Luiz César

Sensitized by the context of serious vulnerability in which he lived – poverty, hunger, violence, danger, and low-quality schools – Luis Cezar saw youth empowerment as a way to promote change. At the age of 12, he met with cousins and friends to think about solutions to issues traditionally silenced by older generations – such as violence against women and children. He created Visibility of Rural Youth, and now six years later, it successfully promotes innovative solutions to a variety of problems faced in the community of Mata Grande – Alagoas. These include hosting lectures at schools on the superpowers of young people, advocating for youth representation in state meetings and forums, designing campaigns to collect and distribute food, notebooks and toys, organizing festivals for children, distributing 300 seedlings for a tree planting task force, and creating a theatre course. For each of these actions, the group raised funds for different sources, including government and civil society institutions. These actions combine the provision of services in response to some of the main vulnerability of the community, while raising awareness and educating the population on ways to combat violence, discrimination, and oppression.