The Chamex Institute, established in 2007 and supported by Sylvamo do Brasil (formerly known as the AIPI Institute until 2021), has already invested over R$14 million in the development of the communities it is a part of. Its purpose is to encourage, through education, the use of creativity as a source of transformative solutions for the world and society. In 2021, they established a partnership with IDIS to launch a call for proposals focused on supporting projects that promote education with citizenship.

Operating in a network and in collaboration with various stakeholders, the Chamex Institute seeks to go beyond traditional models, working in practice through four main fronts: (i) Supporting solutions to challenges in the educational system; (ii) Advocating for childhood as a period of creativity stimulation; (iii) Enabling a new future for youth in the creative economy; and (iv) Using creativity and innovation as the means to teach, learn, innovate, and educate.

With this in mind, in early 2021, the “Education with Citizenship Call for Proposals” selected five institutions to receive R$30,000 each to implement transformative initiatives. The goal was for them to carry out projects that stimulate the exercise of citizenship through education and promote a more transformative, proactive, and responsible role for social actors.

To bring this idea to life, IDIS took action guided by the guidelines of the Chamex Institute and planned all stages of the call, including the selection of the five initiatives, and managed the process from start to finish. This work included creating the regulations and application forms, validating candidates and analyzing projects, supporting the selection panel in choosing the winners, and monitoring the execution of the projects.

All the projects were carried out in 2021 and delivered excellent results. Over 42,000 people were directly benefited, and there was an increase of approximately 24% in the active participation of citizens and civil society organizations in the project’s implementation area.