Everyone there knew what the moment represented. The mixture of feelings – happiness, nostalgia, enthusiasm – at completing yet another important phase. Gathered at the Papuã Center auditorium in Ibirapitanga, Bahia, 20 youth completed the Young Entrepreneur Development Program (PDJE), an initiative of the Odebrecht Foundation.

Aligned with the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology, PDJE seeks to contribute toward the professional training of rural entrepreneurs who currently work at institutions or projects associated with the Bahia Southern Lowlands Environmental Protection Area Mosaic Program for Development and Growth Integrated with Sustainability (PDCIS).

The group consisted in its majority of former students of the teaching units associated with PDCIS. “I had the privilege of acquiring new knowledge and exchanging experiences with each colleague,” said Déborah Santana, Assistant Educator at the Presidente Tancredo Neves Rural Family Home, who has studied at the institution for four years. “I’m more motivated to continue with my work and influence the transformation of my region,” she said. Pedro Assunção, who works at the Casa Jovem State High School Industry of Knowledge, commented that the discussions influenced his personal planning: “Now it is easier to build by life and career plan and know what steps I should take to make it possible,” said Assunção. “This was my biggest gain.”

During its second edition, completed in one year and a half, PDJE included programming with 18 monthly modules on different topics, such as leadership, time management, communication, social responsibility, rights and citizenship and the elaboration of projects. The last phase, on November 10, was led by Volney Fernandes, Leader of the Environmental Service Cooperative Alliance, with the lecture “What Will We Do with What We Learned?” in which he highlighted that changes are necessary for building life histories.

For the Course Coordinator and Consultant in Human Development at the Odebrecht Foundation, Gilcia Beckel, the sensation was one of mission accomplished. “The enthusiasm and interest of everyone is visible,” said Beckel. “This continued training helps each person evolve,” she said.