The Plataforma Newsletter - For those supporting the vision behind Plataforma - an award winning organization helping companies hire top technology talent while delivering in-demand IT skills training in low-income communities.
We operate on the belief that talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. Our mission is to close the digital skills gap by helping people build a career commensurate with their ability, not where or how they were born.Welcome to our tenth newsletter - frequent summaries on Plataforma to help keep those following the journey informed.
Time is our most valuable currency, so thank you in advance for providing a bit of yours.
The Story of Plataforma
In previous newsletters, we described a commitment to strengthening our storytelling at Plataforma. We’re lucky to witness the inspiration, evolution, and growth of our students. We receive their news, pictures, audio messages, and expressions of gratitude almost daily. But we have to do better about sharing their stories.
Take for example this story about Matheus. As part of our second cohort, Matheus joined Plataforma in May 2022. At the time, he was working as a mototaxi driver in his favela. I remember him participating in Zoom calls from the street (and at times, in the rain), balancing work and studying IT, but never missing a mentorship session with his jedi, Aurelio.
Today, he's a Software Developer at a US startup and a jedi himself. A few months ago, Matheus sent me this photo. He explained that he had gone on his first international trip, and had taken his dad to fulfill a lifelong dream of seeing the snow.
The next message read, "Gary, thank you for the opportunity that Plataforma gives us. It changed my life. You have no idea how grateful I am."
We need to share more of our these stories, but we also recognize the importance of sharing our own story. The story of Plataforma. How did it start? And why?
So, several months ago we started to craft an idea. The goal? To create a video that quickly and concisely explains the genesis of Plataforma, our mission, and answers the question, why now? I am happy to share that video with you here:
Plataforma Continues to Grow
To date, we’ve trained over 300 low-income youth for a career in IT. Our graduates have gone into the job market, entered University, participated in study abroad programs, and moved to entirely different cities.
We see Plataforma as a gateway to a world of possibilities for people who grow up with few opportunities. I recently traveled to Miami to meet with our long time advisor and now board member, Anderson Rodrigues. He had set up presentations for us at Goldman Sachs and BTG Pactual, Latin America’s largest investment firm.
Anderson opened up our presentation by saying, “I was born and raised in the biggest slum in Brazil, and thanks to a lot of hard work and help, I caught an elevator up to a better life. Now, my mission is to take that elevator back down and bring more people up.”
This is the spirit of our organization. To inspire people to dream big, to show them examples of others who have overcome similar barriers, and to grow a community of Jedis capable of showing the way. And in 2024, we will help our incoming cohort of 250 students discover their own unique potential.
But we can’t do it alone.
Giving Tuesday
Today is #givingtuesday, a global day of giving aimed at helping people and organizations transform their communities and the world through generosity.
Plataforma Impact is a 501c3 charitable organization that runs on the generosity of our supporters. Today, we are raising funds to hire three additional Jedis, recent graduates who will act as facilitators for our 2024 cohort.
The total amount we need to raise is $9,360. If you are inspired by our work, please consider helping us reach our goal with a donation that can be made here. Donations of any size have a big impact.
Additionally, sharing our links, videos, and this newsletter helps us to spread the word and acquire more supporters.
As always, thank you for following our journey.
Contact Me
gary@plataformaimpact.org
Whatsapp: +12067775134
What I’m Currently Reading
Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa - The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman
“Fighting isn’t all there is to the Art of War. The men who think that way, and are satisfied to have food to ear and a place to sleep, are mere vagabonds. A serious student is much more concerned with training his mind and disciplining his spirit than with developing his martial skills.”
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