BrazilEducation · Extreme events

Climate education and community intervention with peripheral youth in the face of climate risks in Brasilândia, São Paulo

Brasilândia, on the northern outskirts of São Paulo, is one of the regions of the city with the highest incidence of risk areas. There, the Instituto Perifa Sustentável, founded in 2019 by young black activists from the outskirts of São Paulo, strengthens the adaptation capacity of peripheral youth through climate education. With “Clima de Quebrada”, in 2023 it trained 200 students and 50 teachers from a public school, who together recovered an abandoned space in the neighborhood.

Extreme eventsEducation
Imagen de Educación climática e intervención comunitaria con jóvenes periféricos frente a los riesgos climáticos en Brasilândia, São Paulo
Problem
Brasilândia, in the north of São Paulo, is one of the areas of the city with the highest incidence of risk. There is the Capadócia favela, with 730 houses on the side of a hill: it is the most populous "very high" risk area in the city, according to Civil Defense. The outskirts, with more black populations, less vegetation and less infrastructure, suffer more from extreme events and heat, a pattern that the Institute calls environmental racism.
Action
Training at EMEF Senator Teotônio Vilela, from CEU Paz (Brasilândia), in partnership with the Regional Directorate of Education and the school association, on climate change, environmental racism, youth protagonism, educommunication and knowledge of the territory. For two months, students and teachers planned a community intervention: they recovered an abandoned space in the neighborhood, removing trash, planting seedlings and painting a mural. Students were also trained to produce content on environmental topics for social media.
Place
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Youth participation
The project was created and coordinated by young black activists. Students aged 12 to 14, with the school group, proposed mobilization actions, planned and carried out the intervention in the neighborhood and produced videos for social networks.

Base information

Measure summary

Brasilândia, on the northern outskirts of São Paulo, is one of the regions of the city with the highest incidence of risk areas. There, the Instituto Perifa Sustentável, founded in 2019 by young black activists from the outskirts of São Paulo, strengthens the adaptation capacity of peripheral youth through climate education. With “Clima de Quebrada”, in 2023 it trained 200 students and 50 teachers from a public school, who together recovered an abandoned space in the neighborhood.

National vulnerability profile

Brazil presents a strong regional differentiation in climate vulnerability between its 5 regions and 6 biomes — from the semi-arid Northeast to the Amazon, from the Pantanal to the metropolises of the Southeast and South —, which requires instruments capable of translating this territorial diversity into concrete and legitimate political demands for each community.

Measure objectives

Strengthen the adaptation capacity of young people on the outskirts of São Paulo through climate education, so that they understand how the climate crisis affects their territories and act on them, and combat environmental racism from school onwards.

Proposed solutions

Training at EMEF Senator Teotônio Vilela, from CEU Paz (Brasilândia), in partnership with the Regional Directorate of Education and the school association, on climate change, environmental racism, youth protagonism, educommunication and knowledge of the territory. For two months, students and teachers planned a community intervention: they recovered an abandoned space in the neighborhood, removing trash, planting seedlings and painting a mural. Students were also trained to produce content on environmental topics for social media.

Beneficiary communities

200 7th and 8th year students (12 to 14 years old) and 50 teachers from EMEF Senador Teotônio Vilela, at CEU Paz (Brasilândia, northern outskirts of São Paulo), and residents of the neighborhood where the intervention was carried out.

Role of youth

The project was created and coordinated by young black activists. Students aged 12 to 14, with the school group, proposed mobilization actions, planned and carried out the intervention in the neighborhood and produced videos for social networks.

Results

The “Clima de Quebrada” pilot (second semester of 2023) trained 200 students and 50 teachers and recovered an abandoned space in Brasilândia. The Institute's videos are used by teachers in the classroom, and other schools ask to receive the project. In January 2024, the team demanded awareness-raising and adequate garbage collection actions from the city council.

Complementary information

Funding type

Mixed

Local climate problem

Brasilândia, in the north of São Paulo, is one of the areas of the city with the highest incidence of risk. There is the Capadócia favela, with 730 houses on the side of a hill: it is the most populous "very high" risk area in the city, according to Civil Defense. The outskirts, with more black populations, less vegetation and less infrastructure, suffer more from extreme events and heat, a pattern that the Institute calls environmental racism.

National sociopolitical context

Around 8.9 million people live in risk zones in Brazil, mapped in 1,942 municipalities (Casa Civil and Ministry of Cities). The country approved Law 14,904/2024, with guidelines for adaptation plans, and the Climate Plan 2024-2035, and the climate and racial justice agenda gained visibility with COP30 in Belém. Still, according to the Institute, the most affected populations remain without decision-making power in these spaces.

Strategic alliances

The Casa Socioambiental Fund, with support from the GAGGA alliance and the French Embassy, financed the project through the “Women Leading Climate Action” call, which covered local mobilizers and tools. The Regional Directorate of Education and the school association made training possible at the school, and Engajamundo, where the founder graduated, is a historical ally of the Institute.

Enabling and limiting factors

The territorial roots of the Institute, born in Brasilândia, the trajectory of its leadership in international climate activism (Engajamundo and COPs) and the partnership with the Regional Directorate of Education and the school union facilitated implementation. As conditions, the team worked voluntarily and depends on specific notices: according to the Institute itself, more investment and support from the State is needed to continue. Furthermore, approaching scientific concepts with students aged 12 to 14 required adapting the language, with practical and dynamic classes.

Co-benefits

Formation of new peripheral climate leaders and greater racial representation in the climate debate. The recovery of the abandoned space improved the neighborhood's surroundings, and the videos produced by the Institute became educational material that other teachers use in the classroom.

Scalability

The educommunication and political advocacy methodology can be replicated in other Brazilian outskirts and capitals with a high black population and climate vulnerability; In 2022, the Institute already had articulators in several states. For this, financing is needed, public schools willing to provide space and an organization rooted in the territory that mobilizes young people.

Long-term sustainability

“Clima de Quebrada” was a pilot funded by a specific call for up to R$35,000, with a volunteer team, and its continuity depends on new investments. According to the Institute, the project remained active in 2024 and there is demand from other schools to welcome it.

Documents and references

Instituto Perifa Sustentável (official website): https://institutoperifasustentavel.com.br/ ; Clima de Quebrada takes action and combating environmental racism into schools (Fundo Casa): https://casa.org.br/clima-de-quebrada-leva-acao-e-combate-ao-racismo-ambiental-para-dentro-das-escolas/; Quebrada Climate: initiative addresses climate change and environmental racism in Brasilândia (Earth): https://www.terra.com.br/visao-do-corre/clima-de-quebrada-iniciativa-aborda-mudancas-climaticas-e-racismo-ambiental-na-brasilandia,d6104a9cd20384848b3476faa05d0abdcarpjqmd.html