Impact · Cases · People
From a shy boy to an influencer who has travelled the world: Léo Santos’s transformation.
Between Vila dos Criadores (Santos) and Vila dos Pescadores (Cubatão) · Elos and Geração GSA 2023, GSA 2025 connection.
the beginning
Léo grew up between Vila dos Criadores and Vila dos Pescadores. As a shy teenager, he felt invisible, with few prospects.
2023
At Conexão Elos and Geração GSA, she found something she had never experienced before: a listening ear, affection and a sense of belonging.
The wheel: where shyness began to turn into courage.
He began to speak, to connect with others and to believe that he had something to offer.
the world
He taught himself English, got a job on a cruise ship and travelled the world.
today
He returned with a new ambition: to inspire other young people. In 2025, he took part in the GSA.
A benchmark for its own generation.
He continues to work on community projects, building on his past experiences.
What Elos has achieved: active listening, a sense of care and belonging within Conexão Elos and Geração GSA, and training as part of the GSA 2025 programme.
What Léo has achieved: his own courage, his command of English, his travels around the world, and his role as a role model who now inspires other young people.
Léo grew up between Vila dos Criadores, in Santos, and Vila dos Pescadores, in Cubatão. A shy teenager, he spent his time at home, away from the streets and other people, feeling as though nobody noticed him and that the future held little in store for him.
At Conexão Elos and Geração Warriors Without Weapons, he experienced something new: he was listened to and felt part of the group. His shyness gradually gave way to courage. He began to speak up, to reach out to others and to believe that he had something to offer.
He returned with the aim of opening the same door for other young people. Today, he is a mentor; he has been through the GSA 2025 programme and continues to work on community projects, becoming a role model for his own generation.
His story shows what happens when a young person finds a sense of belonging and confidence: they stop waiting for an opportunity and start creating their own.
Those who have experienced it tell their stories
The problem with people of my generation is that we want everything straight away. I wish they had more courage to pursue their dreams and the determination to see them through.
Léo Santos
Elos and GSA Connection 2023 · GSA 2025 · multiplier
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