Votorantim Cimentos, in partnership with Instituto Votorantim and the Local Government of Paulista, is investing in teacher training. As part of the first phase of Escola em Ação (School in Action), a project developed by Votorantim Cimento, in partnership with Instituto Votorantim, for the training of municipal school teachers in Paulista, artists from São Paulo gave art workshops to the educators from the city over a space of two months. In this initial stage of the project, the workshops were developed as a means of getting professionals more in touch with the training to be developed as of next year. The teacher training work is being performed by the Center of Education and Documentation for Community Action (Cedac), a Public Interest Civil Society Organization (OSCIP), headquartered in São Paulo. “Art makes the first contact easier”, declares Cristina Pereira, pedagogic coordinator of Cedac. And she adds: “we are developing education for art with a basis on the teacher’s practice. The theory we apply in the classroom is subsidized by the reality of the professional. We are placing our bets on education to modify reality”. In these workshops, the teachers worked with the production of flags, mandalas and animal pelt textures. The work carried on for a total 12 hours, with eight hours in one day and four hours in the other. At the same time as this work, Cedac has been sketching out a plan of action together with the professionals from the Department of Education for the next three years of continued education of public school educators. The proposal of the project is to get the teachers to develop lessons for their students that are geared towards artistic creation once the workshops have finished. “Visual art has a very strong component with children, but it is considered of lesser importance at schools, and used as recreation, without serving as an aid for the development of students”, explains Cedac’s coordinator. The provocation is for teachers to help students build their future as citizens. “No ready-made education. What we have to do is to discuss values, prejudices and other things”, remarks the workshop coordinator and artist, Alexandro Cerveny. Project Escola em Ação (School in Action) is an investment by Votorantim Cimentos, in partnership with Instituto Votorantim and the Local Government of Paulista, to be developed over the next three years with teachers, principals and supervisors of primary schools (1st to 4th years). The company’s investment in the project is around R$ 1.7 million. EXHIBITION – A collection of work by these new artists was presented at an exhibition held at Hotel Amoaras, in Maria Farinha, in Paulista. The works, totaling over 200 pictures, collages, photographs and mandalas, were created by the teachers, as a result of the art education workshops of project Escola em Ação. Iranilza Maria, a teacher at Escola Municipal Jandira Wanderlay, has been teaching primary school children for over 20 years and had never taken part in a training program developed by the local government of the city. “It is always very good. And best still when what we learn can be applied at our schools”, declares Iranilza. One of the most noteworthy moments of the exhibition was when teacher Jaciara de Moura, from Firmino da Veiga school, recited a poem of her own about the experience of the art workshops. According to the mayor of Paulista, Yves Ribeiro, the investment in education is essential for the growth of people and for the development of cities. “Education is the beginning, middle and end. Teachers have now met again in art. Brazil is viable, what is missing is the opportunity and it only comes with an educated people This is a seed that we have planted today and that we will harvest later on”, he points out. Due to the success of the exhibition, the departments of Culture and Education got together and will be preparing another exhibition this very year, to present the work of the teachers to the entire community of Paulista.