Formare chat reinforces the importance of career

/0 Comments/in , /by

Leonardo (002)From time to time, the International Paper Institute promotes a meeting between Formare students and professionals from different areas at IP for a relaxed conversation about studies and career opportunities. This initiative is called the “Formare Chat.” In April, the Luiz Antônio class had the chance to learn a bit more about the career path of Leonardo Vieira, a Recovery and Utilities Manager.

Leonardo has been with IP for six years, having started as an intern in the finishing area. Next, he moved into the pulp division’s maintenance area before going to the area where he currently works and becoming a manager. During this time, he says that he has taken part in Formare on various occasions.

As a Volunteer Educator (VE), he gave classes in the subjects of Basic Math, Support Math and Paper Production. He has therefore had the chance to join his background in engineering with the industry’s routine. “I’ve always liked Formare very much, since the exchange of information we have with students and all of the interaction during the course teaches us a lot,” he says, referencing what he learned during the editions when he was a VE.

During the meeting with students, Vieira talked about getting his start at IP and the characteristics he finds essential to career development at the company: a willingness to grow and always learn, dedication and searching for information not only about the area where you work, but also other areas that interest you. “The desire to learn about other areas and find out about topics in these different areas helped me to achieve my current position at the company. You must be open to new things and must always research,” he says.

Thirst for knowledge – Leonardo highlighted a characteristic he considers a differential in the 2017 class at Luiz Antonio: the students’ desire to go to college. “In previous years, I heard lots of young people say that after Formare, their main goal was to get a job. In this class, almost all of the students have said they want to continue studying and go to college, which makes me very happy,” he says.

Finding skills – Formare gives students countless possibilities to develop skills and competencies, with a focus on their professional future. Activities are designed so that students identify their strengths and develop the characteristics they need to improve. That is why interaction with each other and collaboration are essential.

In this sense, Leonardo thinks self-awareness is valuable to identify what can be developed. This was one of the messages he made a point of conveying to the students. “We need to be aware of what we have to improve, because this helps us to grow,” he says, mentioning the challenge of overcoming his own shyness as an example, by working on public speaking to help him in his professional life.

 

‘Aim for the example:’ Education transforming the lives of students and tutors

/0 Comments/in , /by

TRÊS LAGOS_MAURO

Activities for “Aim for the Example” began on April 6 in Três Lagoas, April 10 in Mogi Guaçu and April 26 in Luiz Antonio. The project is connected with the Formare School, with an initiative by International Paper, and is geared towards integrating students and guest executives. The executives are responsible for tutoring a student, who takes part in the initiative during ten months, through monthly meetings.

Project volunteers are IP leaders. They provide tips and advice and talk about their career paths with the students they tutor, in an effort to guide them on making decisions about their professional futures. The project encourages young students to find answers for their professional future and also helps them to overcome insecurities in their personal lives.

Mauro Borges has been a Volunteer Educator at the Três Lagoas Formare for seven years. In 2015, he was honored by students, which moved him greatly. “It was very gratifying for me, although my joy is even more special when I meet a Formare graduate who is already in the job market,” he says.

Formare was launched at International Paper in 2010 and “Aim for the Example” is one of the program’s most important parallel projects. At meetings, tutored students are inspired by good examples that help their development. Leaders play an extremely relevant social role and also learn from students.

Getting to work – During the dynamics at the three locations, the International Paper Social Responsibility team gives a presentation on the program and the importance of this individualized monitoring in the lives of those being tutored. Students also briefly talk about who they are and their particularities with tutors.

At the Mogi Guaçu unit, students were in a different type of situation than in previous years. This year, they found out they were responsible for choosing their tutor, which left them quite surprised and excited.

At Três Lagoas, two Volunteer Educators were invited to take part in the project and, along with other leaders, they chose students to tutor based on the profile of each student. While in Luiz Antônio, out of 19 guest leaders, 42% are taking part in the program for the first time. This is very significant work for all of the IP workers.

TRÊS LAGOAS_VIVIANELíderes motivados a engajar jovens – No seu terceiro ano como voluntária, a gerente de RH de Três Lagoas, Viviane Gonçalves, conta que é sempre uma experiência desafiadora e gratificante. “Lidamos com realidades que nos fazem retomar o valor da simplicidade e isso tudo são eles que transparecem para nós”, comenta.

Para a líder, o programa é puro desenvolvimento e todos os tutores são surpreendidos pelos alunos, que estão sempre buscando por mudanças e conquistas. “Como gestora de pessoas, tenho uma responsabilidade em ajudar todos a serem melhores a cada dia e os alunos do Formare são a prova viva de que essa evolução é possível”.

Também voluntário, há seis anos, Péricles Cardoso conta que é um privilégio participar do programa. “Sou um agente de transformação na vida desses alunos. É a sensação de dever cumprido em fazer diferença na vida dos tutorados. Aprendi muito com eles e pude repassar isso na educação da minha filha”, afirma o tutor. O líder ainda acrescenta sobre o ótimo suporte das equipes de Responsabilidade Social e do Instituto. “Junto com os tutores e voluntários, todos trabalham para que os tutorados sejam os próximos agentes de mudança e protagonistas de seus destinos”, completa.

