Category: 25th Century Magazine

By Fabiano Ormaneze

 Social inequality, major inheritances, and the fragility of the actual capitalism concept are forcing people to rethink actual capitalism.

Inequality is the definition of the economy in a time marked by the lack of opportunities. Just to give some examples of how this translates into practice, of all the wealth generated in the world in 2017, 82% went into the hands of the richest 1% of the planet. On the other hand, the poorest half of the global population – 3.7 billion people – did not get anything. In Brazil, there are five billionaires whose wealth is equivalent to that of the poorest half of the country, reaching US $2 trillion in 2017 – 13% higher than the previous year. At the same time, the poorest 50% of Brazil saw their ‘wealth’ reduced over the same period, from 2.7% to 2%. The data came from NGO OXFAM, an international organization that defends and encourages sustainable development since the 1950s.

Along with inequalities, the contemporary capitalist system is characterized by a systemic crisis. “We are always in a crisis!,” states Rogério da Costa, coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Communication and Semiotics at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). PhD in History of Philosophy and specialist in the theory of Cognitive Capitalism—an approach that studies the socioeconomic changes caused by information technology—he explains that when two fundamental aspects are threatened, the situation is exacerbated.

“The problem is that the idea of crisis only makes sense when it comes to two inseparable aspects of our way of life: consumption and employment. Threats to these two dimensions end up being a global concern. Crisis, in this situation, should ultimately mean not being able to pay debts,” says the professor, also referencing the book, The Making of the Indebted Man by sociologist and philosopher Mauricio Lazzarato.

For Anapatrícia Morales, professor in the Graduate Program in Economics and Biotechnology at the Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) and Southeast regional coordinator of the National Forum of Managers of Innovation and Technology Transfer (Fortec), capitalism’s current stage and constant situations of crisis show that the system needs to be re-evaluated. “The capitalist system needs to be rethought in order to seek productivity gains that wouldn’t generate social, environmental and economic liabilities. This would necessarily involve economic inclusion through redesigning the role of today’s political, business, and institutional players.”

The professor’s position is similar to the skepticism of French economist Thomas Piketty in his bestselling 2013 book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. One of the main points the author addresses is the division of wealth in developed countries since the 17th century, stating that great inheritances are in many cases the cause of current inequality. This is because people who have received family heritage can often out-perform companies in a very short time.

The economist argues that it is essential to introduce tax regulations in order to close the gap between those who inherit a lot of money and those who don’t. In developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and most countries in Western and Northern Europe, the percentage varies from 25% to 40%, depending on the amount of money passed from parents to children. In Brazil, it is only 8%. For the purpose of comparison, it is worth remembering that credit card interest hit 230% a year, while overdraft fees are even greater, a staggering 300% per year.

According to Piketty, economic inequalities and the immigration rise in Europe show that the capitalist system, as it stands, no longer works. Piketty believes that the world is already in a “post-capitalist” phase, and the French economist is not alone in her beliefs. In his 2015 book Post-Capitalism, British journalist Paul Mason states that now is the time for a new economic and political system.

Citizenship

While major wealth, inherited or not, grows exponentially, and distances people from the poorest part of society, we also need to focus on citizenship. “What we find when we look at our capitalist societies is—alongside inequality—a weak citizenship practice. In other words, we see this gap between first and second-class citizens. The problem is not only structural, but also historical, with roots going back to slavery, genocide, and exploitation,” explains Costa.

Professor Anapatrícia complements this by citing the practical changes that took place in the system. “Economic development stems from a dynamic that promotes a permanent state of innovation, product replacement, and creation of new consumption habits. It becomes a critical element in the competitive struggle of companies and countries.” But what is the way forward? It is not simply a matter of being against the capitalist system, which is characteristic of contemporary society. Even in Cuba, where socialism has managed to consolidate itself with satisfactory results in some fields such as education and health, there is a gradually growing trust in the capitalist model, especially after reopening relationships with the United States. “Let us say that it would be difficult to think of such a clear distinction between the logic of capitalism and our lives, since capitalism has shaped our way of living and thinking. The breakdowns, landslides, economic collapses, and stock market crashes have always been part of our daily lives,” Costa says.

Individualism

The system resists in this crisis and difficulties, and individualism emerges from the balance of power established between the various players, one of the most striking characteristics strengthened in recent times. “The minimal state idea, of course, has countless effects on our lives. But it is necessary to understand what accompanies such logic and how our desires are invested by capital. There is a desire for a minimal state, which echoes the increasingly marked individualism in our societies”, explains the professor.

