Jessica Monteiro dos Santos, 17, was forced to change schools after being the target of repeated aggression, threats and discrimination, inside and outside the classroom,  because of her sexual orientation. Even after switching schools, her troubles persisted.

At the time, dos Santos was also studying at the Sister Eunice Benato Marist Educational Center in Curitiba, in southern Brazil, where she participated in extracurricular activities for professional training. In a discussion there, a teacher touched on the problem of homophobia in today’s society. “This was when Jessica told us about the prejudice she was suffering. The entire class took on the issue and decided to make it into a project,” recalls her classmate Yasmin Sumida Bonfim, 18.

The group shared instances of discrimination and/or homophobia that they had been subjected to or witnessed. Out of these conversations came the idea for the “No Shame” project: at dos Santos’ school, the group established a dialogue about sexuality, gender, and respecting differences, taking a light, loose approach, teenager to teenager.

Their first and perhaps biggest challenge was to convince the school to embrace the project. “The principal really didn’t want the issue discussed there. It was as if the situation I was going through didn’t exist,” recalls dos Santos. “But after a good conversation among everyone involved, we found a way of dealing with it in a peaceful, fair and direct manner.”

The support from Franciele Heldeberg, the teacher who brought up the issue in her class and guided the group during the project, was also essential in convincing the principal to allow the students to hold four workshops with students in the 7th grade of middle school and also with those in the first year of high school. During these workshops, the students would decorate the classroom, make posters, and distribute gifts with provocative quotes like, “Love is too beautiful to be kept in the closet.”

By the end, the school was more open to diversity, and the youngsters even managed to reach some of the people who had been bullying dos Santos. “When we present these concepts in a laid-back way, showing that the world is made of diversity, people with prejudice start thinking differently,” muses Talita Aparecida dos Santos, 17. “ It plants a seed that later on will grow and blossom,”

Jessica dos Santos echoes this thought, expressing her surprise when schoolmates reached out to the group out after the workshops. “Some students came to us later, asking for advice on how to come out to their families. It was very cool!”

SPEAKING OUT FOR A CAUSE
To Heldeberg, the highlight of this initiative was the students uniting behind a common cause: supporting someone who had been the target of homophobia at school. “I think the change came from within themselves, since many of them deconstructed prejudices, had the opportunity to rethink certain attitudes, and were even liberated from some norms imposed by society.” The teacher adds, “Beyond what they learned about the issues – sexuality, gender and sexual orientation – they also learned how to build a project, defend an idea and, more importantly, take a stand and spread information to fight situations of abuse and/or prejudice.”

The proof came when the group found an effective way to convey this message to their youngest students, who were only 7 years old. “We did many activities, showed films, we even did a play to explain the question of social norms, like for example, people say the color blue is only for boys, that women are homemakers, etc.,” recalls dos Santos. She says the children were very responsive, asking questions and sharing their thoughts.

To Heldeberg, the project offered an opportunity for empowerment, for the students to speak out in defense of a cause. So much so that, since launching the “No Shame” project, Jessica dos Santos has been thinking about studying to become a lawyer, so she can fight for her rights and also help other LGBT people.

The students now plan on turning the project into a collective. They are focusing on helping young people express themselves, organizing workshops on sexuality, establishing partnerships with more schools, and using social networks to reach even more youngsters.

“We want a world where everyone can expand their perspectives and minds. Change this whole thing of judging people by their appearance,” says dos Santos, “because we all have a lot to offer, every person is a planet. We have to be united!”

The Sem vergonha (No Shame) project was one of the winners of the 2017 Design for Change Challenge. Organized by Alana in Brazil, Design for Change encourages children and young people to transform their realities, recognizing them as the protagonists of their own stories of change. The initiative is part of a global movement that started in India and is now present in 65 countries, inspiring over 2.2 million children and youngsters around the world.