Initiative will promote joint actions to improve the perspectives of young residents of Rio de Janeiro communities through digital empowerment
The Rio Digital Coalition was launched in Rio de Janeiro, a mobilization of the private sector with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and sector entities for digital empowerment. More than 20 companies, class entities and institutions are part of the movement to improve the future prospects of young residents of Rio de Janeiro's communities, training them technologically for the job market and for entrepreneurship. The expectation is that 8 thousand young people, between 15 and 29 years old, will be directly impacted in the first year of operation.
The initiative seeks to mobilize the private sector, especially the IT sector, to offer free technology courses with certification recognized by the market in priority regions of Rio de Janeiro. “Microsoft understood the Rio Digital Coalition as a call. We believe that technology is an engine of economic and social development and we place ourselves as one of the actors that wants to make a difference within this project", commented the president of Microsoft, Paula Bellizia.
During the launch ceremony, the executive president of Brasscom, Sergio Paulo Gallindo, recalled that Rio needs to create opportunities for young people and that, interestingly, the city has become an exporter of labor in the IT sector in recent years. “We want to see in young people the possibility of aiming for a better future for their lives and their families. Taking advantage of what is the biggest wave of opportunities ahead, which is the wave of digital transformation, or also called the fourth industrial revolution”, said Gallindo.
According to data from Brasscom – Brazilian Association of Information and Communication Technology Companies, between 2013 and 2018 (until February), the software and services job market in the city of Rio de Janeiro dropped 17.9%, not following the recovery trajectory from the same market on a national scale that advanced 2.2%. Until February 2018, 13 thousand jobs were created in software and services in Brazil, while in the city of Rio de Janeiro 9 thousand were lost. If in 2013 the municipality of Rio de Janeiro concentrated 8.4% of software and services jobs in Brazil, in 2018 this concentration dropped to 6.8%.
Rodrigo Baggio, president of the NGO Recode (former Committee for the Democratization of Informatics), emphasizes that the main social organizations in the world already realize that it is not possible to change the world we live in if each NGO, company or government does its part alone. “It is only through coalitions and collaborative work that major transformations in society can be generated,” he said.
The idea of the Rio Digital Coalition is to encourage volunteering by employees of participating companies to mentor young people, in addition to creating a CV bank to facilitate the offer of openings in entry-level positions in participating companies and others that may be of interest.
As a first action, Coalizão Rio Digital works on mapping priority regions of Greater Rio and social organizations located in communities. The training path should prioritize the conscious and citizen use of technology, reinforcing its possibilities for the personal and professional development of young people. The training average should be 100 hours.
Another result expected by the Rio Digital Coalition is the development of a case for democracy and digital citizenship, bringing together the experience and technological solutions of the organizations participating in an initiative to generate greater transparency, engagement and efficiency in public management.
IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Embratel, Salesforce, Stefanini, TOTVS, Resource, Capgemini, Equinix, BRQ, Dataprev, Schneider Electric, Abes Software, Assespro RJ, Brasscom, Fenainfo, Rio Soft, TI Rio, Unesco, NGO Recode, Lide Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Coca-Cola, Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Observatório das Favelas, Fundação Roberto Marinho, among others, are already part of the project.
About the Rio Digital Coalition
The Rio Digital Coalition is a movement of civil society and the private sector, especially companies in the Information and Communication Technology sector, which proposes concrete actions to improve the future prospects of young people aged 15 to 29 living in Rio de Janeiro communities in of vulnerability.
The movement, which brings together more than 20 companies and entities, believes that the collective action of the most innovative and creative sectors of the industry can contribute to accelerating the digital empowerment of these young people and facilitating opportunities and new paths for income generation, reducing insecurities today. experienced in the State of Rio, and effectively contributing to the development of society. Email: contato@coalizaoriodigital.org.br
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