What I Learnt at the Educational Centre

Hello,

Esther Pinho writing. I’m 15 years old and I’m a student at the João Paulo II Educational Centre. The Social Media Management Course started in 2017 with a selection process: 30 students were chosen among the ones who performed well in the initial test period. The process was led by professors João Marcelo and Julivan Estevam. It has been a bit difficult at first, because most of the students didn’t know how to use a professional computer or digital camera. João Marcelo made us understand the true value of a photograph, because for many of us it was just an action without any meaning, but that’s absolutely not the case.  Let’s make an example: the photo of a stray dog alonein an empty street. This image could arouse a very strong feeling, because each of us have different ways of perceiving things and, for me, this photo symbolises isolation, lack of love and affection, because even if that’s an animal it’s still a living being that needs care. So now we know that taking a meaningful photo is not the same as taking a selfie and being done with it. In addition, João Marcelo made us study our ancestral roots and learn to value what we are and where we live. After this great experience, Professor Julivan Estevam, our IT teacher, together with the students who participated in the course, took responsibility for the John Paul II Educational Centre institutional social media.

The following year, since I had already attended the course and gained some experience, I became a “controller” of our social media, in order to help teachers keep record of internal events, school trips and presentations of important projects of the Educational Centre. But the most important thing for me was the 20^th anniversary party: damn it! It was a beautiful, unique experience, and being part of this story made me feel special.  We spent days preparing the event. An Italian woman, Raffaella *, came to help us take the photos and Anna Maria *, from Brasilia, came to help us create and exhibit the murals for the Exhibition on the 20^th anniversary of the Educational Centre etc … And the party was a success !!

As a member of the social media group, I also take care of the school garden activity register, which is a very important part of the Educational Centre’s proposal, as it provides the opportunity to discuss the importance of food, how to grow edible plants and to understand how much nutrition and the environment are important. All of this was possible in our garden, and we know that it is with great love and affection that the students themselves are responsible for sowing, irrigating and caring for the harvest of vegetables. After the food is harvested, it moves on to the kitchens, where the students clean it and the cook makes it into a delicious and appetizing lunch for them.

*Raffaella Fusco, fphotographer, volunteer at the Mission Bambini Organization

*Anna Maria Osmala, curator of the 20th anniversary exhibition at the João Paulo II Educational Center