US-Brazil Connect has discovered US industry leaders share a growing interest in workforce development in Brazil and the US.  When the Denver nonprofit hosted 108 of Brazil’s top math, science, and technology students during January and February 2015, US companies opened their doors to showcase opportunities for meaningful work in the technical sciences as career options for these students.

The students who took part in the trip to the US were selected for excellent achievement during the 2014 Conexão Mundo Program—an educational collaboration between US-Brazil Connect and the Brazilian Confirmation of Industry (CNI). Together, the two organizations work to create opportunities for young people in both countries by building skills required for success in a global economy—cultural competency, language efficiency and confidence when speaking English.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Applied Control Engineering, ARCADIS US Engineering, the ALCOA Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars/Brazil Institute, and a range of US companies on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit participated in the Brazilian student visit.

“We’re proud to support the brightest young minds of Brazil by strengthening their interest and confidence in pursuing STEM education and careers,” said Kathy Tobey, vice president and general manager of Special Programs for Lockheed Martin Space Systems. “Through their intellect and curiosity, the students will help drive Brazil’s growing space economy.”

When the students visited in January, Lockheed Martin Space Systems not only allowed students to demo virtual reality goggles and see models of next-generation US spacecraft. They also connected the students with young engineers working on the Orion Spacecraft—the future of NASA’s manned space program.  

“In our work with 2,000 Brazilian students over Conexão Mundo 2014, we have learned they want challenging careers that will connect them with the world. But they know little about the real options for great jobs,” said Mary Gershwin, president of US-Brazil Connect. “Through our partnership with Brazil’s Confederation of Industry, we help students see that the STEM fields can open the future to previously unimaginable work opportunities that are both global and meaningful.”

A collaborative network of community colleges, churches and host families successfully welcomed US-Brazil Connect’s largest student delegation to date. During January and February, communities in Michigan, Montana, Iowa and Colorado hosted 108 Brazilian students.

“When we send our Fellows to Brazil, we are always amazed by the level of hospitality,” said US-Brazil Connect Global Partnership Director Kerri-Ann Appleton. “This year we worked hard to match their kindness. Our families and an amazing set of new community partners rolled out the red carpet.”

The students were selected for their outstanding performance over the course of US-Brazil Connect’s Conexão Mundo Program in 2014. The two-week all-expenses-paid trip to the US rewards the top five percent of 2,000 students who participated in the Conexão Mundo Program.

Tracy Simpson, US-Brazil Connect’s Exchange Visit Coordinator, worked with host families and community partners across the country to welcome the Brazilian students.

“Our goal in this trip was to expand the horizons of these amazing students,” explained Ms. Simpson. “We hope the connections host families, host communities and educational partners forged with the students will last for years, if not decades.”

The Brazilian students traveled to locations in the US where they saw their coaches from the previous summer. While the majority of students came to Denver, US-Brazil Connect’s Community College partners also welcomed students to Jackson Community College in Michigan; Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana; and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Select host communities in each city also matched the Brazilian students with activities and host families. In the Denver Metro area, St. Ambrose Church, Denver Center for International Studies, Monarch High School, Boulder High School, Palomino Park, and Highline Academy all arranged activities and homestays for groups of student delegates. 

A number of educational partners also provided the student delegates a chance to see the US education system in action.  George Washington High School, Monarch High School, Montebello High School, South High School, Foothills Elementary each welcomed Brazilian students into classroom activities.

DENVER – Between January and February, US-Brazil Connect will welcome 108 of Brazil’s top math and science students to locations around the country as a reward for their hard work during the nonprofit’s Conexão Mundo Program. The trip also aims to raise students’ awareness of international careers in the STEM fields.

Last year, Colorado Governor Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Hancock joined forces with the Denver-based nonprofit to celebrate the signing of one of the largest educational exchanges linking the United States with Brazil.  Sponsored the Brazilian Confederation of Industry (CNI), the program has already engaged over 300 US students and young professionals in leadership experiences in Brazil and served thousands of Brazilian students spread over 20 Brazilian states.

