In poor areas in Brazil, it is common for young people to have to leave school to work and help their families financially. Without adequate education, they end up in low-skilled, poorly paid jobs. This perpetuates their social vulnerability over time.
Offering professional training courses for young people is an important tool for changing this scenario. It allows them to start their careers in a skilled profession, with both practical and theoretical knowledge.
Mirelly Gonçalves, 16, is one of many girls who have been enchanted by the colors and sparkle of makeup since childhood. “Since I was a child, I loved playing with my mother’s makeup. That’s where this passion comes from,” she says. What was once a game is now a profession. More than that: it’s her own business.
“Since I was a child, I loved playing with my mother’s makeup. That’s where this passion comes from”
Mirelly’s mother, Irivete Gonçalves, is a professional hairdresser, and she took one of her first beauty courses at Rede Cultural Beija-Flor (RCBF). That’s how her daughter, the young makeup artist, got to know the institution. “One day, I went with my mother and saw how Beija-Flor worked. I thought it was incredible, something unique. I was 11 years old and fell in love.”
As soon as she was old enough, Mirelly wasted no time. She took a course in eyebrow design and, in the second half of 2025, a course in makeup, qualifying her to work in two areas of the beauty world.
“These courses helped me grow professionally. Beija-Flor provided everything. They gave us makeup kits so we could work, brought in models, it was incredible! It was very important for my professional career. It added a lot and I grew a lot after that course,” she says excitedly.
Mirelly lives with her parents and younger sister in a house in the Eldorado neighborhood, a highly socially vulnerable area that connects the cities of São Paulo and Diadema. Her mother’s hair salon is set up in the garage of the house. Mirelly has set up her own small studio on a mezzanine in the same space. There, she serves her clients and runs her own business.
Now in her third year of high school, Mirelly knows that there is still much to learn and that challenges will always arise. But today, she can be proud of her first achievements – all while continuing her education.
“It’s wonderful to be an entrepreneur, especially at my age,” she says.
Thanks to the support of the Grieg Foundation, hundreds of young people participating in vocational courses at Beija-Flor have the same opportunity as Mirelly – to study, enter the job market with proper certifications, and even start their own businesses.
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