Investigation of the Olhos no Futuro Program: SDGs, Education, and Interdisciplinarity for the Energy Transition.

• Grant number: 25/19820-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Flávia Luciane Consoni
• Grantee: Jáckson Teixeira Galio
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/11380-5 - CPTEn - São Paulo Center for the Study of Energy Transition, AP.CCD

Abstract

The São Paulo Center for Energy Transition Studies (CPTEn) plays a crucial role in energy management and the broader energy transition in the State of São Paulo, being directly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a higher education institution, the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) upholds the academic triad of Teaching, Research, and Extension, which is articulated through the Olhos no Futuro Program, an initiative integrated into the Sustainable Campus Project.The Undergraduate Research Project (IC) here proposed focuses on two of CPTEn's eight thematic axes: Axis III - Public Policy and Governance, and Axis V - Education, Training, and Capacity Building for Socio-Environmental Sustainability. Axis III seeks to align demands and experiences with public authorities, aiming to strengthen governance in public policy across the State of São Paulo. Axis V emphasizes interdisciplinarity and university outreach. The activities of the Olhos no Futuro Program at Telêmaco Paioli Melges State School highlight the need for subprojects to engage and collaborate with one another, while also integrating different fields of knowledge and institutions of teaching and research.Accordingly, the articulation between Axis III and Axis V demonstrates the potential of the Olhos no Futuro Program to generate knowledge and methodologies that may inform public policies for teaching the SDGs in school settings, thus contributing to advances in the energy transition.It is important to map the subprojects already implemented by the Olhos no Futuro Program at Telêmaco Paioli Melges State School, identifying when and for how long interventions took place, and analyzing how the notion of a just energy transition was mobilized through these projects and their approaches. This mapping and analysis can be carried out by observing, for example, which SDGs were addressed-whether directly or indirectly-within the subprojects, and/or which methodologies were applied.To date, at least six subprojects have been implemented at Telêmaco School between 2019 (when the Olhos no Futuro Program was launched as an extension initiative in partnership with UNICAMP) and the first semester of 2025 (when this Undergraduate Research proposal is being drafted). These are: Águas do Ribeirão Quilombo, ReciclaMente, SustentavelMente, Energizar, CANAlise, and ComunicAção. Since at least the first semester of 2024, the first four projects have been carried out every semester, involving weekly collaborative practices between the school and the university.This underscores the essential role of public universities and public schools, each with their own specificities, scopes, and bodies of knowledge that must be taken into account. Thus, it is pertinent to examine university outreach as a vehicle for education and awareness-raising around the SDGs and the pursuit of a just energy transition.