What happens when someone walks into a classroom in a small Brazilian town and asks the children sitting there: what is your dream? For Marcos Vinícios Botelho, that single question at age 10 opened a door that has never closed. Growing up in Santana do Deserto, Minas Gerais, his world formed a literal triangle between home, school, and church, until the organization Onda Solidaria arrived and added a fourth point: the cattle field that would become the Vila dos Sonhos, a green school and eco-social center built alongside the community. Marcos traces his journey from curious child to board director of the organization that shaped him, sharing why emotional connection and small practical steps are the most powerful way to engage in any cause, including the climate crisis he works to mitigate as an activist and climate educator. Marcos is proof that dreaming big and starting small are not in conflict.

Learn more about Marcos and his work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcos-vin%C3%ADcios-botelho-b9922517b/ and https://www.instagram.com/marcosbotsi/ and about Onda Solidaria at https://www.ondasolidaria.org/ or https://www.instagram.com/ondasolidariaorg/