Iluminando mentes (Enlightening Minds): Mentoring and Volunteering at Institutions in 5 Cities

The project Enlightening Minds, from Copel with execution by ASID, took place in 5 cities divided into two fronts:

1. Mentoring: 3 Institutions in Curitiba that serve people with disabilities chose 3 management areas that they would like to develop. So, Copel employees acted as mentors, guiding and supporting these institutions in their development, for 6 months.

2. Volunteer actions: In parallel to this movement, voluntary actions took place in institutions in 4 cities in the countryside of Paraná: Ponta Grossa, Cascavel, Londrina and Maringá. Copel employees received awareness about the cause of people with disabilities during the morning, and in the afternoon, they carried out activities with the institutions’ employees.

Mentoring in Curitiba

The purpose of the mentoring stage was to unite Copel professionals with institutions that serve people with disabilities, so that they could develop their management, leadership and innovation, increasing their social impact.

The mentoring meetings covered 3 management themes of the choice of each institution, for 6 months.

In addition to developing the selected institutions, the project brought volunteers closer to the cause, making them become disseminators of people with disabilities’ inclusion.

Impacted institutions, mentoring areas and testimonials:

• AFECE
  • It’s a 50-year-old institution, serving 225 people with severe intellectual and multiple disabilities in the areas of education, health and social assistance, 100% free of charge.
  • Received mentoring in the areas of Leadership, Marketing and Human Resources
  • “The experience was very good. The impression is that it passed quickly and that we would like to have done more, however, we know that it is not possible to do everything and the feeling that remains is that we left a seed of transformation in them.” – Volunteer testimony

• APABB Paraná (Association of Parents, Friends and People with Disabilities, Employees of Banco do Brasil and the Community)
  • APABB Paraná was founded in 1997 in Curitiba and is one of the Regional Centers of the institution with the largest number of activities and users served. The Paraná unit develops all the association’s programs: Attention to Families and People with Disabilities, Sports, Leisure and Professional Training and Qualification. Currently, it has more than 500 supporters and adds up to more than 24,000 annual visits.
  • Received mentoring in the areas of Leadership, Marketing and Human Resources
  • “The managers welcomed us with open arms, made the information available and showed a great interest in developing solutions to fundraising issues.” – Volunteer testimony

• Escola Mercedes Stresser (Mercedes Stresser School)
  • Escola Mercedes Stresser was founded in 1961, with the purpose of promoting professional qualification for young people and adults with intellectual and multiple disabilities. Currently serving 342 people. Its activities include tapestry, vegetable garden, sewing, cooking, mosaic, cardboard, literature, gymnastics, among others.
  • Received mentoring in the areas of Leadership, Marketing and Human Resources
  • “It was an interesting and very constructive experience for both sides. I perceived in the entity’s representatives a great desire to make things happen and to learn, which I believe to be the most important.” – Volunteer testimony

Data and results

• 6 months of volunteering
• 25 Copel volunteers
• 3 institutions serving impacted people with disabilities

Volunteer actions in the countryside of Paraná

• APAE Cascavel (Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional People)
  • The Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais - APAE/Cascavel is a non-profit philanthropic entity, responsible for serving 480 people with intellectual disabilities.
  • The action Brincar & Incluir (Play & Include) that was held at the institution APAE Cascavel, was part of the children’s week that the institution holds in celebration of Children’s Day. In action, Copel volunteers participated in an interactive day with 45 children assisted by the institution, holding workshops on storytelling, cinema and educational games. In addition to immersion and proximity to the cause, volunteers effectively participated in the construction of a more inclusive society.

• AMA (Maringaense Association of Autists)
  • The Associação Maringaense dos Autistas - AMA was founded in 1992 by a group of parents of autistic children. Since then, it has provided services to 96 people with autism, offering families instruments for living together at home and in society. In 1995, they founded a specialized school for the development of the autistic’s potential.
  • The action Play & Include, was carried out in partnership with Associação Maringaense dos Autistas - AMA, together with Copel volunteers, aimed at bringing them closer to the cause of the People with Disabilities, and also providing an interactive and fun day for those served by the institution. On the same day of the action, AMA was undergoing a renovation, making it necessary to take those served to another space. For this reason, we held the day in an external space that contemplated everyone served. Among the activities carried out with the students, they had: trampoline, physical education and pedagogical activities adapted to the space.

• COL (Londrina Operational Center)]
  • The Centro Ocupacional de Londrina - COL was founded in 1985. It is a social organization that offers care to 209 disabled people, adults, with or without typical behaviors and care for children with invasive developmental autism disorder.
  • Copel’s volunteers, along with some of the people served by the Centro Ocupacional de Londrina - COL institution, participated in a different afternoon involving sports. The action Capoeira para Todos (Capoeira for all), was a moment of interaction between volunteers, teacher and students. With guidance from the teacher, everyone participated in a stretch, and then they had a Capoeira class. In addition to providing exchange and contact between volunteers and students, the activity also contributed to the development of students through sport/leisure.

• APACD (Pontagrossense Association for Assistance to Children with Disabilities)
  • The Associação Pontagrossense de Assistência à Criança Deficiente - APACD, is a civil, charitable, non-profit association, founded in 1975. Its mission is to train, rehabilitate 140 people with physical and motor disabilities, prevent and promote their inclusion in community life.
  • Copel volunteers carried out an action to revitalize a garden at the headquarters of Associação Pontagrossense de Assistência à Criança Deficiente - APACD. The need for revitalization arose through the idea of providing those served with moments of approximation with nature. The space that wasn’t used before, after the action Plantando a Inclusão (Planting Inclusion), became the means to provide activities to stimulate the development of the children served.

Data and results

• 31 Copel volunteers
• 136 hours of volunteering
• 96 people with disabilities impacted by actions

Conclusion

Projects like Enlightening Minds seeks to unite volunteers, institutions, people with disabilities and their families to build an inclusive society.

Through mentoring in Curitiba, institution development was promoted, so that they can increasingly impact their clients. In the volunteer actions that took place in the countryside, provided high interaction and socialization between volunteers and people with disabilities.

Enlightening Minds, in addition to promoting the development of PwD and institutions, allowed volunteers to be aware, becoming disseminators of people with disabilities inclusion.

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