One of the points to be debated, which enables healthy or, at least, less perverse evolution, is human awareness about the system and the need for reflection on public policies reducing inequalities. The question guiding this discussion should be, “Does it make sense to live in a world with so much misery beside us”? In order to be consolidated in future generations, it must begin now.

By Mario Quintino

 Inspired by the desire for change, consultant links creativity and transformation with a project in Capão Redondo.

 A little over ten years ago, in the Capão Redondo neighbourhood in Sao Paulo’s Southern outskirts—one of the most deprived areas of the city—the Fábrica de Criatividade (Creativity Factory) project was born. Created by the entrepreneur Denilson Shikako, 34, the innovation consultancy was established in 2007, and to this day operates in the same headquarters. Currently serving large companies in Brazil, it still maintains social projects in the region, always aiming at creating and transforming. The Creativity Factory is an example of what can be achieved by more sustainable capitalism focused on fighting against inequality and advancing opportunities, especially for the most marginalized.

“The world is different on the other side of the bridge.” One of the most well-known verses by the rap group Racionais MCs shows the reality of contrasts in São Paulo. While, on one hand, the Southern region is home to Morumbi, one of the city’s most privileged neighbourhoods, on the other hand, there is Capão, which was once considered one of the most dangerous regions in the world. Shikako’s family was one of the victims of this unequal reality.

In 2000, his father was murdered. Following this tragedy, the middle-class family sold everything they had and moved out of the country to take care of a relative’s business in the United States. However, it was from this loss that Shikako found inspiration to contribute to change in the neighbourhood, doing what eventually became a lifelong project for him: seeking creative solutions to overcome difficulties and expand opportunities.

“After this tragedy, my family moved away, took off some time, and returned. I already had the desire to create a social project, and came up with the idea of building the Factory. We need to take steps to change our reality, otherwise, nothing will happen. Our interest has always been to create a sustainable project that gives this idea and money to people,” says Shikako. Soon after the concept was consolidated, work began with the help of various partners.

The concept of creativity and the reuse of materials have been incorporated into every detail, including the design and construction of the building where the Factory is located. There are, for example, doors made with marble, a “human foosball” court, walls with secret passages, and slates on the washroom walls, where anyone can write their thoughts and leave messages.

Everything is different and functional in a space that also became home to the first Cultural Center in Capão Redondo, with a theatre and spaces offering a range of creative workshops. Around one thousand people a month benefit from these services, offered free of charge or at affordable prices, through the Friends of the Creativity Factory Association. “My mother remembers something. I wrote something in fourth grade where I said I wanted to be an inventor. I wanted something really revolutionary, in the middle of Capão Redondo. The plan was to create a place offering for people ideas and, at the same time, could generate income for them.”

In one of these activities, Shikako recalls the story of a boy. The children had to express, through drawing, what they would like to be in the future. The boy then took the pencils and drew an image of a child during a mugging, wielding a weapon in his hand. After this, there was a need to work on raising awareness and possibilities for this child. “Our goal is to awaken the idea that innovation and creativity open paths, possibilities, changing lives like this. Through art, we can create the awareness of seeking something new and, consequently, offer opportunities,” says Shikako.

 Innovation consultancy

 The idea began by valuing and creating a space for change in a neighbourhood that transformed and became one of the best-known innovation consultancies in Brazil. Large companies such as Natura, Danone, and Rede Globo are among its clients. For Itaú (Brazilian bank) the co-development of the organization’s innovation project resulted in actions such as a flash mob that brought around 5,000 employees together.

Another project created for the cosmetic company, Mary Kay, is “Our Monday is the best” with the program “Thank God. It’s Monday”. For a year, every Monday, the company’s call-centre operators had different activities involving different perceptions of senses encouraging creativity and coexistence. Several of these projects generated videos and texts that can be found at the consultancy website: www.fabricadecriatividade.com.br.

One of the highlights of the Factory’s work is its motto, which is a phrase by Shikako himself: “You miss 100% of the pitches you do not do.”

It is an ode to human potential in face of the transformations the world is undergoing. The Factory is introduced to the projects proposed by the companies and teams of professionals in areas such as marketing, engineering, design, advertising, and publicity. Together, they develop actions encouraging employees and managers to innovate. The idea is to always stimulate creative thinking. The project has already carried out around 700 training sessions, 400 consultations, and more than a hundred projects across all branches of companies.

