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Why do we exist?
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Which problems do we help solve?
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Why is our performance important?
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How we contribute to
change the lives of young people?
Our story
From the convergence of the forest, the rivers, and the asphalt emerges Instituto COJOVEM, characterized by its diversity, plurality, and its ability to see in Indigenous, Quilombola, Black, peripheral, and LGBT+ youth the driving force for fostering innovation toward socio-environmental strengthening of territories and youth in the Amazônia Legal, which holds Brazil’s only demographic bonus. These diverse voices have united to share knowledge and increase the ambition of leaders and decision-makers through research and advocacy efforts on behalf of the Amazon and its peoples.
Our activities began in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the state of Pará, and quickly scaled globally—primarily focusing on long-term socio-environmental changes and their impacts on Amazonian territories. This process has been accompanied by violations of youth rights—youth who are the guardians of tomorrow and who, along with children, will face the impacts of the climate crisis for a longer time.
In 2021, COJOVEM was officially established as a nonprofit Civil Society Organization (OSC) with a special focus on the state of Pará. Pará encompasses around 20% of the entire Amazon rainforest—an area larger than the combined territories of France and the United Kingdom—and is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Brazil. At the same time, more than 26% of its population is composed of young people.
Mission
Act to guarantee the socio-environmental rights of Amazonian youth through advocacy, research and training to strengthen resilient and sustainable territories.
Vision
To be a national reference institution in youth advocacy and research in the Amazon.
Values
Youth leadership; Multisectoral cooperation; Respect for human rights; Promotion of diversity; Socio-environmental justice.
Who makes up
TECHNICAL-POLITICAL OCCUPATIONS
CO-FOUNDERS
Co-founder
Mattheus
Youth Ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime; Graduate in Public Management and International Relations; Co-founder of Instituto COJOVEM; Leader in the Pará Youth Forum; Possessing multidisciplinary training in Advocacy, Social Mobilization, and Organizational Management, serving as the local focal point and leader in promoting youth representation in decision-making spaces, with experience in people management, establishing partnerships, and multisectoral cooperation.
Knowledge Management Coordinator
Pedro
Master’s in Geography, from the periphery, amazônida, and part of the LGBT+ community. Doctoral candidate at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). Specialist in Education from the Federal Institute of Pará (IFPA) and a postgraduate student in Public Policies on Gender and Sexuality at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). Knowledge Management Coordinator at Instituto COJOVEM. Research Coordinator at ONG Olivia. Member of the Projeto Territórios pela Paz: Socioeconomic Diagnostics, Infrastructure, and Violence Indicators (UEPA). He has experience in Urban Geography, Embodiment, Environment, and Education. Community and Environmental Educator. Social Justice Activist.
Pesquisadora
Luisa da Silva
Ativista climática e de direitos digitais, estudante de Engenharia Florestal da UFRA, trabalha com povos e comunidades tradicionais na linha do Manejo Florestal Comunitário desde 2019. Parte do Movimento Plataformas no Pará e aluna no programa Youth de Governança da Internet do CGI.Br. Idealizadora do projeto Clima Verde: Ideias para Ação. Alumna Embaixada Americana do programa Acess Amazon e assistente de pesquisa na COJOVEM. Representa a COJOVEM no grupo de pesquisa no projeto Combate à Desinformação na Amazônia Legal, com o Intervozes.
Researcher
Luisa da Silva
Climate and digital rights activist, Forestry Engineering student at UFRA, working with indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the context of Community Forest Management since 2019. She is part of Movimento Plataformas in Pará and a student in the CGI.Br Youth Internet Governance Program. She is the founder of the project Clima Verde: Ideias para Ação. Alumna of the American Embassy’s Acess Amazon program and a research assistant at COJOVEM. She represents COJOVEM in the research group for the project Combate à Desinformação na Amazônia Legal, in collaboration with Intervozes.
Collaborator in the coordination of traditional peoples and communities
Aldrin
Aldrin Barros, born in the municipality of Bujaru in the metropolitan area of Belém, is an activist engaged in the student movement and in the struggles of youth and traditional communities. He is a researcher and a Fellow of Technological and Industrial Initiation at CNPq; a member of the Research Group on Cooperativism, Solidarity Economy, and Sustainable Rural Development (GECOOPES); a member of the international research group “Cooperativismo, Desarrollo Rural y Emprendimientos Solidarios en la Unión Europea y Latinoamérica” (COODRESUEL) at the Universidad de Alicante – Spain; a collaborator at the Instituto Universitário de Estudos Sociais da América Latina (IUESAL); an alumnus of the Instituto Federal do Pará; a member of the Cooperação de Juventude Amazônida pelo Desenvolvimento Sustentável; and a Law student.
Coordenador Multidisciplinar
Rodrigo
Rodrigo Oliveira, Brasileiro, nascido em Belém-PA, 27 anos. Graduando do Curso de Licenciatura em Dança da Universidade Federal do Pará - 2018. Artista, Pesquisador, Diretor Artístico, Produtor Cultural. Foi Coordenador Geral do Circuito Universitário de Cultura e Arte da UNE - PA (União Nacional dos Estudantes), e do Centro Acadêmico de Licenciatura em Dança-UFPA. É Coordenador do GT de Políticas Públicas do Colegiado de Dança do Pará. Membro da Equipe de Organização do Circuito Norte em Dança.
Multidisciplinary Coordinator
Rodrigo
Rodrigo Oliveira, Brazilian, born in Belém-PA, 27 years old. He is an undergraduate in Dance Education at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) since 2018. He is an artist, researcher, artistic director, and cultural producer. He served as the General Coordinator of the University Circuit of Culture and Art of UNE-PA (National Union of Students) and of the Dance Education Academic Center at UFPA. He is the Coordinator of the Public Policy Working Group of the Pará Dance Collegiate and a member of the organizing team for the North Dance Circuit.
