Social Capital

Social

Regarding our social capital, we believe in education as a tool to transform realities, with the possibility of impacting people’s ways of thinking and acting. Therefore, we develop and disseminate educational content with socio-environmental topics. 

The main actions include:

• Educational courses and trails in the Corporate University for suppliers and partners, open courses for the community in general, as well as for public school teachers and students;
• Aligned with Brazil’s National Curricular Parameters (PCNs or Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais) and the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC or Base Nacional Curricular Comum), we include sustainability in the development of our educational materials for K-9 education;
• Our complementary solution STEM Connect – Discovery Education promotes discussion around the 17 UN SDGs and society’s socio-environmental demands;
• We offer more than 170 environment-related graduate and postgraduate courses, such as a degree in environmental management and an MBA in environmental assessment, verification and audit;
• We have two postgraduate programs directly related to this topic: the Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences; and the Postgraduate Program in Environment and Regional Development.  The programs maintain nine lines of research.

Social Impact

To guide our actions we have the Cogna Social Impact Platform, divided into priority fronts to enhance the power and reach of our initiatives:

Our programs are aligned with at least one of the three three pillars in our Social Impact Platform:

We believe in education as an instrument of social transformation, enabling people to achieve greater quality of life and to generate income in the places where they live. This is why it is our understanding that our presence in all the Brazilian states is a driver that boosts the positive impacts our activity has on society.

Given our capillarity, Cogna social measures are undertaken by means of community actions, projects and services offered by its higher education institutions and its three social arms: the Instituto SOMOS, the Fundação Pitágoras and the Aliança Brasileira pela Educação.

We have a Donations and Private Social Investment Policy (version PT-BR), that governs Cogna direct sponsorship and donation processes, formalizing the flows based on transparency and compliance requirements.

Service Learning

We see the potential of the actions of the teachers and students in our higher education institutions as an important element in transforming realities. This is why we have adopted service learning, experiential education to involve students in activities that fulfill human and community needs, together with structured opportunities for reflection to achieve the desired learning results.

We encourage the promotion of structured actions that serve the communities surrounding our campi. This involves the teachers and students dedicating hours of voluntary work to assist those who need it most. 

Big Numbers 2022

There are two modes of activity:

• Social projects, which are initiatives undertaken for communities, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They may be ongoing or isolated and may also be part of academic extension projects; Click here and find out about some of our actions already carried out! (PT-BR Language)

• Community services: these are undertaken systematically and continuously in social assistance spaces in our higher education institutions, with the Cogna graduate students providing specialized services in their areas of professional activity. Click here and see all community service locations! (PT-BR Language)

Somos Futuro beneficiaries

• 689 students since the beginning, in 2017
• 194 partnering schools
• 134 municipalities, in 18 states and the Distrito Federal
• 46% approval rate in public universities
• Profile of participants:
  • 64% female
  • 36% male
  • Per capita income: up to 2 minimum salaries
  • 13% are beneficiaries of social programs, such as the Bolsa Família
  • From those approved in university entrance, 67% are the first generation of the family to study in higher education

With a proprietary model developed for the public school networks, the Fundação Pitágoras seeks to drive improvements in learning by working with the entire school community.  For around two years the Integrated Management System (IMS) accompanies the agents involved in schools, encompassing education departments, principals, educational coordinators, supervisors and teachers, who undergo training while incorporating the elements of school administration into their daily routines. Created 20 years ago, social technology underwent a digital transformation in 2021 with the adoption of a hybrid format: a major part of the program will be offered via distance learning while maintaining a number of strategic on-site meetings. The new model will enable the extension of this benefit to more schools in less time. The initiative was introduced in the city of Breves, on Ilha do Marajó (PA), in 2021. 

The teaching quality indicators prove the positive results of the program in the participating schools, as shown by the evolution of the IDEB (Basic Education Development Index), both in the initial and final years of the program. elementary School. Data from the latest available assessment, released in 2022 and referring to 2021, indicate thatthe results are 0.4 points higher than the average for schools that do not have the SGI.

The Pitágoras Foundation also offers training to inmates and ex-prisoners through scholarships. The Foundation also maintains a partnership with Apac Feminina (Association for the Protection and Assistance of Convicts) in Belo Horizonte (MG), in which around 150 women deprived of liberty study in a hybrid teaching format with training ranging from literacy to promotion for entrepreneurship and entry into higher education. The approval rate of these women was 87%. The Foundation also invests in projects related to Early Childhood, Vulnerable Youth and Tree Planting.