Alfredo

Having access to a government-sponsorted exchange program gave Alfredo the opportunity to travel to the United States to learn different languages. Due to this experience, Alfredo saw a series of new possibilities emerge. As his interests broadened, he sought new ways and opportunities to pay it forward for the youth around him. He created an organization called VAI – Vontade de Aprender Idiomas (an acronym that means Will to Learn Languages). They focus on teaching English and Spanish, but they also work on socio-emotional learning by helping students manage their mental well-being. In the first edition of the course in 2018, they received more than 100 applications. Upon seeing that some students dropped out of the course, Alfredo tried to understand what prompted them to leave. He later learned that their absence was not because of the quality of the courses, but rather, the emotional issues that students were experiencing. With that, Alfredo and his team altered the design of the courses to focus on the creation of a community among students, in which they teach one another. Alfredo and his team take advantage of the social and emotional difficulties that arise when learning a new language by seeing it as an opportunity to put young people in a position of discomfort to foster growth. From a horizontal leadership perspective, the program involves students in the active search for solutions to their problems. Those who take the course afterwards are invited to help grow the program by assisting in its outreach. Due to the pandemic, the project operates remotely, but continues to support young people from Alfredo’s city in the state of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil.