International FGV EBAPE Masters’ students attend social project in the Santa Marta hill community

FGV EBAPE´s Master´s in Management Program - MIM enhances leadership skills, and expands knowledge about sustainability of a group with 16 international students, during a visit made in September, to the PESPC Social and Environmental Impact Project of the Santa Marta hill community, in the neighborhood of Botafogo, in Rio de Janeiro. 

The initiative, an integral part of the discipline “Sustainable Development” of the MIM program, taught by FGV EBAPE professor, Fabrício Stocker, strengthens students' understanding of the interconnection between social and environmental aspects, in addition to enable them to become global citizens more aware and committed to promoting sustainability in their future careers and in their source communities. 

During the visit, students were able to follow the main actions of the PESPC project. Among them, the reuse of cooking oil for soap bar production, which in addition to contributing to the preservation of the environment, reduces inappropriate oil disposal and enables local residents to acquire new skills, and generate income. The project represents a success case of how local initiative can create a lasting positive social impact, benefiting both the environment and the lives of those involved. 

The Santa Marta hill is one of the oldest slums in the city and has gained recognition for its presence in Brazilian music and popular culture, as well as its historical significance. It became one of the first slums to receive a Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) as part of the government's efforts to improve security in communities with a history of violence. 

For Professor Fabricio Stocker: “The opportunity for students to know the most vulnerable communities of Rio de Janeiro, such as Santa Marta hill, is essential to enrich their academic background. By experiencing the reality and challenges of these communities and observing how they think of sustainability actions in their own contexts, students can go beyond theory and apply their knowledge of sustainable development in a practical way.” 

The visit brought, to students, a previously not experienced opportunity that provided a new view of sustainability actions and the reality of the communities. 

Here's the testimony of some foreign students who participated in the visit: 

"Personally, it was a transformative experience and a perfect practical complement to our Sustainable Development class. Seeing the social project in action and knowing the people behind the idea was very inspiring, because it was not only sustainability, but also empowerment In a community that is usually left behind by the state. The journey has provided us a better understanding of how sustainable practices can transform the lives of individuals, but also of entire communities for the better. " - Franzi Stapper - German student who is attending the Master's in Management program (MIM). 

 “Coming from a European metropolitan capital, it was very exciting and enlightening to visit the Santa Marta slum, an initiative that is part of the discipline of Sustainable Development of the MIM program. As a foreigner living in Brazil and especially in Rio de Janeiro, I am constantly questioned by friends and family at home, questions such as  "how safe it is?" and "About the slums, are you not afraid of them?". However, after visiting Santa Marta, I can assirt with confidence that slums are different from what foreigners imagine. Before this excursion, I imagined slums as the old West, without government, law or community. However, after learning about the history of Santa Marta, their recent social developments and seeing the infrastructure that their citizens have, as a functional cable car, my perception has changed. Santa Marta was definitely different from what I would imagine a slum would be, in a positive way. " - Daniel Deleuran - Swiss student who is attending the Master's in Management program (MIM). 

"I want to express my gratitude for the enlightening visit to the Santa Marta slum during our Sustainable Development course. It was amazing to see how people thrive and find happiness in the midst of adversity. This experience strengthened my commitment to sustainable development." - Samuel Loquier - French student who is attending the Master's in Management program (MIM). 

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The MIM program is a career acceleration program, aimed at newly graduated students and professionals, foreign and Brazilian, in the early years in the job market. The MIM program establishes a cultural and socioeconomic exchange, as well as promotes the insertion of students in realities experienced in public, private and third-sector organizations. 

With a solid foundation in core management areas and a strong international perspective, the program, taught 100% in English, has multicultural faculty and multidisciplinary content. 

The course lasts 15 months with a master's certificate issued by the end of the period. Students can choose between the Management track or the Sustainability Management in Emerging Markets track. Students also have the option of studying another semester and, in this way, obtaining a double degree (with Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics) upon completing the course. 

The selection process for the program is open for registration, for more information click here.