“Our work is empowering people, showing them the ability to be creative. You need to be aware of what you are capable of and feel free to innovate. We show techniques that provide this. All of this results in the construction of an integrated and creative company. Creativity changes the world. We want to awaken and transform people,” says Shikako.

The success of the Creativity Factory has already expanded beyond the bridge separating Capão from the rest of the city. It has put itself on the map. “Capão is our Silicon Valley. We can have an even funny headquarters comparing to Google!”, says the entrepreneur, laughing. The space has been used many times for meetings and presentations inspired by nature. Worldwide famous bands like hip-hop group, The Black Eyed Peas, have already performed there.

Space has also hosted United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) meetings. With such recognition and expansion, it grew and needed new units. The consultancy, known as the world centre of technology and innovation, is now in Silicon Valley, and also in Canada. It never, however, forgot its origins and purpose. Projects like this are timely initiatives; they start very small, from the idea of someone who believes in human beings. However, they carry with them the ability to have a long-term impact by acting early in life for young people, even in childhood. They become, therefore, an educational construction activity, resonating with people in this century, and those centuries that are coming.

 25th Century Magazine was created by Midierson Maia and it is focused on long-term impacts of disruptive technology. It seeks to bring the reader a debate about the impact and consequences of disruptive innovation. Check out more at https://25thcenturymag.com/

By Mario Gregório

Experts discuss current difficulties and indicate the paths education should take. 

Technological evolution and the behavioural changes arising from it, pose not only the challenge of preparing children and young people, but also the difficult task of proposing an education which prepares adults for things such as the clarity of risks, the need to build the future, and the need to enable a more conscious attitude upon innovation processes.

“The future is today, it is now,” states Universidade de São Paulo (USP) professor José Carlos Moran, who, between the late 1980s and early 1990s, was one of those responsible for creating the School of the Future, a pioneering project in the discussion on how to better prepare students and educators for what is to come. “We started in the midst Internet advent, which was still unknown. Our main objective was to discuss the new challenges that arose for education in this new reality,” he explains. As a visionary, Moran and his group anticipated discussions which only now have more prominence in school spaces, such as the need for education that uses all resources; not just instrumentally, but also reflecting on their utility.

“The school and teachings of the future need to be created and put into practice today. Needs are clear and we need to meet them,” Moran believes. Data on education in Brazil reinforces the professor’s idea. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)—which measures the level of education in various countries all over the world every three years— came out with their most recent study in 2015. The results showed Brazil was among the last in all areas evaluated. Of the 72 participating nations, Brazilian students ranked 66th in Mathematics, 63rd in Science and 59th in Reading. PISA is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Besides the difficulties indicated in the survey, the reality is even worse if we consider the amount of people who dropped out of university. In Brazil, students who drop out are around 7% in elementary school and 12% in high school, according to the Ministry of Education (MEC).

According to Moran, among the reasons for dropping out, is the fact that students find the school system doesn’t work for them. Some students also need to support their families, financially. “School needs to be seen as a space that will provide students with elements for their growth. Education has to open the possibility of creating a better future for oneself and building a better life. This must begin as early as elementary school.”

Futurology and education

The debate about the future was outlined in the 1970s, with a Brazilian among the group of pioneers. Professor Rosa Alegria has always been curious about what could happen in society; she became a futurist, graduating from the University of Houston in the United States, one of the first schools to theorize about the future based on a trend scenario constructed by methodical observation of the past and the present. “Futurism studies which paths will lead us to the novelty. We try to anticipate these events in order to deal with the future better,” she says.

According to Rosa, analysis of social changes and statistics can be useful in this attempt to interpret the future. “Futurism has more to do with anticipation than forecast. It has nothing to do with assumptions. It is an analysis based on what we have already experienced and the characteristics people have, how they usually act,” she explains. To avoid terminology misunderstandings—which might link the field with astrology or other sciences—researchers from the area prefer to use the term “futurism” rather than “futurology”. Currently, Rosa is at the forefront of implementing an educational platform called TTF – Teaching To Future, created in Germany. It involves training teachers and encouraging students’ creativity. Projects like this create educational practice, which helps to create agents of change while educating for professional activity.

