Entrepreneurship is on a positive trend in Brazil. As one of the first nations to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2007, Brazil has made significant strides in both improving the opportunities for entrepreneurs and encouraging more people to consider the path of entrepreneurship.
This year’s GEW in Brazil will be run by a new GEW host: The Brazilian Services to Support Micro and Small Enterprises, also known a SEBRAE. Founded in 1972, SEBRAE is a nonprofit that supports the development of micro and small enterprises and stimulates entrepreneurship in the country.
“Entrepreneurship offers us a great opportunity to strengthen Brazilian environment for entrepreneurs as an important and legitimate path to overcome poverty and raise general productivity of economy through innovation,” said Augusto Togni, manager of entrepreneurial culture at SEBRAE.
As the GEW Host for 2018, SEBRAE will not only work to support entrepreneurs, it will also work to improve the education around entrepreneurship. As Togni explained, entrepreneurship is the beginning of an adventure that can lead to many opportunities – so it’s critical people get the right information the first time they learn about entrepreneurship.
Fortunately, improving the quality of entrepreneurship education is something SEBRAE has already been doing for several years.
Since 2013, SEBRAE has implemented national programs in Brazil focused specifically on high-quality entrepreneurship education. Through these programs, more than 3.5 million Brazilian students were exposed to entrepreneurship, more than 120,000 teachers were trained on how to teach entrepreneurship and education programs were successfully implemented in all 27 states of Brazil.
According to Togni, the programs have yielded positive results. He said more young people are now viewing entrepreneurship as a viable career path and an opportunity to elevate themselves. Togni also explained that these entrepreneurs not only improve their communities, they also help support a stronger Brazilian economy.
Now that SEBRAE is the new GEW Host, Togni said the organization will to leverage GEW – and the resources and connections offered by the Global Entrepreneurship Network – to reach more people. Specifically, Togni said this is an opportunity to support women and other minority communities in becoming successful entrepreneurs.
“One of the reasons we want to continue to use GEW is to disseminate entrepreneurship culture all over the country,” said Togni. “This year we’ve reached, till now, around 1,000 cities over more than 5,000 existing Brazilian municipalities. GEW will be an instrument to promote local development in territories”
SEBRAE is expecting an incredible turnout for GEW 2018. The organization is reporting more than 6,200 planned events in all 27 states, has a list of more than 840 GEW Brazil partner organizations and is projecting a turnout of almost 700,000 people.
With record numbers expected for GEW 2018, it is more than likely SEBRAE will further its work in improving entrepreneurship education, supporting small and micro businesses, fostering entrepreneurship and most importantly, celebrating the entrepreneurs of Brazil.
To learn more about this year’s celebrations in Brazil, click here.