We’re halfway through our five-month DreamRoot Leadership Accelerator, where 20 amazing participants have been gaining essential skills, hands-on learning, and building strong connections. The program emphasizes self-awareness and self-leadership to then build mutual awareness and community-capacity building. Each of them is also working on a personal leadership action plan and ideas to bring real change to their communities.
The impact has already been profound, and I’m excited to share a glimpse of what our participants have to say:
"DreamRoot has given me the tools and confidence to lead with purpose. I’m now equipped to take the lessons I've learned and apply them in my community, creating opportunities for my family and others." – Juliana
Business Pitch Competition
Last week, we held an exciting group session where participants broke into small groups to create business plans for services or products that address real needs in their communities. They then competed in a business pitch competition, presenting their ideas for a chance to win seed funding (fictitious…for now!). We were blown away by their creativity, strategy, and presentation—MBA students would have faced tough competition!
The ideas ranged from a vocational training school for low-income individuals who are unemployed, to a staffing agency helping companies find qualified talent, a water delivery and sanitation service that desalinates ocean water, and an aquatic facility for infants and youth that is accessible and local. All the ideas were grounded in addressing critical needs in their communities, such as lack of access to clean water, high unemployment, and insufficient access to facilities.
The participants then voted, and the clear winner was the water sanitation and delivery service (see their business canvas image above). This business model resonated deeply because reliable access to clean water is a constant challenge for most of them. Many participants shared how their lives and those in their community are regularly disrupted by water shortages—a reality that might readily come to mind for those of us living in more developed regions.
A common theme in each of the business ideas presented is that they focus on the most basic needs from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Before communities can focus on higher aspirations, they must first meet these fundamental needs. This highlights a major issue: when daily life revolves around survival, and you’ve never experienced anything different, it’s difficult to envision new possibilities and have the boldness to work toward a new reality.
But once we catch a glimpse of something new—a vision, an idea—a seed is planted that can turn the impossible into reality. At DreamRoot, our goal is to plant seeds of hope and vision, and move forward together. And this is exactly what we are seeing with the participants in this accelerator program!
Summit Celebration
Looking ahead to our Summit Celebration in November, we’re excited to bring these leaders together for a powerful event. The event will feature guest speakers (some flying in from the U.S.), interactive sessions, and follow-on opportunities for leadership development and entrepreneurship.
At all our training events, we aim to make learning and development fun and engaging by blending lessons, activities, and networking with activities that appeal to all the senses - sparking creativity and offering fresh perspectives, helping participants connect new concepts that spark innovation and unlock groundbreaking transformation.
A special highlight at the summit will be blind taste tests of foods that can’t be readily found in Brazil— combining the familiar with the unfamiliar to explore new flavors and textures, and embrace the possibilities of the unknown, and creating something new and wonderful.
Making this even more special is that the U.S. participants from our Brazil Exchange Trip in October will bring these foods, along with the jiu jitsu uniform donations we’ve collected throughout the year. Swag bag items will include treats like s’mores, maple syrup, almond butter, and more.
Swag Bag Sponsorship
We’re seeking swag bag sponsors to help make the summit even more impactful. Would you or someone you know be interested in contributing fun and practical items often out of reach for our Brazilian participants?
Ideas include:
Memory drives for school and work
Reusable stainless steel water bottles
Portable power banks
Resistance exercise bands
Planners and quality pens
Or any other creative ideas you have!
Items can be delivered by October 5th to Team Passos Jiu Jitsu in Sterling, VA. Please reach out if you’re interested in collaborating.
We’re incredibly excited for what’s ahead and are honored to be on this journey together with you to make a lasting impact.
Hope to hear from you soon!
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