One of the things experts in futurism are concerned about is the discussion on the educational bases that need to be implemented. “Teaching today is outdated and still has characteristics that go back to the Industrial Revolution. Students need to learn about the past, always look forward, and be encouraged to develop creative ability. The way information is being transmitted is just as important as what is being taught. We have several possibilities for this and technology is an ally in this matter,” Rosa points out.

According to Alegria, Brazil is headed backwards in terms of education. In 2017, the Federal Government stated that every student, whether from private or public schooling, is expected to have the same educational background, she explains. “Students are increasingly demanding personalized education that can capture the skills of each one and develop them in the best way possible, but it is something that would require costs which governments do not seem to be willing to budget for.”

In the United States, business theorist Clayton Christensen—author of the books, The Innovator’s Dilemma and Disrupting Class—argues that schools can undergo the same processes of disruption as a company in order to change the way of teaching. Although controversial, he argues that there are very similar issues in the world of education and business. He believes one of the solutions could be online education, which could merge different ways of learning, since the student would be able, through the Internet, to contact teachers with different methods, without being obliged to take classes with professors imposed by the school. According to Christensen, schools and activities should enable students always to be successful, just as in the business world.

Basic issues

Besides the need for a personalized education, there is a structural challenge. “Nowadays, many schools have 35–40 students per classroom. It is very complicated for the teacher to organize any activity with such a large number of people. Activities and group dynamics are tools for development, but on this scale, it is impossible for the educator to deal with each student with the necessary attention and monitoring,” Moran adds.

According to the study Effective Teacher Policies: Insights from PISA, released in early June by the OECD, Brazil is among the countries with the highest number of students per classroom. In China, an average of 12 students make up a class, while in Brazil the average is 22 students. That figure is second only to Colombia, with 27 students on average per classroom.

Despite studying the relationship between society, education, and technology, both Moran and Alegria see the teacher as the centre of the entire educational process, which means that this profession must be valued. “While salaries are falling, teachers have more students to teach and guide, without a minimum structure or resources for this, especially in public schools. This undermines initiatives in developing new teaching methods and activities,” Moran says.

“Nowadays, technology is accessible to everyone and should be an instrument of education. There is a lot of talk about flipped, more interactive classrooms, but how do we do this while we’re in this situation? We need to invest and recover the dreams that education can provide,” adds the professor. When talking about flipped classrooms, Moran refers to a method of teaching in which a problem or challenge is posed to the students. In the search for resolution, relationships and theories are constructed and researched.

On this topic, Rosa adds that parents have a determining role: “Parents and community are fundamental in discussions about education and future. Everyone contributes in some way, and exchanging knowledge encourages everyone to create and propose new ideas.” Education has direct impacts on issues that currently remain only in the field of political discourse and are not being put into practice, such as sustainability and reducing inequality. There are few projects which, when thinking about the future, promote a transformation starting in the present, involving young people, for example, in actions of social entrepreneurship.

25th Century Magazine was created by Midierson Maia and it is focused on long-term impacts of disruptive technology. It seeks to bring the reader a debate about the impact and consequences of disruptive innovation. Check out more at https://25thcenturymag.com/

25th Century Magazine was created by Midierson Maia and it is focused on long-term impacts of disruptive technology. It seeks to bring the reader a debate about the impact and consequences of disruptive innovation. Check out more at https://25thcenturymag.com/

By Midierson Maia and Fabiano Ormaneze

Brazilian artist Mariak, based in the United Arab Emirates, creates a worldwide network of connections focused on sustainability, innovation and social impact.

It is late afternoon and the starlings—small birds that live in flocks in the north of England— organize themselves into their so-called murmuration. It goes beyond a song, or the characteristic noise of synchronized wings flapping. It’s more than that; like a dance, before resting after a full day of hunting for food in the winter days, they connect together in light, choreographed movements. It is also unclear what causes these birds to initiate such a dance. However, physicists and biologists believe that each one, when moving, stimulates seven others to do the same around them, in a continuous progression. Soon, the seven become forty-nine, forty-nine become thousands, and a spectacle is created in the skies. They also become stronger and easily scare off hawks, the main predators of the species, fast in flight and up to four times larger.

