The Future of Education

While the Amazon biome can be divided into several Amazons, either by social, economic, cultural and environmental characteristics, in the area near Manaus, sustainable and community-based tourism is becoming an important resource for the "ribeirinha communities" (communities, whose members are of mixed origin- called "caboclos"). The main activity of these communities was woodcutter, until this region became a Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) in 2008. Since the creation of this reserve, the communities had to find other activities. The paper follows the experience of the community of Santa Helena del Ingles (Saint Helen of the English) that, with the support of the Foundation for Amazon Sustainability, progressively developed other means of economic activity, such as sustainable tourism (they built a community hostel), handicrafts, production of natural products to sell the tourists. The opening of the community hostel has created at the same time collaborative dynamics and individual entrepreneurship, when some members have themselves opened new structures for hosting tourists. This new shift, which has seen women as the main actors, has been accompanied by specific university training that has represented an important achievement for people who had never considered this possibility. The paper analyses the empowerement of some community women through the participation to a pioneering initiative, implemented by the Nilton Lins University, a graduation in Tourism Management, which began in 2022 in partnership with the Amazon Sustainable Foundation, and offers the course remotely, through distance education, making professional training more accessible to students far from large urban centers. It  also includes scholarships.The Nilton Lins course focuses on empowering traditional communities for the development of community-based tourism and fostering local entrepreneurship. Students are guided to explore business opportunities, especially in the areas of accommodation, tours, restaurants, and other services already offered informally.

The paper will also analyses the processes of migration to the city and re-emigration to the community, in a process of revitalization of the community life and a growing environmental conscience  for  a sustainable future.

Keywords: sustainability, community tourism, empowerment 

REFERENCES

https://fas-amazonia.org/conteudos/publicacoes/