The Engevix Institute - a social
responsibility project sponsored by Engevix Engenharia S.A. – started its
activities in March 1st 2004, with the mission of promoting the enhancement of
quality of life for low income communities settled in Florianópolis (Santa
Catarina State). The program has as goals the education and the rescue of
citizenship of targeted people, in order to enrich their learning and creative
capabilities, and therefore help in their social development.
In the beginning, the Institute focused its
activities in Morro da Caixa community, that belongs to Maciço do Morro da Cruz,
a region in Florianópolis that lacked social projects. The results were so good
that, progressively, other communities asked for the Institution´s services.
Today the Institute serves all Florianópolis, with emphasis to families that
live in districts located near to Maciço do Morro da Cruz.
Projects
The needs of the served population led to the
creation of 2 main programs: Extended School Day and Computer Training Course,
besides other supporting services, like care of social services, psychological
and pedagogical.
The Extended School Day was created to offer
a series of social and educational activities, so that children find a home
outside the place where they live. The project spans the age range from 7 to
14 years, in periods that do not overlap the time they are at school. The
proposal is to help in psychosocial development by means of an educational
approach, promoting the exercise of citizenship. To complement the actions
of schools and stimulate students' creativity, besides the activities of
teaching aids and digital insertion, several educational workshops are held.
The Computer Training Course was developed to
facilitate the opening of doors in the labor market. Today are served people
over 15 years old, enrolled in public educational institutions or who have
completed high school. At the Institute, students are trained to use
computers and the Internet, more than the usual software. The course, with
training geared for entry into the labor market, is offered both in morning
periods and afternoons.
Results
Since its creation, the Institute Engevix
already transformed the reality of the communities it serves and has changed
the lives of many people. The first visible achievement is the reduction in
the number of children and adolescents at risk, that had no activities
during the time they were not in school. In addition to concern themselves
with social and educational tasks, participants had rescued their
self-esteem and their social awareness enhanced by improving its interaction
with the community. In the process of teaching and learning, students had
significant evolution from schoolwork and other activities at the Institute.
The educational psychology has improved the quality of reading and writing,
especially in the early grades. The nutritional care and meals offered by
the institution also have reduced the rate of diseases caused by
malnutrition.
The result of projects Extended School Day
and Computer Training Course can be seen in the day to day life of each
student. The benefits show up in the interest in participating in the
projects, in the increase of the number of participants, in the low dropout
rate, in the strengthening of family ties, in the achievement of skillsets
required for the labor market and the decrease of violence. All this
reflects the legitimacy and recognition of all communities regarding the
excellence of services provided at the Institute.