Brazilian Government Introduces Project to Encourage Youth Entrepreneurship

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The National Youth Secretariat launched on Friday, August 16th, the Espaço 4.0 project, which will furnish community centers with tools for the development of projects and production works.

According to the National Youth Secretary, Jayana Nicaretta da Silva, the goal is to prepare young people for the challenges of the so-called fourth industrial revolution, with a focus on productivity, income generation, employment, and youth entrepreneurship.

“Our expectation is not to impose limits. Within this space, great things can arise, we believe that work is, yes, the best social program to offer,” she said. “Young people know how to start their own business, not as a plan B, but as the number one option for those who want to succeed in life,” she said in a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto for the International Youth Day, celebrated on August 12th.

Some 28 municipalities have been selected to host state-of-the-art computers and 3D printers in the first phase of the project. Through agreements, the secretariat will transfer funds to municipalities for the execution of the project and ensure the training of the professionals appointed by municipalities.

“In these centers, everything may be created, from a housing project to a sculpture or a prosthesis,” said Jayana Nicaretta da Silva. “It is a way of thinking about the world and optimizing the materials and skills available to our society.”

According to Damares Alves, Minister of Women, Family, and Human Rights, there are more than 500,000 jobs in technology that are not filled due to lack of qualification.

“We will reach out to young people who need education and training for the job market, young people who spend the whole day on social media and do not know how to build an Excel spreadsheet,” she said in her speech.

President Jair Bolsonaro criticized the welfare policies and stressed that children and youth need guidance, discipline, and respect for the state hierarchy. “What takes youths out of poverty is knowledge; these are not social programs, which in some cases are necessary, but we cannot develop thinking about it,” he said.

“What our government needs, and is putting in place, are policies that seek to open the eyes of youths, to show them the right path, to state that they are responsible for their future. The state will not get in their way, but it will help.”