Using the birds as a metaphor for life, artist Maria Luiza Knoblauch—or simply Mariak, the name she goes by—was inspired to create the Torus Legacy holding company. The goal is to connect people around the world on the improvements that can be achieved through technology associated with human potential. The idea is that, just like a flock of starlings, together, people can do better and have more social impact. “All the businesses linked to Torus are products, projects, and services related to people who use skills to build their own legacy in the areas of sustainability, innovation, arts, science, and smart technology. All this, together with the happiness of being who they are, as people and as professionals,” explains Mariak. Therefore, the goal is to share experiences and services, and offer participants connections; this way, those involved could grow exponentially based on a large ecosystem with participants from all over the world.

Torus is headquartered in one of the most prosperous places on the planet, Masdar City (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates). Torus has a branch in Dubai, which Mariak fell in love with on her very first visit. This year, coincidentally, is the 100th anniversary of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s birth, considered the father and founder of the Emirates. The idea is that by 2071, when the country’s centenary will be celebrated (Area 2071), the focus will be on creating positive proposals, which will include social transformation, sustainability, and technology, all with global impact.

One of the main Torus Legacy projects is the Legacy Ministry, which connects government, society, and companies that want their activities to support people, promote evolution, and protect the planet. As Mariak says, “you have to merge everyone’s dreams with government needs.” To shape this connection, she designed projects such as the Artificial Intelligence Forest Heritage and Artificial Intelligence Legacy Tree.

Through them, Torus provides an artificial intelligence tree that crosses supply with demand. “The idea is that people can have these trees and put whatever information they wish in there so that we have a large social network.” In the future, the goal is for these people to become like godmothers and godfathers to trees in a real forest. “It will be a great connection for people who make a difference in the Emirates. We will have artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality glasses enabling an immersive experience inside the forest and the possibility to get to know the legacy of people all at the same time,” says the artist. With this, the natural space becomes a great immersive experience, a theme park with the existing technologies. Among them, Mariak cites the possibility of changing the colour of trees through LED lamps according to people’s reactions, and even making plants play music using electromagnetic waves. In addition, these projects are related to issues of great environmental importance, such as global warming, research on the impact of innovation on the environment, concern for water, and research and development on medicinal herbs.

In order to bring the interested parties together, Mariak decided to open the doors of her own home, which can also be used as an office and, in the future, will be a recording studio for materials that can expand Torus’ ideas and proposals. Her way of life is in itself an example of innovation, inventiveness and sustainability; she lives on a boat, where she can meet those in need to make connections based on the holding company proposal. “I have a project to sail around the world one day. But I wanted to have a home where I could, at the same time, talk about my work, use sustainable materials and relate it all to design. In addition, the boat allows me to be closer to the place I love the most, which is nature.” To facilitate access to those who need connections and those who identify with her work, Mariak has other offices in strategic areas of the Emirates.

Another important segment of the work concerns adapting what she has studied and what she is qualified in. She works with concept design projects, interior design, landscaping, and sustainable business models. Therefore, based on what she knows and her desire to strengthen human potential, she has become a source of inspiration for architects, entrepreneurs, suppliers, businesses, and investors in creating sustainable initiatives for the future. With this activity and proposal, Mariak has also been able to implement projects in the Emirates involving partnerships with Brazilian companies.

With activities gradually becoming global, Torus Legacy proofs that the future will not be a dystopia if human potential is worked on and if technologies are used within purposes that consider the characteristics of life in society; all of this while connecting people, knowledge, and geographically distant regions. The year 2071 and even the next century are closer than we think, and the pillars of this future were already raised.

Talk to Mariak: malu.projeto@gmail.com

Forget about dystopia, the future is exponential!

Voicers’ goals merge education and human potential to promote an inclusive society.

By Midierson Maia and Fabiano Ormaneze

Swimming against the tide, future thinker, Ligia Zotini Mazurkiewicz, believes, “The next great revolution will be a moral one, led by children who are now sitting on our laps.” It was with this strong belief that she created Voicers (www.voicers.com.br), a digital and educational start-up that works toward a noble purpose: to democratize access to technology and unite voices that think about the future. The goal is to portray the future—positively and exponentially—helping to avoid technological dystopias.

Before starting Voicers, Ligia, who obtained a bachelor degree in Business Administration, and a master’s in Marketing, had a twelve-year-long career working in multinational companies. She also worked as a Business and Language professor after participating in a Silicon Valley educational mission in 2016. She went back to Brazil determined to quit her job and search for a new purpose. Her heart was set on the idea that access to technology should not be restricted to small groups.