The 2015 Student Delegates are the top 5 percent of 2,000 students that participated in the Conexão Mundo Program in 2014. While most of those students will come to Denver, three of US-Brazil Connect’s community college partners will also host students at Jackson College in Michigan, Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, and Flathead Valley Community College in Montana.  

Each of the students have a packed schedule for their two-week stay. Days are devoted to slides down Keystone Mountain and visits to local high schools. Nights will be spent at Nuggets games and enjoying American food with host families. But the students are also here on business, explains US-Brazil Connect President Mary Gershwin.

“The key to our model is that by connecting young people, we open both our Brazilian students and our US fellows to career opportunities that can change their lives,” she said. “We fuel the Western Hemisphere’s two largest economies through creative partnership.”

For the students, that means they will devote much of their stay to examining possibilities for future work by visiting some of Colorado’s industrial leaders. Tracy Simpson, US-Brazil Connect’s Visit Coordinator, has arranged tours of software engineering company Applied Control, engineering firm Arcadis US, Denver’s 3D print shop and other leading Colorado businesses.

Most notably, the Brazilian students will have a rare chance to tour aerospace giant Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado where they will be seeing some of the company’s cutting-edge technologies first hand. Virtual reality, 3D manufacturing and the support area where the company runs its planetary missions will all be on display for the students’ benefit. 

This is all welcome news to student Fabricio Reis, who hopes to study Chemistry at an US university. He looks forward to the chance to meet US high school students with similar interests in technical fields. Even so, he knows the first step will be to practice his English.

Each of the Brazilian students attend technical schools funded and operated by the Brazilian Confederation of Industry. As the main organization training Brazil’s future work force, CNI has become the largest secondary education institution in the Americas. Over 7 million students attend CNI’s school systems across Brazil for training in the applied sciences.

For industry leaders in Brazil, Conexão Mundo marks a recognition that in Brazil—as in the rest of the world—skills in English, technical science and international leadership are keys to success in a globalized economy. 

The same logic explains US-Brazil Connect’s approach to training US fellows to work in collaboration with Brazilian partners.

Denver, CO –Today, US-Brazil Connect announced that two Conexão Mundo alumni will be joining as full-time staff members at the nonprofit’s Denver office.

Regginald Hubbard—who led US-Brazil Connect’s Dourados team in 2014—will join as the Global Leaders Program Manager on January 26^th. Bri Erger will begin working as the organization’s Community College Program Manager starting January 28^th following her return from Rondônia, Brazil where she is at work running US-Brazil Connect’s OUTSPoken Program. 

Both join the organization with impressive resumes unconnected to the Conexão Mundo Program. Ms. Erger developed a love for service and working within the education system as an AmeriCorps volunteer in North Carolina, a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador and by working with 20KWatts—a nonprofit supporting development projects in Latin America.

She also recently completed a MA in International Development at the University of Denver.

Mr. Hubbard’s new position fits his long commitment to equal access and international education. Since graduating from Yale University with a BA in Philosophy, Hubbard has worked in events production connected to national campaigns and conventions, instructed civics for the American Civics Center and held management roles during high-profile international and domestic visits for Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Those high-level positions match his lofty goals for the young nonprofit.

“I am most excited about the chance to build upon the work I did in Dourados last summer and help create memorable experiences for the Leaders, Fellows and Students in Conexão Mundo 2015,” commented Hubbard concerning his new position.  “I hope to strengthen the ties between US-Brazil Connect and the US Embassy in Brasilia, as well as improve my Portuguese language skills beyond comprehension and basic conversation.

Mr. Hubbard’s travels have also taken him to Canada, China, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and the United Kingdom. His love for Brazil has brought him to the South American country more than any other. Most recently, he accompanied Vice President Joe Biden on his trip to congratulate President Dilma Rouseff on her recent reelection.

