Episode 8: Educational Equity and Empowerment of Indigenous Youth in Brazil with Livia Maria Souza

In this episode, I interview Livia Maria Souza, the 19-year old founder of the Levanta Jovem Project in Brazil. Livia shares her journey as a change-maker that started when she was 12 years old and discusses the incredible work that she is doing to provide leadership training and mentorship to the Amazonian youth from the northern regions of Brazil.  We discuss the challenges that the youth from these regions have had to deal with including the historical and political dynamics of the country that propagated stereotypes against the indigenous people.  We discuss the educational system in Brazil that emphasizes grades over leadership skills and the importance of public policy and societal engagement to drive positive change.  Livia also shares how the leadership programs at Levanta Jovem focus on self awareness and identifying one's purpose and how that has led to positive outcomes for many of the participants of the program.  Finally, Livia shares great advice on how Gen-Zers like us can make a difference.