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Patron of Brazilian education, educator Paulo Freire once said that no one knows more — we simply know differently. Someone may know many laws by heart, while another can recognize every plant and leaf in a garden just by looking. Both forms of knowledge are essential to life, each in its own time and way.
A better world begins to take shape when each of us learns to recognize our own potential — when we put our talents and abilities to work in building shared futures. When we start to value what the person beside us knows. The inauguration of the new space at the São Manoel Residents’ Association Community Center, in Santos, is a living example of that principle in action.
This transformation is the result of the meeting between São Manoel’s historic struggle for rights and the Elos Methodology — a convergence of different kinds of knowledge and talent. The celebration took place on Saturday the 18th, but this encounter began long ago.
WE ARE A LONG STORY
It was there, about fifteen years ago, that the Elos Methodology was first practiced with São Manoel residents, helping local women recognize their potential, strengthen their sense of belonging, and exercise collective leadership. A landmark in the popular struggle for rights in the Baixada Santista region, the neighborhood has since seen many transformations in its spaces and relationships.
In 2024, the bond grew stronger with the arrival of one of the classes from the GSA Program — the international leadership training initiative of Instituto Elos. Over nearly a month of immersion, participants from across the globe learned in practice how to spark collective transformation in communities and territories, working directly with the leaders, dreams, and talents of São Manoel.
When participants return home, Instituto Elos begins a second phase: providing technical support to the partner community. Through local meetings, exchanges of social technologies, and even financial assistance, the Institute helps make real the collective dreams that continue to blossom among residents.
That’s exactly what happened with the transformation of the community center — a place that has long hosted everything from neighborhood leadership meetings to birthday parties. Now renovated and equipped, it offers many new possibilities for use. For Natasha Gabriel, from Instituto Elos, it represents “the restoration of collective dignity.”
ONE SPACE, A THOUSAND WAYS TO USE IT
“What is a dignified space?” Natasha asks. “It’s a space where people can use proper bathrooms, a kitchen suitable for preparing meals for the children, an accessible restroom for wheelchair users who live in São Manoel.”
For her, revitalization takes care of people’s physical health while also nurturing the community’s collective well-being. These spaces are not just places for meetings or mobilizations — they are environments that sustain exchange among residents, sites for community celebrations such as birthdays or Children’s Day festivities.
“When we think about revitalizing these spaces, we’re strengthening them as stages where community initiatives can happen — so that what already pulses here in São Manoel can grow even stronger, and new partnerships can emerge,” she says.
Facilitator Pamela Gaino, who accompanied the year-long technical support process, explains how this relationship takes shape in practice.
“Community spaces become hubs of support, often the only place available for people to come together — for a party, a baby shower, a birthday,” she explains. “They are spaces of belonging. People feel they are part of these places — from the woman who volunteers in the kitchen to the young person who joins activities promoted by the center.”
WHO MAKES A DAY LIKE THIS POSSIBLE
The transformation of the community center is the result of a wide network of partnerships. São Manoel residents donated time and talent to bring their shared dream to life. Support also came from outside the neighborhood — including the São Paulo Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU/SP), which funded Instituto Elos activities over the past twelve months, and Instituto Lapin, which donated furniture and utensils at the end of the renovation.
Ana Lu Ribeiro, project manager at Lapin, summarized the meaning of this gesture: “By supporting the center’s structuring with the purchase of furniture and utensils, we help transform it into a living space — one that welcomes educational, cultural, and social activities. A well-equipped community center ceases to be just a headquarters; it becomes a place where talents are discovered, ideas blossom, and bonds grow stronger.”
WE CELEBRATE TOGETHER
Everything that emerged from this partnership between Instituto Elos and the São Manoel community is the result of collective effort — a story with many names: Elos Transformers Program, Elos Tax Receipt Donors, City of Santos, CAU/SP, Elos Giving Day, Instituto Lapin, and FAM Cargo.
Without all of you — and the São Manoel Neighborhood Residents’ Association, João Carlos Street Residents’ Association, Jardim São Manoel Improvement Society, and Bons Frutos Garden — none of this would have been possible. We celebrate each and every one, and we thank you all.