figuereido (20) has a 2 year old daughter. She wants to run her own company one day, and has taken courses in administration through DLW.
«My daughter is my main inspiration. I want to work to give her a good future, a good education and I want to show her how education can make a difference», she says.
On the International Women´s Day, the followers on Facebook could read Taynara Valeria Machado de Sousa´s story.
The dream of Taynara (21) is to have her own home one day. She currently lives in Abrigo with her son Jorge Miguel, and is attending her third course in electronics. She is also planning to start a technical course in the near future. This will give her all the certifications needed to work as an electrician.
Taynara.«DLW inspires us and gives us hope for the future. I try to pass this on to others. With hard work and dedication you can have a better future. For my son, Jorge Miguel, I will try to inspire him as well. Electrician is a masculine profession, and it was difficult in the beginning to be the only girl. But today I have no problems. When I figured out how everything is connected, when I was able to dismantle equipment and put it back together again, I got really excited. My dream is to become an experienced electrician in a construction and lead a team of skilled professionals», she says.
Ambitious students
«Dreams of Rio» was launched on February 26, 2016. Many of the students have a difficult background, and the stories they tell, are moving. The Facebook series «Humans of New York» was the inspiration to this Brazilian version.
«We spend a lot of time trying to identify the dreams of these young people. It is important to have dreams, and the aim of this project is to share these dreams with others. Dream Learn Work has very ambitious participants who want to change their future. They are willing to work hard to succeed, and we want to show you how hard they work. We would like the readers to get to know the participants better through «Dreams of Rio». Their accomplishments is what drives this organization. Many of the kids come from poor areas of Rio, but they know that with the right attitude, education and hard work, you can go a long way», says Jeanette de Souza Lorvik, the DLW Communication and Project Manager.
DLW has changed its focus this last year. Originally, the idea was to sponsor courses within areas where Norwegian companies are active. Now, the NGO sponsors courses of all areas, depending on the individual dream of every student.
«This way we hope to motivate them, to improve results and reduce drop-out rates», Jeanette de Souza Lorvik explains.
Ana Luiza Carboni-Brito is the general manager of Dream Learn Work. Another focus this year is how to get the students out in the labour market.
«DLW actively seeks to increase the participants´ chances in the job market. Using our close relationships with companies, we promote candidates to vacancies, specially to fulfill the requirements for trainee and young apprenticehip positions. We also share employment opportunities with our students through social media. Our job support activities are important in order to improve employability. The activities include CV building and job search workshops, recruitment activities and interview training. Other simple and effective ways to give an understanding of the job market are our corporate partner initiatives that range from full mentoring programs, with the participation of our students and employees under DLW supervision, to shorter activities, such as «A Day At Work», English speaking sessions and site visits. Any company can take part in our job support activities. If you are interested just send us an email», Ana Luiza Carboni-Brito informs. Her email is ana@dreamlearnwork.com.
The 10 year anniversary celebrations also include the launching of the short film «Brilliant Future» in January
«We are planning to print commemorative T-shirts with the drawings produced by our participants, an exhibition of the work produced during the «My Life, My Dream» project and also a big celebration for all DLW partners in September», Ana Luiza Carboni-Brito says.
By Runa Hestmann, NBCC journalist
(runa.tierno@nbcc.com.br)
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