Students in Brazil Review Pulitzer Center-Funded Report on AI and the Amazon

Young people engaging with journalism learn how AI can help in the Amazon's restoration

In the month in which Teacher's Day is celebrated (October 15), the learning journey between the Antônio Lemos State School of Elementary and High School, in Santa Izabel do Pará, and Amazônia Vox gains a new chapter, and also a symbolic closure. After three years of reviewing journalistic texts produced by Vox, the 3rd year high school students  participated in their last activity as reviewers, analyzing the report "Seeds Are Key to Restoring the Amazon Rainforest—and AI Can Speed Up the Process."

The activity, conducted by writing teacher Marcela Castro, is part of a partnership that began in 2022 and accompanied the entire high school education of the class. With each new special report published, the text was sent to the school to be worked on in the classroom. The students read, debated and made adjustments to make the language more accessible, without letting the story lose its journalistic profile.

In  the last revision, they read the text signed by journalist Alice Martins Morais, which addresses how Artificial Intelligence can be an ally in the restoration of the Amazon rainforest, accelerating the process of collecting and germinating native seeds. The report highlights research and technology initiatives applied to the region's biodiversity.

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During the reading and discussion process, the 35 students in the class were divided into groups and made proposals for clarity and fluidity, observing technical terms and suggesting synonyms to bring the text closer to the younger audience. All observations were forwarded to the editing team of Amazônia Vox, which considered the suggestions in the publication.

For teacher Marcela Castro, the experience went beyond the limits of the classroom. She recalls that, when the project began, the students (who were still in the 1st year of high school) were still discovering the universe of acronyms and journalistic expressions. "In one of the first texts that Amazônia Vox delivered to Antônio Lemos' students, the word 'COP' was not understood by them. At the time, in 2023, they were 14 or 15 years old and did not understand many of the acronyms that journalism often uses. The greatest proof that the revision made by them bore fruit was to see, in this last revised report, that the meaning of COP already appears right next door, being understood by all."

According to her, following this evolution was also a professional growth. She says that adolescents have become more confident to write and express their own ideas, inside and outside school. "It was wonderful to see them gaining confidence to use the lessons learned from the subjects in Amazônia Vox and expanding their vocabulary with words that were not part of their lexicon," she says.

Solutions journalism that inspires

Since the beginning of the partnership, the project has brought students closer to professional journalism, promoting a more critical reading and stimulating engagement with socio-environmental issues. The practice also contributed to improving vocabulary, argumentation and interest in the Amazon and science.

The impact was felt beyond the texts. In 2024, one of the reports reviewed by the students, "Challenges and Solutions To Improve Prenatal Coverage in Riverside Communities in the Amazon," won the Roche Health Journalism Award, in the Digital Journalism category, promoted by the Gabo Foundation.

The award was received by the hands of teacher Marcela Castro, at the ceremony in Miami, and then was taken to the classroom. For student Rodrigo Cardoso, 18, the project was an exercise in self-confidence. "It taught me a lot about believing in ourselves, because I remember that back in 2023, I was very shy and afraid of everything, to be able to get here today recording, writing better, This for me is of immeasurable value," he said. 

"When the project started I was like, 'what do you mean, guys? I don't even know how to write my own texts, let alone correct the others'. Then I learned, it was very good", says Sarah Lopes, 18, one of the participating students.

"I need to thank you for giving us this opportunity, for showing us that we are capable of giving our opinions the way we want and that everything is worth it, making efforts and manifesting ourselves, not just sitting around", declares student Juliana Myamoto, 18 years old.

Estefany Rosa, 18, reinforces the importance of the action in giving visibility to public schools and the Amazon. "I managed to fix many points in my writing, I learned many words and synonyms. I loved getting to know every corner that Amazônia Vox took me. And what Vox has to offer is to publicize public schools, to take very good care of the Amazon. Thank you very much, Amazônia Vox."

The experience also opened doors for the educator and adolescents to participate in other events. In November last year, they were speakers at the LED Festival, in Belém, and in May 2025, they also received an invitation to participate in the International Meeting on Media Education, in Brasília.