O projeto Escola Fomare já capacitou cerca de 230 alunos nas três unidades. Os encontros dos tutores e tutorados é um reforço no aprendizado e contribuiu no potencial desses jovens, que descobrem infinitas possibilidades para seus futuros.

Leaders motivated to engage young people – This is the third year that Viviane Gonçalves, an HR manager at Três Lagoas, has volunteered. She says that it is always a challenging and gratifying experience. “We deal with realities that lead us to go back to the value of simplicity, and they are the ones who make all of this apparent to us,” she says.

She believes that the program is pure development and all of the tutors are surprised by the students, who are always looking for changes and achievements. “As a personnel manager, I’m responsible for helping everyone to be better every day, and the Formare students are living proof that this evolution is possible.”

For six years, Péricles Cardoso has also been a volunteer. He says it is a privilege to take part in the program. “I’m an agent for change in the life of these students. It’s the feeling of a job accomplished in making a difference in these students’ lives. I’ve learned a lot from them and was able to pass that on in my daughter’s upbringing,” he says. He also adds that the Institute’s Social Responsibility teams provide great support. “Along with the teachers and volunteers, everyone is working for the students to be near agents of change and to take control of their own destiny,” he adds.

The Fomare School project, which provides tutoring in “Aim for the Example,” has already trained around 230 students at the three units. Tutor and student meetings reinforce lessons and contribute to the potential of these young people, who along with tutors discover infinite possibilities for their futures.

The search for answers to the growing scarcity of water

/0 Comments/in , /by

Cachoeira do Fundao_ Serra Canastra_MG

In an article published on the United Nations Brazil website, José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlights the growing scarcity of water and actions that should be considered based on global dimensions. “Drought cannot be avoided, but a drought can be prevented from becoming a famine,” he writes.

According to Graziano, having more water will not resolve the global crisis. He mentions that, as of now, obtaining results for growth should be done in three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. This would therefore allow for confrontation of factors that set off structural problems around the world, including a lack of basic sanitation and natural resources.

The water crisis is just one risk factor among many others in countries such as South Sudan, where 40% of the population lives in a state of malnutrition and public calamity. Although the nation is oil-rich, there are 5 million people living in a state of food insecurity. In countries like this, when climate disasters strike, there may be regional wars as a result of extreme poverty.

The water crisis and active projects – The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there are currently 663 million people worldwide living with no access to drinking water, an extremely important resource for farmers, who are responsible for most of the 800 million people who routinely go hungry. Agriculture is a fundamental element, yet it consumes 70% of the world’s fresh water. That is why actions must be articulated to lower this use, says the Director-General in his article.

Promoting actions to raise awareness – In Brazil, for instance, there are thousands of poor families living in dry areas that use cisterns to store rainwater. Since 2003, the Federal Government Cisterns Program has already handed out around 1.2 million cisterns, with a total storage capacity of 20 billion liters. The cost of installation is BRL 3,000 and each family is guaranteed a supply for up to five people over eight months. Educational programs geared towards reusing and preserving water are fundamental measures, such as responsible use of water in agriculture, as mentioned by Graziano.

Savings and reflection on conscientious use of water resources  are topics covered in the Guardians of the Water project at International Paper Institute (IIP). In addition to covering matters related to the rational use of water, the institution develops other projects, such as Nature and Body, aimed at raising awareness about quality of life and healthy habits by implementing community gardens. Both IIP projects are public policies that work with current and integrating topics, to raise awareness and have repercussions on matters regarding conscientious consumption of water and natural resources on the planet.

Source: UNBR

Nature and Body enters a new phase and boosts production

/0 Comments/in , /by

Project began by planting vegetables at schools in Três Lagoas in 2016 and intends to expand production this year.

Alunos da Escola Municipal Joaquim Marques de Souza

Instilling environmental awareness, within the concept of food sustainability and healthy eating are some of the goals of the Nature and Body project, coordinated by International Paper Institute in the city of Três Lagoas (MS).

Since last year, the Joaquim Marques de Souza and Parque São Carlos schools have worked to grow vegetables in collective gardens set up on the grounds of the schools. In 2017, the project is taking another step to improve the production of the gardens. In the future, the aim is to think about distributing the food grown to the local community or even to other schools.

For the project to take on this dimension, greater involvement is needed from students and teachers to manage and maintain the gardens, which are also used in transdisciplinary content within classes on the regular curriculum.  This means that the gardens go beyond biology classes and enter into math problems with calculations of area, weights and measures, for instance.

From popular culture to collective gardening – Body and Nature was started in 2013 with the aim of spreading the customs of the Mato Grosso do Sul region. By building gardens of aromatic herbs, the Project was tapping into the habits of past generations, with the use of teas and infusions from plants with “therapeutic” properties.

In 2016, the project moved forward and began to grow vegetables. To learn about the production process, students visited a small farm. There they learned about how basic subsistence family farming works in practice.

This year, the idea is to continue to grow food, expanding the possibilities within the gardens at each school, in addition to using the harvest, which should bear excellent fruit.