Certified as a Global Ecosphere Retreat. Sinal do Vale just became the second GER certified center in Brazil, positioning itself as a center of excellence for leadership in biodiversity conservation, social entrepreneurship, community development, cultural stewardship and sustainable tourism. The GER certification is one of the initiatives of The Long Run, a membership organization of nature-based businesses committed to driving sustainability. To complete the process, SINAL went through a baseline assessment and the development of a plan of action which minimizes negative and maximizes positive impacts in the “4Cs” – Conservation, Culture, Community and Commerce).
At the beginning of March, the SINAL school received its first class of students: the Fellows from Berlin’s The DO School! 17 young entrepreneurs from around the world are staying in our campus for 10 weeks to develop solutions to bridge the education-to-employment gap in impoverished communities around the world. With a learning-by-doing methodology, they will have the opportunity to test and prototype their ideas within the context of the surrounding areas of SINAL.
SINAL partnered with the British Council to implement their Active Citizens program for the first time in Brazil! Active Citizens is a leadership program that promotes intercultural dialogue and community-led social development. These past few months, SINAL hosted young activists from the periphery of Rio. We discussed identity, community and culture, identifying issues in their communities they wanted to address, and developed and executed programs of action.
One such program is the Jardim Trindade in São Gonzalo. To address the waste problem in the city, the group mobilized media, public officials and community, cleaned up a wasteland and planted crotalaria, a plant that attracts dragonflies that eat the dengue mosquito.