In 2019, the Recode Movement received support from Facebook to bring our digital empowerment training to public schools and NGOs throughout the country. In this first semester of activities, we are thrilled to share impact stories, engagement, and protagonism of incredible young people who participated in the initiative!
Technology to prevent violence
(Guarulhos-SP)
One of the classes in the project at Casas André Luiz, in Guarulhos (SP), decided to innovate from an already known technological tool. They used Google Maps to create four indicators of urban violence in the municipality of Greater São Paulo, covering 12 mapped neighborhoods.
According to the project’s page, the goal is to assist the government, as well as interact with the local population who can co-create and cooperate with the tool.
One of the group participants, Lucas Lima, 16 years old, comments that the course helped him to have more affinity with the technological world and to know search tools deeply. He also realized the importance of having access to public data. “It would be good if more people fed the page to help others protect themselves from risks,” he says, who also attributes the knowledge of the formation to the conquest of his first job in the work register. “I learned a little bit of neurolinguistic programming. I became more comfortable, lost my fear of speaking in public and learned how to conduct an interview,” he explains.
Virtual Reality for Emotional Support
(Guarulhos-SP)
Exploring exponential technologies for social impact was the challenge accepted by another class at Casas André Luiz. They designed a “chatbot” for emotional support to young people in vulnerable situations. The tool, which would be obtained through an application on Facebook, understands the user’s profile and could “talk” 24 hours a day with messages of encouragement to improve the well-being and self-esteem of young people.
The group did a market study with the canvas tool to think of the app as a viable product, including market segments, customer relationships, and dissemination channels. For Gabriel Morishita, 15 years old, it was a unique experience. “The feeling of doing something that improves other people’s lives is one of the best there is. Learning about artificial intelligence, which is the field I want to follow, was even better. It will add to my future and can help me a lot,” he says.
Projects Showcase for Public Management
(Itapissuma-PE)
A project that starts at school and becomes a showcase and inspiration for public managers in the municipality. This is one of the surprising impacts of the initiative, which earned an invitation from the mayor to present two app ideas using artificial intelligence at the Municipal Science and Technology Week in October 2019.
The high engagement with the Recode course inspired this citizen, protagonist, and entrepreneurial look of the students. The first application is aimed at improving the experience of users of Basic Health Units: they could avoid queues by being informed about the nearest post that serves the necessary specialty. The second app intends to indicate days of the week and garbage collection times on the city streets, encouraging the population to contribute to urban cleanliness and the health of all.
The young people will have the right to a stand to exhibit these ideas and show the viability of their business models. For Jesanias Rodrigues de Lima, Secretary of Education of Itapissuma, the experience at school exceeded expectations. “The course went beyond the presentation of technological tools. It had this social dimension, touching the student in his reality and inspiring change,” he celebrates. He says that in 2020, the Recode course platform will be adopted in two other public schools and an NGO in an area of social vulnerability.