Have you ever wonder what you can do to change the reality you live in? We have. And to shape our dreams, we began serious work dedicated to sustainable development through the activities carried out by the Purunã Institute.

Located in São Luiz do Purunã, a district of the municipality of Balsa Nova, we carry out actions with the local community to promote social transformation. With methodologies that converge with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations (UN), we stimulate the population and collaborate with the development of the territory.

We seek to sensitize the community about the wealth of São Luiz do Purunã, contribute to young people to see the future and life perspective that includes the district, attract new tourism entrepreneurs and make our territory a reference center in ecotourism.

Since we started our activities in 2016, we have focused our actions on Strengthening Public Management through the Forming Multipliers, Educating, Visiting Purunã, Routes of Purunã and Digital Museum projects. We stimulate Youth Empowerment through the Crê-SER project, as well as seek the Entrepreneur Appreciation.

Forming Multipliers

We understand that engaging in activities that motivate good examples is a way to win over people who not only believe in the same things as us, but also a strategy for reaching even more individuals who wear the shirt of our cause. Therefore, through the training of educators, we work with the Public Management, promoting awareness for nature conservation, fighting child labor and encouraging the reduction and waste management in our territory, in addition to instructing educators on how to work across these topics in the classroom.

These practices are aligned with the SDGs to promote a more inclusive and sustainable economic growth model. With this, we aim to strengthen the actions and strategies that we adopt for local development.

Educating

In partnership with Parabolé Education and Culture, we developed the project with students from pre to 5th grade, with the aim of contributing to a comprehensive education (individual in its entirety) and making the school a more attractive environment through playful activities, in which themes such as environment, citizenship and culture are worked across.

  • Narrative Workshops

Through storytelling and playful activities designed for children, we seek to broaden the participants’ oral repertoire, stimulate expressive mastery in different body languages and develop a taste for storytelling.

  • Circus Workshop

We seek to enhance emotional control in various situations, increase body balance and motor sensory perception, integrate students into group activities, reducing conflicts between participants and knowledge about circus culture.

  • Gaúcha Culture Workshop

Through legends, dances, songs and games linked to the gaucho tradition, we aim to establish connections between the contents of the workshop and the cultural reality of São Luiz do Purunã that refers to tropeirismo.

Our proposal is to ensure quality inclusive and equitable education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities.

Crê-SER

We realized the need to encourage young people to develop and recognize themselves as important parts of São Luiz do Purunã. By enabling opportunities and preparing for the professional market routine, we want to provide resources for these teens to see their futures and personal development in line with the growth of our district.

Together with our partner Gente de Bem we act on three fronts:

  • Personal development

To empower young people in their relationships with others on a daily basis, we work on: life project, affection and self-esteem, quality of life, emotional intelligence, communication and relationships processes.

  • Professional development

Teachings on the relationship between work x profession, basic informatics, administrative principles, vocational guidance and creation, planning and execution of a company, among other technical skills to give them more possibilities to work in the job market.

  • Citizenship and sustainability

The themes we work on are: ethics and citizenship, rights and duties, socioenvironmental crises, empathy and social actions, so that young people perceive themselves as co-responsible citizens for the system in which they live in.

One of the goals of the SDG is that by 2030 we can empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic status. As we see young people as the future of our society, we seek to enable them to stimulate the growth and development of São Luiz do Purunã. We want to make our daily habits more humane, inclusive and sustainable.

Appreciation of the region

Believing in São Luiz do Purunã is the first step to make the territory develop and, for this to happen, we seek alternatives that promote knowledge and recognition of wealth.

  • Visite Purunã

It is a tourism website in which we disclose gastronomic options, leisure, accommodation, events schedule, and tell a little of the history of the region.

  • Rotas do Purunã

It consists of a cycle tourism project, with defined and signaled circuits for those who want to venture into a historic and tranquil setting. The geography of the region allows the practice of cycling to be performed by both experienced athletes and beginners who only crave a different ride on two wheels.

Attracting external glances to what we have to offer is a strategy to boost the local economy so that we can further invest in opportunities and improvements that contribute to district development. The Purunã Institute wants to be part of a leading society in order to promote sustainable development through entrepreneurship for social transformation.

Foto: Daniel Snege