Watch more reports of the experience below, after the Roche Foundation award:

The cycle that ends, the learning that remains

For Amazônia Vox, the return is equally significant. In addition to mutual learning, the subjects reviewed by students usually generate high engagement on social networks and expand the audience. The texts are credited by the students as reviewers, and the link to the report is shared by the school, multiplying the reach of the initiative.

Over these three years, young people have learned about the role of journalism in society, the fight against disinformation and the importance of translating complex issues from the Amazon to the general public. And, in this process, they also found themselves more critical and engaged. As summarized by student Kauã Martins, 18, who has participated since the beginning of the project. "It is a form of teaching, from the first year to the third. We grew along with the project."

Marcela points out that the activity goes far beyond writing, it is also about citizenship and critical reading of the media. "When talking about media education, it is important to show that the media do not exist only for entertainment or to make life easier. They also serve to maintain life. And the last revised text demonstrates this very well."

On Teacher's Day (10/15), the project between the Antônio Lemos School and Amazônia Vox reinforces the power of education when it unites practice and community to the Amazon territory, and celebrates not only the end of a cycle, but the beginning of new possibilities for these future communicators and multipliers of knowledge.

Check out the step-by-step activity with the students:

1. Explanation of media types, styles, and care with misinformation
2. Concentrated reading of the text, with emphasis on words, terms and paragraphs that are difficult to
   understand.3. Search for synonyms or expressions that can facilitate reading and suggest improvements.
3. Group discussion about the lessons learned from each part of the text.
4. Sending prints with suggestions, avoiding excessive use of paper.
5. Evaluation of the experience and debate on the role of professional journalism.
6. Sending student recommendations to Amazônia Vox
7. Editing makes adjustments, creates glossary, rewrites confusing paragraphs, searches for images and illustrations that can facilitate
   understanding.9. Publication of the content with mention of the school and class
8. Sending the link to the published article to the teacher, who sends it to the students and to family, friends and neighbors and on social networks

See the list of names of the reviewing students and click on the link to read the article "Seeds Are Key to Restoring the Amazon Rainforest—and AI Can Speed Up the Process," written by journalist Alice Martins:

1 ADRIAN DA SILVA FARIAS
2 ADRYA VITÓRIA DA SILVA RAMOS
3 ALINE BARBOSA PESSOA
4 ANNA CLARA LIMA DOS SANTOS
5 ANTONIO REGINALDO DO AMARAL NASCIMENTO
6 CHARLISSO WILLIAM LIMA MONTEIRO
7 DANIEL CRISTIAN OLIVEIRA DA SILVA
8 EVELEN KAUANNE GUIMARÃES CANUTO
9 EVERTON GLEIVAN DA SILVA CANUTO
10 IVAN RODRIGUES FREITAS
11 JEFERSON CARDOSO LONDRES
12 JEFFERSON CORDEIRO DE ALMEIDA
13 JOÃO LUCAS SANTOS CONCEIÇÃO
14 JOELY LUIZA SILVA NUNES
15 JULIANA MIYAMOTO BATISTA
16 KAROLINE BORGES DE MELO
17 KAUA COSTA GONÇALVES
18 KAUAN MARTINS SANTOS
19 KEVIN WESLEY ASSUNÇÃO REIS
20 MARIA EDUARDA DAMASCENO NEVES
21 PAMELA CRISTINA TRINDADE COSTA
22 PAULA SANTA ROSA DE ALMEIDA
23 PAULO HENRIQUE SILVA E SILVA
24 PEDRO EDUARDO DUARTE DO NASCIMENTO
25 RODRIGO DA SILVA CARDOSO
26 RONALD LUIZ DUARTE DO NASCIMENTO
27 ROZANGELA VITÓRIA SOUZA SILVA
28 RUAN LUCAS DA SILVA LEAL
29 SAMARA SENA DE SOUZA
30 SARAH ELDELI SOUZA COELHO
31 SARAH LOPES DE BARROS
32 SILAS PESSOA BATISTA
33 STEFANNY SULENNY SILVA ROSA
34 VANESSA DA SILVA CORDOVIL
35 WELLYSON ASSIS FARO