The Youth Fight Back in Rio: A Look Into A Student Protest by Carolina Varela

(there's still minor editing needed on this blog)
Where do all the young go when schools no longer value education, when the schools no longer function properly, when learning isn’t placed first and the youth is disregarded.

Occupied school in Rio (image taken from Rio On Watch)

From ranking the number one Latin American Country in GDP, Brazil’s economy is now in a crisis. Yet, what’s striking about Brazil’s recession is how quickly the economy collapsed. Part of the controversy of Brazil winning the bid to host the world cup, and the Olympics, making it two mega events back to back, was in part because of the effect the Pan Am games had on the country. Some of the predicted risks about hosting a mega event like the Olympics are improper sourcing of funds. It was assumed that if the money was allocated well, then Brazil could continue to see a boost in the economy. This could've been a time in which investment could have been made within both the private and public sectors. Yet, much of the concern is attributed onto the predicted profit that would come from such an event. And that profit isn’t much in relation to what is spent before, during and even after these mega events. Essentially it starts off a losing game and most times the first to feel the impact of this investment are the public sector, as money is taken for the maintenance and operation of such events.

Protester at City Hall holding up a hand painted sign

In Rio many high schools have now faced drastic cutbacks in funds. As a result of these cutbacks, students have been attending class in unsuited environments for learning. The list of complaints are in relation to broken air conditioners, basic infrastructure wearing down, the letting go of guards and a lack of supplies needed to keep a class running properly. The students in Rio felt that in the wake of the Olympics, the state shifted their importance away from education and the public sector. This is a result of a social process called moral disengagement where there is a lack of responsibility in actions that have negatively affected others. The Olympics have had many harmful effects on the society of Brazil, and what the students want is their states officials to take responsibility for their actions. Brazil’s students are angered and they want answers.

Despite what people had assumed about the youth in Brazil, On March 2nd students in Rio began occupying their high schools in order to sway the government to meet their demands. A total of 75 schools were occupied in Rio, and in part this was inspired by the occupation that had occurred a few months back in Sao Paulo. This movement has shaken the perception of the young in Brazil. And the common conception was that the youth in Brazil were disinterested in their education. Instead, these students have proved that for them, education comes first, and they want quality education above all.

Protest in the streets of Rio (image taken from Rio On Watch)

Many times the youth are pictured as reckless, oblivious and at times even apathetic. But the truth is that the youth everywhere have become responsible for problems that often aren’t of their own doing. In that case, we should not be shocked that the students in Rio have taken action and have become active participators in education reform. As these students are left to face a declining educational system, they feel there options have become limited. One of the adverse effects of a society that neglects the needs of the younger generations is that the youth grow up in a world where their concept of self is one constructed by the society it has interacted with. Unlike anything we’ve previously seen, youth everywhere have grown up in a commercially saturated and commodified environment. Our power to imagine anything other than instability has been blurred by our sense of disposability. Society has created the notion that we are unimportant. Essentially, it makes sense that becoming aware of this reality makes us want to fight back against a system that neglects us. And the anger and frustration that emerges from this are many times interpreted as recklessness and ignorance. This position can be seen in how media chooses to cover these stories of revolution and protest.

Students in Protest (Image taken from International Business Times)

So what happens when a state refuses to meet the needs of the young. Refuses to acknowledge that enough is enough and we want an end to such standards that overlook education and the public. In the streets of Rio, I found that students are fighting back the corruption. This is a fight about taking control of our future, and turning the system inside out. They want their education to be valued and funded properly and they know their rights are being looked over. They feel that the government is prioritizing the Olympics over the needs of its citizens, specifically its students. This is why the investments that have been made on a mega event like the Olympics become problematic.

Students protesting on the steps of City Hall

The students that we found on the steps of City hall were making there presence known through painted signs and music. They also had gathered the garbage that had gone uncollected at their schools, and dropped it in front of the City Hall building as they chanted their right for quality education. To me, this felt like it wasn't just simply a protest, but it was also an act of expression and art. Almost like a “this is how we feel about your government spending: pure garbage”.
But these students weren’t occupying spaces on their own, they had the support of their parents and teachers. And the faculty actually participated in the occupation of schools, camping out with students, preventing closures and also insisting on change.

Dorotéa Frota Santana, coordinator of Rio de Janeiro's teachers' union (Image taken from Rio On Watch)

Like the students teachers shared many of the same concerns, but they also had their own demands. They wanted a fair election of school directors, voted by the community, and they wanted investment in infrastructure, as well as the construction of new schools. Since the decline of the economy many schools had been shut down, which added to the already inadequate conditions of the institutions. There was major overcrowding and some classes had up to 70 students. With teacher’s having low wages, and no increase investment in education, many of them are paying supplies out of pocket.

The occupation and strikes of public schools has now been going on for months and although complete reform hasn’t happened yet, these students have already made a significant impact. There resistance has inspired other states in Brazil to demand change. They have made the state of Rio realize that the youth do care about their education and that they want their government to also place education first. When economic instability and corruption are only understanding of our countries states of wealth, it becomes easy to accept these realities as norms. It’s our job to become educated and aware that everything can change, we just have to believe and act on it.

References:

"In Occupying Schools, Rio's Students Get a Political Education." Americas Quarterly. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016

"Rio De Janeiro: Teachers on Strike, Students Occupy 76 Schools, by Dan La Botz, New Politics." Rio De Janeiro: Teachers on Strike, Students Occupy 76 Schools. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016
Economy, Brazil's. "Brazil Crisis: Economy Spirals Deeper into Recession."CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
In the Midst of Rising Calls to Impeach President Dilma Rousseff. "Brazil: Economic Collapse Worse than Feared." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016
"Brazilian Finance and the 2016 Olympics - Financial Ethics." Seven Pillars Institute Financing Ethics and the Brazilian Olympics Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Ortellado, Pablo. "Brazil’s Students Occupy Their Schools to Save Them." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
"Sao Paulo Students Protest against Closures." - Al Jazeera English. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.