The additions are a small part of US-Brazil Connect’s new management plan for the 2015 program year. The changes—soon to be finalized—will increase the capacity of the organization to expand and enhance the power of the Conexão Mundo Program in 2015 and beyond. 

Denver, CO --

Over January and February of 2015, Denver-based nonprofit US-Brazil Connect will host 107 of Brazil’s top science, technology, engineering and math high school students to locations around the US. The visit is a reward for the students’ stellar participation in the nonprofit’s Conexão Mundo Program (World Connect Program), but also serves to expose Brazil’s top students to US industry and education to build economic opportunity through cultural connection.

Now heading into its fourth year, the Conexão Mundo Program continues to build on a mission of creating transformative learning experiences by connecting communities in the US and Brazil. The program is a collaboration of US-Brazil Connect—which hires and trains English language coaches—and the Brazilian Confederation of Industry (CNI)—which runs the largest set of technical high schools anywhere in the Americas. CNI’s SESI and SENAI system are currently training over 7 million students to fill industry positions in Brazil.

Conexão Mundo leverages the resources of each partner to improve the global leadership skills of young people in the US and the English-language skills high school students in Brazil. Each summer, teams of US fellows travel to the Brazil for four weeks to coach English through a high-engagement immersion program. On either side of that time, fellows engage with students over Facebook and Google Hangout to build connections and cement skills.

At the program’s end, Brazilian coordinators at each of the 32 Conexão Mundo sites select the top 5 percent of students based on their participation, character and intellectual enthusiasm. Those student are afforded the opportunity to travel and stay in the US for two weeks, all expenses paid.

Because each Brazilian student will soon enter math and science fields, trip organizers at US-Brazil Connect hope to emphasize industrial innovations unique to the US. While details are still being finalized, Tracy Simpson, US-Brazil Connect’s Exchange Visit Coordinator, is arranging tours to breweries, mining operations, engineering companies, software developers, green-tech innovators and aerospace manufacturers.   

To continue a focus on the student’s English language skills, each will live with US host families and spend three days shadowing US students at local high schools.

US-Brazil Connect will be hosting double the students it did in the winter of 2014. Last year, 47 students chosen from a student pool of more than 1,000 traveled to the US. The program’s rapid growth means a 107 student will be coming to the US this year, chosen from a student pool of over 2,000 students from almost every Brazilian state. 

While most the students will visit the Denver Metro Area, two of US-Brazil Connect’s community college partners will also host students. Former fellows and team leaders from Flathead Valley Community College and Jackson College will host students to Kalispell, Mont., and Jackson, Mich.

US-Brazil Connect has reopened applications to its Global Leaders Fellowship Program to it meets the needs of all Brazilian sites. 

Interested applicants should carefully read the program FAQ and job description before applying.

The Global Leaders Fellowship Program has fellows complete an intensive 18-week fellowship designed to enhance skills in global leadership and international education. Fellows will spend four weeks coaching a small group of Brazilian high school students in Brazil. On either side of that time, students and fellows build connections and cement language skills over social media.

Fellows must also complete a rigorous curriculum designed make them the strongest possible creative partners with their Brazilian students and within their team.

The applications will remain open until January 30th, 2015. US-Brazil Connect will notifying applicants if they have moved on to the interview stage of the process between January 25th, 2015 and February 12th, 2015.

Denver, Colorado –

US-Brazil Connect announced that it raised over $4295 on Colorado Gives Day. An anonymous donor matched the contributions, bring the total fundraising achievement to $8,590. The total is more than five times the amount the three-year-old organization managed to raise on Colorado Gives Day in 2013.

Of even greater note is the number of new donors who supported campaign. The number of unique donors on Colorado Gives Day increased from 8 in 2013 to over 50 in 2014.

Other nonprofits managed to make December 9, 2014 a record day for giving in the Centennial State.  A record 107,862 donations were given to 1,677 organizations. Together, the donations totaled $26.2 million.

