ITEVA. Transforming Youths. Changing Lives.

On 17^th March 2014, the IBM consultants on the Corporate Service Corps Brazil 17 team met our clients face to face for the first time.

I was really excited to be able to meet our client ITEVA, the Advanced Technological and Vocational Institute, for the first time in Brazil.

Prior to our arrival in Brazil, we had been briefed on ITEVA, and I had arranged a call with ITEVA to introduce ourselves on the phone. After several email exchanges, Sara had arranged for our call.  I had prepared the AT&T teleconference with a toll free Brazil number and also connected with Sara on Skype.

On the call, I was trying both AT&T and Skype, just to make sure that we were able to connect. Sara came onto the call with Gabriel, who introduced himself as the translator (interpretator).  He told us he was 19 years old but the way he conducted the meeting was very professional as he introduced Sara, Andersen and Fabio.  I got to practice my first “Ola” and “Obrigada” with ITEVA.

It was also the first time I had Berna Tucel my CSC partner from Turkey on the call. We previously had Josie McManus and Ruby-Ann Singson (Ryan) in the team but as they were leaving IBM, IBM CSC WW had re-assigned Berna from another team to join me on the ITEVA project.

So, on the IBM CSC Brazil 17 kick off day with our clients, as I went around the room to greet the clients, Gabriel and Andresen recognized me.  When I saw Sara, Gabriel and Andersen, it was like meeting long lost friends.

In my intro at the kick off, I shared that I was excited to work with ITEVA. We share same passion to 1) Improve lives of local communities, 2) Build up youths for the future, 3) Believe in Innovation.

 

 That afternoon, we went to ITEVA office and met Fabio, Vanessa and the youths who had graduated from the Midacom academy and were now professionals working at ITEVA business co-operatives.  They were Miguel, John Lucas, Adriana, Josinaldo, Kananda and many others.

We have been working with ITEVA for two weeks now.  In these two weeks, ITEVA’s president Fabio had shared with us about his many wonderful and sustainable green energy inventions.  He also shared with us about the challenges that youths in Brazil faced and how ITEVA helped the underprivileged youths.

We experienced the stories about youths who did not know how to turn on a computer to one that is able to teach others about powerpoint presentations, many like Josinaldo who walked for hours to get to study and many who were able to start their own business or do well at other work places due to the training at ITEVA.  ITEVA not only gave the youths skills but also changed their mindset and motivation in life.

I am blessed to be able to work with ITEVA, as I too truly believe that to change one’s destiny, it is both a matter of the mind and the heart.  They have found the right formula.

Find out more about ITEVA at http://www.iteva.org.br