Video for Empowerment, Brazil

Funded by the Latin-American and Caribbean Research Exchange Grant (LACREG)

Video interviews were used to document the experiences and perspectives of leaders from participating recycling cooperatives to assist in the evaluation of capacity building and empowerment goals for the Participatory Sustainable Waste Management (PSWM) project (CIDA-AUCC). The objective of this video project, funded by the Latin-American and Caribbean Research Exchange Grant (LACREG) of Canada, was to initiate an exchange between knowledge and practice of integrated waste management strategies, participatory methodologies for community development and multi-media exploration for empowerment and participation.

Interviews were conducted with eight leaders from participating recycling cooperatives to discuss; a) the organization and mobilization of the catadore/as movement, b) their experience within the project highlighting specific events that have empowered or dis-empowered them, c) inclusive public policies and d) community outreach.  The analysis of succession of events and processes of the PSWM project (including other projects such as the ‘Rede Gerando Renda’ project, the organization of the ‘National Recyclers Movement’ and the creation of an organized micro-credit program) has contributed to greater understanding of the evolution of capacities and in identifying ‘target indicators’ of personal empowerment, civic engagement and citizenship.  The video interviews will be used for the evaluation of the projects capacity building goals and to be integrated into educational material for participatory methodologies for social development.

There are a number of factors that influenced the successful outcomes of this exchange. Most importantly, the level of participation and engagement of the catadore/as is a direct outcome of the trust built over the last three years of the PSWM project activities and positive relationships between the participants and project team.  Without these strong existing networks established the research activities would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to accomplish.

The use of video proved to be a powerful and practical medium for not only evaluating the capacity-building goals of the PSWM project but also as a tool to transfer the experience and knowledge of the catadore/as in Brazil to the recycling community in Canada.  In particular, documenting the mobilization and organization of catadore/as in Brazilinto cooperatives highlights an extremely valuable strategy to improve the quality of life of recyclers, to stimulate dialogue with government for inclusive public polices and to reduce stigmatization of this activity which is often de-valued in society. The video research conducted in this project will contribute to strengthening the Canadian community’s understanding of integrated and inclusive waste management strategies in Brazil, and the significance of participatory methodologies for empowerment and organization.