Meet a young community activist & aspiring political leader

As we get closer to GivingTuesday, we’re sharing the stories of three young activists from around the world to inspire and motivate you in your work.

Jady Veríssimo is a community activist and aspiring political leader working on the ground to improve the lives of young people in the favela in São Paulo where she was raised.

Jady grew up in a family where education was a challenge. Her father was a truck driver; her mother completed high school through an access programme while pregnant with Jady. From the age of 15, Jady worked to help support her family, attending night school to continue her education.

In 2021, Jady was accepted into Fundação Getulio Vargas to study public administration, becoming the first person in her family to attend university – something that was only possible because she was able to crowdfund the 50% of her education costs not covered by her scholarship. That same year, she founded Pontes para o Amanhã, a project that has so far supported more than 500 teenagers to access educational scholarships and employment opportunities. Her organisation has just begun construction on a sports facility in the favela de Verdinhas, and, at just 23 years old, Jady has her sights set on even greater impact: she has already run her first political campaign for office.

If you want to connect with Jady or think you can support her in her work, you can reach out to her by email. If you want to find out how construction on the sports facility is going, or donate to ongoing costs, follow this link.

Jady was one of three remarkable young changemakers who gave the closing keynote at IFC 2024. If you need a dose of inspiration, you can watch it here.