“O’sonho continua” – the dream continues – is the message international education professionals have sought to spread to Portuguese-speaking students and partners via an online video.
Featuring a group of Brazilian marketing and business managers from across the sector, the project was created out of a desire to send a positive message that could “touch people’s hearts in a time of change”, according to Carlos Eduardo Martins, business development manager at Berlitz Manchester.
“We felt that something needed to be done in order to support and bring hope and a positive message to everyone”
It also wanted to “bring solidarity, unity and hope” while the coronavirus continues to disrupt international study plans.
In a joint statement, Priscila Campos from BROWNS English, Connect International School’s Roberto Bihari, Tatiana Cavarsam from Good Hope Studies and Martins said the industry needed a positive message.
“The idea behind the video was to unite and support every human being, especially those from the international education industry,” they said.
“We felt that many people from our market were stressed out, with a lot of worries and concerns. So, we felt that something needed to be done in order to support, bringing hope and positive message to everyone.”
The group idea came when the friends were discussing how important it is to remain positive in difficult times.
“This situation demands positive minds, positive hearts, a lot of solidarity, so we can pass through this faster and stronger,” they explained.
“Despite the postponement of some projects, others will be created. Everything is cyclical, and this cycle will also end, and let us be ready to live our dreams with even more intensity,” participants said in the video.
“We know it is going to be a rough time for agents, schools, and students, especially the ones that had planned their programs in the short term, but this is something transient, and we really believe once all this situation has come to an end, we will be here strong as usual. Providing support as we always did, providing training, attending fairs,” the group added.
The video has had many thousands of likes and shares, the group added, and has “influenced not only other marketing manager groups in Mexico, Colombia, Australia and Russia, as well as agents, that started to create their all positive message videos to their student”.
“We truly believe that it gave extra motivation to everyone to hold tight during the storm, as well as, many students are understanding the importance at this stage to postpone and not to cancel.
“As we say on the video, it is a cycle that will be over soon, and as some dreams are being postponed, new ones as being created during this time, so the dream must go on.”
The full list of participants:
1 – Carlos Eduardo Martins – Berlitz Manchester & Dublin / Choices International
2 – Eduardo Novik / Envirotech Education
3 – Flávia Aguiar / ILSC Education Group (ILSC Language Schools and Greystone College)
4 – Anderson Pacheco e Mariana Carone / Southern Lakes English College – SLEC & Southern Institute of Technology – SIT
5 – Tatiana “Tati” Cavarsam / Good Hope Studies
6 – Priscila Campos/ Browns
7 – Diogo Scherer/ International House Sydney city, Bondi, Darwing, Melbourne & ihBC
8 – Camila Viana / St. George International College
9 – Roberto “Beto” Bihari – Connect International School
10 – Murilo Fernandes – GISMA Business School
11 – Antonio Pessoa Junior – SSLC, SSC & VICCC
12 – Pablo Pereira – Edvisor
13 – João Paulo Campos – Expanish / France Langue
14 – Vitor Alvarino – UMC (Upper Madison College)
15 – Erica Pereira – LAL Language Centres
16 – Camilian Branco – Global Village
17 – Fabio Carola – Humber College
18 – Tatiana Menitti – ILAC
19 – Francielly Gnoatto – Entrepreneur Education & Imagine Education Australia
