Near the border between Sergipe and Bahia, two states in Northeastern Brazil, the village of Crasto has a waterfront full of colorful boats, a reminder of one of the region’s current economic mainstays. Fishing for fish and shellfish stocks local refrigerators and restaurants, but it isn’t enough to keep young people here. For many of them, the path leads to Aracaju, Sergipe’s capital, or another big city. Recently, though, a quiet transformation has begun to take root, and young people are turning their eyes back to their home region.
Crasto, part of the municipality of Santa Luzia do Itanhy (population 13,616), hosted the first in-person activity of the Youth Jobs Accelerator. The initiative is supported by the World Bank Group through the CIVIC Youth Innovation Fund, in partnership with the organization The Human Project (THP). In September, about 20 young people between the ages of 18 and 29 came together to map local challenges, share experiences, and create solutions for their own territory.
“Strengthening local entrepreneurship is a way to enable young people to stay,” said Raiana Silva Santos, one of the young local leaders who took part in the accelerator.
At the end of the gathering, drawing on everything they had learned through a series of activities, the participants proposed creating a physical and virtual space where local entrepreneurs can showcase their products. The physical space would also serve as a venue for cultural performances. All of this would help boost tourism in the region, as Mayne Yasmim dos Santos, a resident of Povoado Rua da Palha, a quilombola community on the outskirts of Santa Luzia do Itanhy, explained.
“Young people will be able to take part in different ways, both by mobilizing the community and entrepreneurs and by taking the lead in building the platform and managing social media,” Mayne said.
She and the other participants in the Youth Jobs Accelerator know that putting the idea into practice will not be easy. First, there are the costs. Second, there may be resistance from the community, since in the past local fairs came to be seen as an unsustainable source of income for local entrepreneurs. Third, there is a need to ensure connectivity, both digital and road, to support a strong consumer market.
