What's the big deal about this ENEM (vestibular)?

Many American teenagers get anxious when they have to take the SAT or ACT during their last years of high school. The tests are anxiety provoking and nerve-racking! Teenagers study, bite their nails and their stress level reaches its limit. If you grew up at the same time as me you remember watching the episode of Saved by the Bell when Jesse Spano panics and screams, “There’s no time! There’s never any time! I don’t have time to study! I’ll never get in to Stanford! I’ll let everyone down!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0usTtwwTqVM I still remember my friends in college repeating these lines over and over before we had a big test.

In Brazil there is a test similar to the SAT/ACT called the ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio) (previously the Vestibular), but in many regards it is even more difficult and stressful than the SAT/ACT. Every student who hopes to enter the public university must take the test. Students will be scored in different subjects (math, Portuguese, history, etc.) and those with the highest scores will be offered the opportunity to study at the Federal Universities. Here in Brazil, the public universities (Federal and State) are much stronger than the private universities and they are free. Therefore, here, everyone is vying for a spot at UFC (Federal University of Ceará). Those who do not score high enough will not be granted a space in the university. Some of these students will simply give up and decide that the university is not for them. Others will continue to study for another entire year until the opportunity to take the ENEM arises again next year.

So, now imagine this. You are student from a rural poor community. You are aware that the education you received in your community is not as strong as the education other students received in the bigger cities. It’s not that you didn’t study. You did. And, it’s not that your teachers didn’t do their best. They did. But, your school simply didn’t have the resources that other schools have. You also realize that neither you nor the students in the bigger cities who attended the public schools received the same quality of education as those students who attended private schools. Why? Because those schools had more money and therefore even more resources. And, now you have to take the same test as them. For you basketball fans, think about the movies “Hoosiers” and just imagine the kids from Hickory standing up against the Bears from South Bend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diwRrudKHDU

The situation is daunting for sure. But, it isn’t impossible… thanks to PRECE. PRECE began in 1994 originally as a way for students to join together, pool their knowledge, and prepare for the ENEM (at that time, the Vestibular). Since 1994 PRECE has impacted over 2000 students, nearly 400 students have passed the exam and entered the university, 54 have already graduated and 18 have gone on to master’s and doctoral degrees. Each year PRECE grows stronger, more students are entering the university and the movement to improve public education is expanding.

This year, on November 6th, approximately 600 students from the rural areas will show up in Pentecoste to take the ENEM. To say the least, this is big day for them! They have been studying for a long time for this test and their future depends on their success that day. We are asking everyone to keep the students and their families in your thoughts and prayers on November 6th. The support you show for the students is appreciated more than you can imagine.

PRECE Presentation

Click on the link below to see the newest PRECE presentation. You can use this to share with other supporters of PRECE and to help us extend the circle of support!
http://www.slideshare.net/kacybrubaker/prece-presentation

Visionaries

In learning the Portuguese language I have learned that the ocean (a mar) is female. I couldn’t agree more. My friend says, “Of course, the ocean is a woman. Who else has that much anger?” He is a man and he has mistaken her passion and strength for anger. I have also come to believe that the ocean is not just female but a Brazilian female. The rhythm of her tides and the way she sways to an internal song has convinced me of this.

I have always loved the ocean because it is where I feel closest to the divine. There is something invigorating about standing in the sand and feeling the waves wash over my feet. The breadth of the ocean is greater than I or any human will ever truly comprehend, and the life created within the depths of the water is constantly surprising us. And, as much as we try to control her we are powerless against her force.