In 2016, as professor, she undertook an initial experiment which would become a major technology-diffusion project aimed at human education and training. “The years I worked in the corporate world were very important and happy years; but there was something that needed to be aligned. I felt the need to combine three characteristics that have always been with me: concern for education; passion for technology; and interest in a planetary consciousness, without borders,” she says.

She taught a course titled “Technology and Leadership in the 21st Century” for undergraduate students at the Faculdade Paulista de Pesquisa e Ensino Superior (FAPPES) during the one- semester course. “Since I could not tackle all the issues on my own, every week I invited someone— a voice—to talk to students. One would wear virtual reality glasses, another would bring a robot or a drone. In addition to this, the guest speakers had other amazing qualities: they were all fantastic human beings, and they all brought the vision to my classes: that appropriate technological training will prevent us from living in a dystopian future,” she says.

Ligia realized she was headed in the right direction and that a new life project was beginning to emerge when she monitored the success of one of the videos from her classes, which had thousands of reactions, comments and shares on social media. “As much as young people are connected to technology, in general, they are not the creators, inventors of all this. This helped the classes become very successful and reach broader audiences,” she recalls. At the same time, she felt that those activities and understanding of the technology linked to the exponential growth of human beings, could not be restricted to the classroom. This is how Voicers came about: focused on spreading ideas by people who anticipate the future and are experts in the areas of technology, science, innovation and, of course, human development.

To outline the project, she first brought together people with whom she had contact in the corporate world, and who are very knowledgeable in their areas. “But I always bear in mind that these partners of mine must be more than just very knowledgeable. That alone is not enough. They must also be lucid human beings with different qualities, including diversity and plurality.”

That’s how Voicers was born, in opposition to the multiple dystopias, which, especially in the movies and series produced in the US, presenting a devastating future. “I do not believe the future will be what Hollywood cinema has become used to showing us, which is to unite the best of technology with the worst in humans. We need to believe in exponential technology where human beings also use all their capacity for transformation,” argues the entrepreneur.

As a digital platform, Voicers currently brings together around 50 professionals from different areas and backgrounds who believe in technology, and in the potential of human beings, as long as educational work is involved. It’s as if these people already lived in the future and used the platform to amplify their voices, helping society prepare for the upcoming decades.

The platform has professionals from different areas such as Communication, Engineering, Administration and Design, who produce videos and broadcast them on the Internet. In addition, there are technological-experience activities aimed at groups, individuals, colleges or companies, as well as face-to-face meetings in various formats known as Tech Talks. The contents are grouped into three main thematic groups: technology, trends, and people in the 21st Century.

Human x Inhuman

Since there have been many literary and cinematographic dystopian productions over the last 50 years, Voicers’ vision is faced with the great challenge by presenting a new possibility for the world to deal with technological advances and with the relationship between human beings and technology. Ligia argues that it is necessary to rethink the relationship between human beings and technology.

“When a machine does something better than a human being, it is, therefore, an inhuman work. What will be left when machines do the work that people used to do? We need to prepare people to create, care, heal, know, and share. That’s our job and our focus,” she explains. When it comes to human relationships in the future, Voicers’ vision is clear on the need to train people to live with diversity and plurality, constructing their own stories regardless of stereotypes and patterns. In addition, we must prepare for changes in the workplace and in the way we teach and learn.

In the future, there will be fewer opportunities for formal employment, which, if properly prepared for, can lead to the surge of great talents. Organized in new forms of employment relationships, the professionals of the future will not seek employment, but rather sources of income, using their talents in a plural form. The group argues that the security of employment contracts and stability can often mask real talents, and in this world, school must never remain centred on the reproduction of content that can be easily accessed. “Skills, in the future, will not be measured by the ability to remember things, but by what people will be able to create,” Ligia says.

Outcomes

After two years into the project, Ligia has already received positive feedback from several technology and automation companies. Despite that, she had to learn to deal with those who only see the negative aspects of technological advances. Some come to ask: “But won’t there be more unemployment?” To these, Ligia generally says: “There will be more people who can become unemployable, that is, they will lose their jobs. These are the people you have to prepare for inventive activities.” And what about fear? How do we deal with it? The answer is similar: The fear we are experiencing is a fear of the unknown, and Voicers’ proposal is to create narratives that would serve as bridges to the future.

Talk to Ligia: ligia@voicers.com.br