Funded by Samarco, the project invested nearly 3 million BRL in youth training and in the deployment of socioenvironmental initiatives in Espírito Santo municipalities.

Carried out as part of the New Rio Doce Agreement and funded by Samarco, the Lideranças Jovens (Young Leaders) project concluded its activities in Espírito Santo with the participation of 220 young people and the implementation of 26 socioenvironmental initiatives in communities in the municipalities of Aracruz, Linhares, Colatina, Marilândia, and Baixo Guandu. The initiative received an investment of 2.8 million BRL and focused on leadership training and the development of solutions to local challenges.

Throughout the program, participants received 94 hours of training and 84 hours of specialized mentoring on topics related to environmental education, citizenship, and assessing local needs, transforming local challenges into projects that make a difference in their communities.

During the mobilization phase, the project attracted 818 applicants, with a notable participation by young people from Espírito Santo, who accounted for 621 registrations in the municipalities of Baixo Guandu, Colatina, Marilândia, Linhares, and Aracruz. The selection of participants prioritized geographic, gender, and ethnic-racial diversity, and even included socially vulnerable youth registered with CadÚnico for some of the initiatives. 

With an investment of 2.8 million BRL, the project allocates funds for scholarships to support participants and for the implementation of initiatives developed by young people in their communities. These initiatives led to projects focused on environmental education, waste management, ecological restoration, and sustainable innovation, empowering young people and generating benefits for local communities. 

“The program enabled young people to identify challenges in their own communities and develop practical solutions to environmental, educational, and economic issues. The projects leave a legacy that will endure in the communities even after the training cycle has ended”, said Fernanda Bartoli, Samarco’s General Manager of Remediation and Integrated Management.

Check out these examples that illustrate the program’s impact in Espírito Santo:

Ecological restoration: Operação Manguezal (Aracruz)

In Aracruz, a group of young people put into practice the “Manguezal Operation” initiative, which focuses on the environmental restoration of the Piraquê-Mirim ecosystem. The project included setting up a nursery for native seedlings, organizing a community planting event, and holding awareness workshops with the community on the biological importance and conservation of mangroves.

Water management: Escola Lixo Zero (Linhares)

Based in the Regência district, the project involved public school students in activities focused on the proper disposal of solid waste. The practical initiatives included community cleanup efforts at Regência Beach, workshops on reusing recyclable materials to make musical instruments and mandalas, as well as immersive field trips to the Humpback Whale Project and the TAMAR Project, both focused on the preservation of marine wildlife.

Innovation and clean energy: Biodigestor em Ação (Colatina)

The project implemented a biodigester system linked to the swine farming sector at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Espírito Santo (IFES), Itapina Campus. The technical infrastructure was designed to repurpose organic waste for biogas production, serving as a practical model for energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, and the reduction of environmental impacts within the school setting.

Remediation under the New Rio Doce Agreement

Supporting local projects through the Young Leaders program is one of the socioeconomic initiatives led by Samarco in the areas affected by the Fundão dam breach. Focused on overseeing and enhancing local production capacity and economies in these regions, the programs centered on this spare parts initiative in the Doce River Basin have already seen more than 198 million BRL invested.

For more information on remediation actions, visit https://www.samarco.com/reparacao/