All proceeds from US-Brazil Connect’s Colorado Gives Day campaign have been added to the new Future Fellows Fund. The fund ensures that US-Brazil Connect Fellowships will remain one of the most affordable ways for young people in the US to gain life-changing experiences in Brazil.

Denver, Colorado –

Denver-based nonprofit US-Brazil Connect announced today that Meg Barritt, Program Director, is stepping down from her position at the end of the year.  US-Brazil Connect will celebrate Meg’s contributions at Colorado Gives Day on December 9^th at Rodizio Grill.

“As Program Director for the past two years, Meg Barritt has played a key role in building a team that brings our passion to a large scale,” wrote President Mary Gershwin in a letter to supporters. “She represents the very best of what we create together and I’m so appreciative of all she has done to build our work.  I’m grateful for her service and assistance in transition as we select new team leadership from an impressive group of candidates.”

Barritt leaves her position to serve as the Operations Manager of the Posner Center for International Development, also in Denver. She hopes to stay in close contact with the international community she helped foster at US-Brazil Connect.

“I’ve learned an enormous amount over the past two years and have been fortunate enough to work in such a fun, engaged and talented community,” said Barritt. “I’m still so committed to the mission of US-Brazil Connect and am looking forward to watching its continued strengthening and growth in the coming years.”

The 1st Round of applications to the Global Leaders Fellowship is now closed. US-Brazil Connect will be in touch shortly with all candidates who have submitted applications. Conexão Mundo has grown quickly for four years and we are excited for the opportunity to provide more amazing experiences to US-Brazil Connect fellows and the students we work with in Brazil.

If you missed the November 30th deadline for the 1st Round of the 2015 Global Leaders Fellowship, don't despair! Depending on the exact number of sites we confirm with our partners in Brazil, we are likely to open up a 2nd Round of application in mid-December. To receive an update when applications open, just enter your email below.

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US-Brazil Connect has successfully completed its OUTSpoken Program, adding another innovative, impactful educational collaboration with Brazil to its portfolio.

OUTSpoken is modeled after the successful Conexão Mundo Program, with one key difference: rather than improving the English language skills of students in Brazil’s SESI and SENAI school systems, OUTSpoken partners with adult Brazilian teachers.

“What is exciting about OUTSpoken is that it is a chance for us to adapt a proven program to a new learner population,” said Susan Gershwin, Conexão Mundo Co-Director at US-Brazil Connect.

The Brazilian teachers who participated in OUTSpoken work as a part of the largest network of technical schools in the Americas. Over 7 million students are enrolled in the SESI and SENAI systems to prepare for careers in Brazilian industry.

OUTSpoken is also an organizational departure for US-Brazil Connect. Until now, US-Brazil Connect has only worked with Brazilian industry leaders at the national level. By contrast, OUTSpoken is a collaboration limited to the Brazilian state of Rondônia.

Even with a new focus on adult learning, the program worked with the same methods that have made Conexão Mundo a resounding success.  In both programs, trained coaches spend several weeks in Brazil coaching English with Brazilian students.  As prelude and postlude to the in-person instruction period, students and coaches build relationships and strengthen skills via Google Hangout video chats, Facebook and other social media platforms

“By focusing on personal relationships as the key unit for learning, our programs seek to offer the best of both the online and physical classroom. OUTSpoken will work on the same principle,” explained President Mary Gershwin.

The OUTSpoken Program launched in December 2014, offering the opportunity for 40 participants in Rondônia to meet their US coaches and begin practicing English with a native speaker. They met face-to-face in January of 2015 and are currently wrapping up the final online phase of the program.

Bri Erger—US-Brazil Connect’s Community College Program Manager—led the OUTSpoken Program in Porto Velho, Rondônia from January 4th to January 23rd.

“OUTSpoken was a transformative opportunity for everyone—our US coaches, our Brazilian learners, the coordinators and myself. We saw the model of learning English by building relationships created the same excitement and playfulness in adults that it creates in high school students,” said Erger. “We look forward to continuing to develop opportunities for adult learners both here and in the US and in Brazil.”