| Team Member | Brief Introduction | |
|---|---|---|
| Hannah Thomas | Second Year Business Management Student at Loughborough University | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahthomasd/ |
| Michio Babcock | First year Engineering student at the University of Calgary | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michio-babcock-b207322a2/ |
| Andrei-Mihail Muscalu | Second year Business and Economics student at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrei-mihail-muscalu-32a6b9337/?isSelfProfile=true |
| Adriana Acra | Student at IE University | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriana-acra-8970842a4/ |
Across São Paulo, secondary students in low-income communities face a widening gap between schooling and access to the city’s expanding digital economy. Although internet coverage is widespread, connectivity quality and device access remain income-dependent, with most low-income youth relying on shared smartphones rather than computers. At the same time, São Paulo hosts one of Latin America’s largest concentrations of digital employment opportunities. However, public secondary education often lacks structured digital skill development and meaningful exposure to vocational or tertiary pathways. As a result, students struggle to see education as a credible route to economic mobility. This relevance gap contributes to disengagement, elevated dropout risk, and early transitions into informal labour, disproportionately affecting low-income youth, their families, and the city’s long-term workforce development.
Conecta Caminhos is our proposed school-embedded digital pathway and mentorship program for São Paulo’s public secondary schools. Leveraging existing classrooms, teacher expertise, and university and private-sector partnerships, it connects students to the digital economy without building new infrastructure. The program combines teacher training in digital pedagogy, supervised after-school digital hubs using school facilities, and structured mentorship from university students and professionals, exposing youth to vocational and tertiary pathways. By reusing infrastructure and mobilizing volunteer networks, costs remain low and scalable within municipal education budgets. The model is socially acceptable, strengthening teachers, supporting families, and boosting student aspiration without increasing curriculum burden. By linking in-school learning directly to achievable career opportunities, Conecta Caminhos addresses disengagement driven by weak digital skills and perceived irrelevance, helping low-income students see education as a credible route to economic mobility.
While Conecta Caminhos leverages existing infrastructure and partnerships, its success depends on factors that remain uncertain, such as teacher engagement and volunteer availability.
Connectivity differences between neighbourhoods and safety concerns affecting after school attendance may influence participation levels.
Implementation assumes cooperation from universities, NGOs, and private-sector partners, as well as municipal support for program coordination.
Early-stage pilots will test feasibility, allowing for adjustments in teacher training, digital hub management, and mentorship delivery.
Evaluation metrics—including student attendance, digital competency, and vocational pathway enrollment—will guide scaling decisions. This phased approach mitigates risk while providing actionable insights to refine the program before broader deployment, ensuring that Conecta Caminhos remains responsive to local contexts and needs.
São Paulo represents both Brazil’s greatest digital opportunity and one of its most visible inequality challenges.