In Pursuit of Opportunity 

An Interview with Ericon Carlos Costa dos Santos  

               

<Suruacá Youth (Ericon on far lett in 2005)      

Youth in rural Brazilian communities, such as Suruacá, often migrate to larger cities in pursuit of education and jobs, but few who leave return to their community. Ericon Carlos Coast dos Santos, 22, is an exception. He left his hometown of Suruacá to attend high school in Santarém, but after six years in the city, he returned to his village. Although Ericon is still frustrated by the limited resources in Suruacá, he expresses a commitment to his community and the hope that he and other youth can improve it.

Ericon's struggles to find and make opportunities began at a very young age. Poverty created constant worries and troubles in his home. His family's difficulties seemed insurmountable, and Ericon often felt like giving up. Even getting a basic education was challenging. There was an elementary school in his community, but Ericon's schooling was frequently interrupted by staffing difficulties exacerbated by government bureaucracy. With no classes offered beyond fourth grade, by the age of twelve, Ericon felt there would be no opportunities for him if he stayed in Suruacá.

In his early teens Ericon moved to Santarém and lived with one of his sisters.  She had left Suruacá to become a teacher, and the lapse of time was so great that Ericon didn’t even know who she was any more. After three years of school in Santarém, Ericon was no longer able to support his studies. He dropped out and searched for a job. While working at various jobs to earn money for rent, Ericon attempted to re-enroll in a school, but he was unsuccessful.

Initially attracted to the city by the allure of more educational opportunities and jobs, Ericon was frustrated by his lack of success and worried about the influences of city life. Compared with Suruacá, Santarém seemed dangerous and unpleasant; it was filled with the threats of violence, alcohol abuse, and gangs. He argued with his sister's husband, was harassed regularly at work by a brother also living in Santarém, and felt his isolation from the rest of his family. In an effort to stabilize his life and renew his search for opportunity, Ericon returned to Suruacá in 2006.

For Ericon, community is the catalyst of opportunity. It was the sense of community that drew him back to Suruacá. He says the city would be more fulfilling if he had been able to recreate the sense of community he remembered from his childhood in Suruacá.  This could be done by living peacefully, being concerned about others, and contributing to the people in the community.  To his peers who are thinking about leaving Suruacá, Ericon recommends having a strong determination for reaching their goals. He hopes, “they come back with a different mindset, a mind to deepen their knowledge and that they are able to come back with interest in helping: to build something better, and not destroy.” Ericon wishes that migration to the city would empower youth to return and improve their community by building opportunities at home—instead of tearing people apart, as has happened in his own family.

Ericon is unable to see what opportunities are open for him, now. In the past year he has helped his parents with their work, and has spent time traveling with a Catholic priest in need of assistance with his sermons. But when asked about his future, Ericon says he doesn’t know how to even start thinking about it. He wants to stay in Suruacá, but he knows that opportunities for him there are inadequate, and he is unsure of how to start finding or creating new opportunities. He will leave Suruacá again if he finds another chance at a good job elsewhere. Meanwhile, he dreams of finishing his high-school degree and going on to a university to study sociology, history, or English.

Helping youth such as Ericon and others in his situation to build a future in their own community is one of CEN's main goals. Ericon regularly uses the telecenter in Suruacá and has learned to use not only the computers and internet, but also the Infocentro Communitario, which is an information portal developed by CEN containing Portuguese articles addressing community concerns and interests. These information resources are designed to help Ericon and others in Suruacá develop entrepreneurial ideas or address problems within the community.  CEN will equip Ericon with the structural knowledge to organize a project or business. CEN will support Ericon in realizing the projects he desires to undertake in his community, just as CEN is already mentoring community members who create sustainable jewelry and purse businesses.  If we are successful, Ericon may not have to leave his home again to go in search of opportunity.