One of the three local organizations to partner with Avenues São Paulo in the Criativos do Bairro initiative was Ludovico Pavoni, a Christian NGO from Real Parque community that offers an afterschool program based on Christian values for local kids.

Ludovico’s management and participants partnered with Avenues’ students from Social Innovation class and collectively decided to invest the funds addressed to the organization in building a roof to shelter the NGO’s court, which was constantly exposed to sun and rain. The project was then presented before the committee in a perfect example of interconnectedness between Avenues’ Community Engagement initiatives.

And the students became advocates for their cause. “I shared my experience in Social Innovation with the committee and told them how, for me, this is not a school obligation. I do it because I enjoy it, because it has set in motion a transformation in my life – not just my school life, but in my life as a human being. And our idea was approved”, loquaciously and passionately states 7th grade Avenues’ student Francesco Steagall, 13. “I can’t wait to get back out there and bring Ludovico’s kids to visit our school. Online learning is not the same thing. I much prefer our campus environment, which welcomes debate and room for improvement”.

Construction ended just before the Covid 19 quarantine began, so the court is yet to be officially inaugurated, but that’s not the only benefit being reaped. “We live off donations, the repair wouldn’t have been possible without the support from Avenues’ students, teachers and parents”, states Deborah Restivo, coordinator at Ludovico, “but the students’ human exchange is certainly the most fruitful end-product of this project”.