[Brazil@Harvard] Schools in Brazil - TODAY at DRCLAS

*The Brazil Studies Program at Harvard's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies presents* *Schools in Brazil* Presentation by *Jessica Acosta*, A.B. in Romance Languages and Literatures ('10). In the Sumer of 2009 Jessica participated in the Brazil Studies Program Public Policy Immersion Program (PPIP). She developed an on site research project for Fundação Lemann on the social and economic development of public education in low income areas of São Paulo. *Jessica Villegas*, A.B. in Social Anthropology ('11). In the Sumer of 2009 Jessica participated in the Brazil Studies Program Public Policy Immersion Program (PPIP). She developed an on site research project for Associação Vaga Lume, a non-profit that develops projects on education in the Amazon. & Screening of the documentary *Pro Dia Nascer Feliz* Directed by João Jardim, this emotional documentary follows a group of teenagers in Brazil from different socio-economic backgrounds as they confront the challenges of being in school. In a series of very intimate interviews, rich and poor 14-17 year-old students from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco open their hearts revealing contradictory emotions concerning prejudice, violence, anxiety, hope and love. More than the sum of its parts, Pro Dia Nascer Feliz is an in depth analysis of the challenges to education in Brazil. As the focal point in the film, the school brings together students, parents, teachers as well as representatives of the state who are trying to make a name for themselves. But the persistence of social inequality in Brazil and ineffective public administration paints a very grim picture of the country's future. Date: *Tuesday, December 8 - TODAY* Time: 6:00-8:00pm Location: BELFER Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street - HARVARD Contact: Marcio Siwi, msiwi(a)fas.harvard.edu