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Media literacy becomes a catalyst for youth engagement and environmental action in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul.
Photo by: Itaipu Binacional | Welyton Manoel
Hello, everyone! Wishing you a great week and good reading!
By José Brito, journalist and founder of Pupa Educação Digital
“We live in a time of rampant disinformation. Young people are both protagonists and vulnerable to these dynamics. Promoting media and information literacy with a strong focus on climate change—a central issue for us at Itaipu—is one of the ways we’re working to close these gaps and foster a culture of listening, learning, and collective problem-solving.”
Rosani Borba, Coordinator of Participatory Governance at Itaipu Binacional
I’m writing this week’s article from a hotel in the quiet town of Telêmaco Borba, about 245 kilometers north of Curitiba and a bit farther from my home in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. With a population of around 80,000, the town’s economy is built on the timber and paper industries.
I was invited to lead a series of media literacy and educommunication workshops with youth involved in the Participatory Governance Project promoted by Itaipu Binacional. The initiative spans 21 cities across Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul, creating local hubs for socio-environmental cooperation. Apart from larger cities like Curitiba, Maringá, and Cascavel, most of these municipalities face shared challenges in managing natural resources and seeking sustainable solutions for their communities.
It’s been inspiring to listen to so many young people from different backgrounds who know Brazil in its raw form and are eager to improve their lives. I met Pedro Vizzotto, a local farmer looking to transition to organic agriculture but who needs more technical and legal support. Then there’s Sarah, a young woman helping her mom run a small jewelry store while aspiring to become an environmental protection officer. And Jerry, originally from the Dominican Republic, who traveled through Haiti to reach Brazil, now dreaming of studying tech and programming. Just today, he sent me a message saying how much he valued learning how media production can strengthen his skillset.
A key figure in this process is Rosani Borba, coordinator of the Participatory Governance program. I met with her last week in Cascavel to evaluate our progress. Rosani is a committed, hands-on leader with a deep understanding of what it takes to build networks: empathy, dialogue, and action. She brings a sharp eye to every detail, pushing for collaborative solutions in a territory shared by people with diverse interests and rich natural resources.
What we’re witnessing is a collective effort rooted in education, participation, and the power of youth narratives. Young people from diverse realities are coming together around a shared goal: to learn how to manage information critically, explore sustainable entrepreneurship, and become protagonists of a more inclusive and environmentally conscious future.
In these workshops, I’ve shared my 20+ years of experience as a reporter and educator—blending storytelling, field-based learning, and digital tools in an open exchange. It’s a win-win. We listen, we reflect, we produce. The results can be seen on the Itaipu and Pupa Educação Digital social media channels.
A special shoutout to Alexandre Sayad, a long-time friend and collaborator who connected me with this amazing group. 🙌
📸 Workshop photos » [Click here]
#01 Youth Speak Up for the Climate: Tackling Disinformation Through Participatory Governance with Itaipu Binacional
Link: [Itaipu] Foto: Welyton Manoel | Itaipu Binacional
Link: [China Media Project] + [Diogo Cortiz]
Link: [Meio e Mensagem]
Link: [Agência Pública]
Link: [Insper]
Think globally. Act locally.
I first heard this concept when I worked as a reporter for Globo Ecologia back in the late 1990s. It refers to Agenda 21, a global action plan created during the UN Earth Summit (Rio-92), promoting sustainable development at the local, national, and global levels. Simple in theory—but not always in practice.
Fast-forward 25 years, and here we are again, discussing the climate crisis ahead of COP-30 in Belém do Pará this November. The political will is fragile, funding remains a challenge, and engaging society in this agenda has become more complex than ever.
That’s why I’m reminded of Ailton Krenak and his powerful work Ideas to Postpone the End of the World. The connection between young people at the Itaipu workshops and the high-level climate debates (not the cost of hotels in Belém, but the urgency of new global agreements) is no coincidence.
» Ideas to Postpone the End of the World
Author: Ailton Krenak
Puslisher: Companhia das Letras
2019
