Crossing the boundaries of academia

Transatlantic Dialogues

From Paris to the Amazon, Pour Le Brésil's “Transatlantic Dialogues” program aims to constitute a front for academic and cultural exchange by promoting a space for dialogue between Amazonian students and Sciences Po Paris students. Our scholarship program is an opportunity to give prominence to Amazonian youth in Europe, promoting their demands and proposals, in addition to proposing a training program for current and future leaders in the region. In addition, we also want Sciences Po students to be able to learn and understand the reality of the Amazon with people who are there, experiencing the challenges of the region.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Transatlantic Dialogues will take place in person during the month of July 2023, concurrently with the Sciences Po Summer School classes and jointly led by the Pour Le Brésil team.

The project includes the selection of 05 university students from the Amazon region via the selection process detailed in the public notice, for Sciences Po's "Summer School" program and for parallel events such as conferences, round tables and debates with the participation of those selected.

The selection process had 285 applications, 28 interviews and 5 selected studentes.

The program has so far focused on five extraordinary people :

Angélica Triani

Angelica is an Urban Architect from the Universidade Federal de Roraima, where she is pursuing her Masters in Society and Borders and where she served as a substitute teacher in the Department of Architecture and Urbanism in 2021 and 2022. She currently works for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at the Reception and Support Post (PRA), which receives migrants and refugees arriving in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima.

Caobe Rodrigues

Caobe is a social psychologist born in Roraima. PhD student in Social Sciences at State University of Campinas and Master in Society and Borders at Federal University of Roraima. Has academic and professional experiences with migrant/refugee, LGBTQIA+ and indigenous populations in Roraima and is interested in understading and acting against intersectional inequalities in cross-border contexts.

Cindyneia Cantanhêde

Cindyneia is from Maranhão, lawyer graduated from UFMA and activist in Human Rights and Technology. She participates in UN projects for the Protection of Children and Adolescents on the Internet and is part of the network of Leards of the Estudar Foundation. Cindyneia will study Global Diplomacy at Sciences Po and wantsto contribute to the expansion of public policies for technology and education in the Legal Amazon.

Deiweson Souza-Monteiro

Deiweson is a dental student at the Universidade Federal do Pará. He is part of a research group that investigates the effects of environmental toxicants on biological systems, as well as the effects of natural products from the Amazon on oral injuries. He also develops extension work in the field of oral health education. He is interested in toxicology, public health and traditional populations.

Pollyana Bernardes

Pollyana is 20 years old and she's from Pará. She is an International Relations student at the Universidade da Amazonia, has worked as a Culture and Art leader in the Projeto Internacional da Amazônia and is also a volunteer member of the International Relations Commission if the OAB-PA. SDR intern at the Amazonian products company Manioca. She is also an intern at the Agência de Defesa Agropecuária do Estado do Pará (ADEPARÁ).

In collaboration with the students and our partners, we've organized a series of events ranging from meetings to conversation roundtables, which I'm sure you've heard about recently.

The challenges posed by the Amazon region were thus disseminated not only within Sciences Po, but also in diplomatic circles (Brazilian Embassy in Paris and Brussels) at the European level (meetings with members of the European Commission) and international scale (OECD, UNESCO).

We are extremely proud and thrilled with the outcome of these events, which are just the beginning of a long road ahead.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to each and every one of you who has been involved in the dedication and deployment of this initiative, , but also to those who followed our actions and never ceased to affirm their support.

ABOUT THE EVENT
« URBAN AMAZON : CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES »

at the Brazilian Embassy in Paris

As part of the Diálogos Transatlânticos initiative, Pour le Brésil had the opportunity to co-organize with the Brazilian Embassy in Paris a fruitful conversation initiated by our five scholarship-holders from the Amazon region, freshly arrived in Paris: Cindyneia Cantanhêde, Caobe Rodrigues, Angélica Triani, Pollyana Bernardes and Deiweson Souza-Monteiro.

Although the legal Amazon covers more than 60% of Brazil's territory, is home to 29.6 million inhabitants and has tremendous potential for combating climate change, it is more isolated and fragmented than ever, and has become a hotbed of structural inequalities - economic, social and environmental. While there are many reasons for this, they stem from a pernicious misperception: the Amazon biome has always been seen as a reservoir of resources to be seized and exploited.

With this in mind, the five students shared their stories and thoughts on the challenges and prospects of the so-called urban Amazon, and put forward proposals for a more sustainable and inclusive development of the region. What followed was a wonderful exchange between students, teachers, researchers and embassy representatives who offered to accompany the project.

Pour le Brésil would like to sincerely thank not only the Embassy teams, but all those who came and participated in the development of this conversation, which we hope to resume and deepen as soon as possible.