Siegwerk Brazil: How lectures evolved into a full program

Supporting young people on their paths to success

In celebration of our 15 years commitment to SOS Children’s Villages worldwide, we are highlighting some of the many initiatives our Siegwerkers are deeply involved in. One of these is the TOGETHER WE KNOW MORE! program in Brazil. The name pretty much sums up the great dynamic between our colleagues from Siegwerk Brazil and the YouthCan! participants from SOS Children’s Villages Brazil (Aldeias Infantis SOS Brasil). Within the program, local Siegwerkers support and teach young people with several approaches: They give lectures, organize visits to the Siegwerk factory and educational institutions, and welcome some of the young people into their teams as apprentices.

The partnership between Siegwerk Brazil and SOS Children’s Villages Brazil started with a lecture circuit in 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the lectures were initially held exclusively online. This was beneficial on one hand, because the team was able to reach young people from different states across Brazil remotely. Nevertheless, exchanging ideas, providing support and learning from one another work best face-to-face. It was therefore a very special moment when the lecture circuit took place in person for the first time in 2023: Siegwerk volunteers went to the SOS Children's Villages unit Rio Bonito in São Paulo to meet with the young people and present their areas of professional activities.

Growing commitment to the lectures

Today, the lecture circuit continues the cooperation of both partners. Siegwerk volunteers speak about a wide range of topics relating to the world of inks, business, careers and application. Last year saw the highest level of involvement to date, with 22 Siegwerkers volunteering to present their professional experience during 12 lectures.

Our Siegwerkers are rightly looking back with enthusiasm and pride on the path they have created: “Coordinating the activities we carry out with SOS Children's Villages in Brazil is a gift to me. Every year, I continue to be amazed by the curiosity and participation of the young people during the lectures and I am immensely happy when some of them identify with one of the professions we present,” said Cibele Smosinski, Assistant to the Managing Director of Siegwerk Brazil and coordinator of the actions with SOS Children's Villages in the country. 

Individual activities gave rise to a program

Over time, other activities were added to the lecture circuit, leading the partners to bundle them into the TOGETHER WE KNOW MORE! program in 2023. In the last two years, the program offered the young people the chance to visit SENAI Theobaldo de Nigris, which is one of the largest professional education complexes in the world. Furthermore, participants visited the Siegwerk factory in Diadema, where they were able to see the company's administrative sectors, monitor and even perform some tests in the laboratory and visit the logistics and production areas.

Another part of the program was a drawing contest, which allowed the young people express their feelings and experiences as participants. And they kept something to remember: the winning drawing was printed on a t-shirt, which was handed out as a gift to the young people at the end of the program.

In 2024, the program was expanded once again: For the first time, Siegwerk Brazil welcomed a few of the participants as apprentices in the company. “I felt immense satisfaction when we had the opportunity to integrate some of these young people into our Siegwerk Brazil team, supporting them on their paths to success,” said Letícia Rodrigues de Freitas, HRBP Coordinator at Siegwerk Brazil and volunteer on the lecture circuit.

A strong partnership ready to grow further!