They will dominate the G20: youth from the Andar project will cover the events in Rio de Janeiro

Starting with an exclusive interview with Vice President and Minister Geraldo Alckmin during the first official act of the Business 20 engagement group, youth from Andar (Agency of Public School Students from the city of Rio de Janeiro) will participate in the G20 media coverage in the “Wonderful City” of Rio de Janeiro. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the G20 Brasil Communications Coordination and the Municipal Department of Education of Rio de Janeiro, which runs the project.

“It makes all sense to meet with you today at Firjan to talk about the B20 and the G20, and about the largest countries and economies of the world. It has everything to do with you, young students, because President Lula, who presides over the G20, has prioritized combating hunger, promoting development, creating jobs, and preserving the environment. These themes speak to the present and the future. And the future starts today; it goes by the name of Kamilly, of Jhonata… it has everything to do with you”, replied Alckmin, when asked about the link between the G20 and the students.

The students are part of the EMOT News team, which broadcasts news from inside and outside the school. The television newscast s is one of the initiatives of the 37 schools that are part of Andar - the News Agency of Public School Students. Founded in 2022, the Agency gathers schools from the carioca capital city. Over its first year and a half, it has already mobilized over 300 students, including Jonhata and Kamilly.

“I am very happy to be here, to be promoting the name of our school. We had to study before we came, we did some research about the topic and our teacher helped a lot. We prepared the script for our newscast, the EMOT News, from our school, and added some information about the B20. I believe we will make a contribution to our school by giving more publicity to the topic, talking about it and helping people who don't know what it is”, said Jhonata.

His colleague, Kamilly, recalled that the preparation phase was a learning opportunity for them: “even though we are kids, by studying a bit more about the B20 and the G20, we managed to learn a bit more about climate change and to know why it happens”, she asserted.

For many, children and the youth are the future; at the G20 Brasil they are the present. In addition to covering the B20 opening event, students from Andar will participate in other G20 events hosted in the city of Rio de Janeiro. This is the result of a partnership between the G20 Brasil Communications Coordination and the Municipal Department of Education of Rio de Janeiro.

“It is with great satisfaction that we witness the active participation of our students in events of global relevance. Andar is a wonderful educational initiative that allows our students to share their stories. Through this agency, we are not only raising future communicators, but also building a vibrant and connected student community”, stated the Municipal Secretary of Education of Rio de Janeiro, Renan Ferreirinha, about the partnership.

Carlos Alberto Jr., the G20 Brasil Communications Coordinator, also commented on the partnership. “The goal of the partnership between the G20 and the Andar project is to include children and youth in the discussions about the future of the planet. By joining the media coverage of G20, they will have the opportunity to question the authorities about the impact of negotiations from a very particular point of view. We hope that the participation of these students can be a positive contribution of the Brazilian Presidency to include and enrich the global debate”, he said.

In addition to the student production of content about the G20 to the schools’ internal channels - which include social media, bulletin newsboards, digital magazines, among others, the Andar website also compiles news from the schools participating in the project. Students themselves, together with their teachers, publish the news content they produce.  The goal is to develop a network for exchange and collaboration among students, teachers and the entire school community. The Andar project is an initiative by the Municipal Department of Education of Rio de Janeiro, under the coordination of MultiRio – the Municipal Multimedia Company.

“The students from our schools become an important part of the history that will be told about this year in which Rio is the capital of the G20 and hosts the world. Boys and girls who represent our future, who will be able to represent, not only before their families and communities, but before all of Brasil, a much more special vision of the Rio meetings, gathering the planet's largest economies”, stated the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes.

Rio de Janeiro will be the headquarters of the Summit of Leaders on 18 and 19 November, and of other various meetings of the tracks and the G20 Social throughout the year. Since last year, the city has gotten in the spirit of the G20; other actions aiming to democratize the G20 among Brazilians, a goal of the Brazilian Presidency for this year, are expected to take place

Partnership also in São Paulo

Children will dominate the world! If the plan is to start at the G20 Brasil, the young cariocas from Andar already have many allies among the young paulistanos, who are part of Imprensa Jovem [Youth Press]. In addition to the partnership with Rio de Janeiro's City Hall, the G20 Brasil Communications Coordination also established a similar partnership with the City Hall of São Paulo.

B20 opening event

In addition to the Vice President of the Republic and Minister of MDIC, who presented the B20 priorities, other prominent people participated in the opening event. Among them were political scientist Ian Bremmer, specialized in global foreign policy, transitioning states, and global political risk; the president of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende; the chair of the B20 Brasil, Dan Ioschpe; the G20 sherpa, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio; and the coordinator of the G20 Finance Track Tatiana Rosito. The event was broadcasted live.