On Tuesday Brazilians will celebrate Our Lady of Aparecida (The Patron Saint of Brazil) which means we have a long weekend. A long weekend to some means getting away from all the work and completely unwinding. That is not the case for the PRECE and UFC Cooperative Learning leaders because for them the movement never ceases. But, luckily for me they have found a way to combine work and pleasure and we are taking a 4 day retreat to the beach where we work for 4 hours, enjoy the beach for 4 hours, work for 4 hours, enjoy the beach…

What is happening on this retreat is truly amazing. 15 years ago 7 students began studying in a small group with the goal of educating themselves and entering the university. They knew that they were intelligent, but because the public education system had failed them they were not prepared to take and pass the university entrance exam. And, without the money and resources to pay for private tutoring they took it upon themselves to create their own destiny- a better future. Along with the commitment to their own education and to the education of their study partners, they also committed to press on so that all students would be provided a better education and therefore a better future.

The journey has been an uphill struggle but not once has the movement slowed. Now over 2000 students have been impacted by PRECE (the methodology of studying in groups where students take responsibility for their own education). And, it looks like even more students will be exposed to PRECE soon. Prof. Manoel Andrade and other leaders have worked hard to develop relationships and partnerships with government officials, especially the Secretary of Education for the state of Ceará. The state department of education controls all the high schools (local governments control elementary schools). And, it is the Secretary of Education who has recently asked PRECE to formalize their methodology and develop a way to spread it across the entire state of Ceará to all communities.

This weekend leaders from PRECE as well as leaders from the Cooperative Learning program at the Federal University of Ceará are working on the process of formalizing the methodology and putting it in to presentation form so it can be shared around the state. The dedication of these individuals amazes me and their unwavering faith that they can bring about positive changes in education inspires me.

On this retreat the divine spirit is all around me. It is in the ebb and flow of the ocean tides. And, it is in the powerful testimony and cooperative nature of the PRECE and UFC Cooperative Learning leaders. In both instances, when feeling the waves wash over my feet and when sitting in a cooperative learning group brainstorming ideas, I can do nothing but stand in awe of the movement and the power which surround me.

Investments

I don’t know much about financial investments, and I am hopeless when it comes to the stock market. My granddaddy bought me stocks when I was 16 (thank you, granddaddy!). Twice (maybe 4 times- I don’t remember!) a year I receive a dividend check, and at the end of the year I get some sort of tax form that I send to my father with the rest of my tax information. That’s all I know. My sister considers me pathetic and irresponsible with my stocks. She is right. But, I do know one thing. All the experts say that when it comes to financial investments it is wise to diversify. Obviously I don’t follow that wisdom, but I know they say it.

I don’t think that the same is true when investing in non-profits and when investing in the lives of people who deeply need support. Many churches establish mission trips for their members that allow the members to experience different people, places and cultures around the world. One year they go to Mexico. The next they go to Haiti. The following they go to Kenya. The members are changed by the experiences, but they never make a real investment in the lives of the people they meet because they do not build lasting relationships.

The PRECE movement has made a true investment in the poor rural communities of Ceará and in the public education of all students. Once a school (EPC) is developed, the school continues to receive support from other EPCs. Once a student enters the university he/she continues to receive support from the wide community of students. Once a student graduates from the university he/she continues to support his/her community by bringing new knowledge and experience to the area. The PRECE movement invests in the lives of people and then supports those investments as they grow and develop.

In the same way, leaders from the PRECE movement continually speak about how important it is for friends from around the world to make a true investment in the lives of the PRECE students by visiting more than once and continuing to develop relationships. Without the foundation for the relationship (meeting each other) trust cannot be built and real investments cannot be made. A group or a person who visits once and then disappears leaves a bit of a void. But, the church or group that continues to nurture relationships and return every year builds up hope and trust.

This past weekend/week one such individual came to visit PRECE. Dan Smith began investing in the PRECE movement over 3 years ago by helping to provide computers and internet access. He has not abandoned the relationship but continues to have conversations with Andrade, visit and speak with PRECE students and explore new and creative ways to ensure the internet is working, accessible and providing a much needed resource for the students. We are thankful for people like Dan Smith and so many others who continue to invest in the lives of the PRECE students and in the PRECE movement as a whole.