Interview with Thaís Cesário, Environmental Education Coordinator at Instituto Terra
Instituto Terra – Thaís, what does it mean to you to work in environmental education with children?
Thaís Cesário – Environmental education is much more than school content or a one-off activity. It is, above all, an instrument of transformation. When we work with children aged 10 to 12, as we do in the Terrinhas program, we are cultivating something that goes far beyond knowledge: we are awakening in them an essential critical awareness – a seed of change for the whole community.
Instituto Terra – And how does the Terrinhas program fit into Instituto Terra’s work?
Thaís – Terrinhas is an environmental education program that is part of the Terra Doce program. We work in partnership with public and private schools in the Doce River Basin, especially in the municipalities of Aimorés, Resplendor, Itueta, Santa Rita do Itueto and Baixo Guandu. Our focus is on water, springs and territory, but the consequences go far beyond that. Each learning module becomes a bridge between the school, the community and the environment.
Instituto Terra – What makes this experience so special?
Thaís – These children learn by putting their hands in the soil, looking at the river and listening to others. And after experiencing each piece of content in our spaces, they return to their schools to share what they have learned. This is how knowledge expands – through speech, affect and action.
Instituto Terra – In 2024, you decided to record this in a different way, didn’t you?
Thaís – Yes! In 2024, we decided to record part of this journey with the launch of TerrinhasCast, a podcast starring the children themselves. Five episodes were recorded with students from the five partner municipalities. In each one, the Terrinhas discuss environmental issues naturally, creatively and enthusiastically – as if they were adults, as if they were leaders. Because, deep down, they already are.
Instituto Terra – And have the results gone beyond the classroom?
Thaís – The impact is visible. A school created a campaign to reuse cooking oil, which became ecological soap distributed to families. One student turned Terrinhas into the subject of a book in the national “Super Author” project. Another child took the content learned about dams home – and the family started protecting a spring on their property. Every action is a story that reverberates.
Instituto Terra – Has any story marked you the most?
Thaís – And some stories mark us deeply. Cauê, for example, is a student from Santa Rita do Itueto with Duchenne syndrome. Coming from a delicate background, he found in the program a space of belonging and discovery. He went to the nursery, learned about every stage of the restoration process and proudly said: “Auntie, I’m a Terrinha!” The experience was so remarkable that it was perhaps his only in-depth contact with nature. It moves us – and holds us accountable.
Instituto Terra – What do you believe Terrinhas represents today?
Thaís – What Terrinhas does is more than teach: it allows each child to see their role in the world. And when we give space for these voices to echo, as we did in the podcast, the reach becomes even greater. What happens here can inspire schools in Rio de Janeiro, families in São Paulo, listeners in France or the United States. Because caring for the planet is a universal language.
Instituto Terra – You speak very fondly of this work…
Thaís – I speak of Terrinhas with pride, affection and hope. Because I was also an Earthling. I took part in the program between 2006 and 2008. And it was there, as a child, that I understood what it was like to be part of the solution. Today, as a coordinator, I continue to sow what was once planted in me.
Instituto Terra – To close: what do you hope for the future of Terrinhas?
Thaís – May these seeds continue to germinate – in schools, homes, forests and hearts.