In a decisive year for those who want to enter or advance in Brazilian politics, RenovaBR is preparing to welcome new students to Leaders Training 2025, a program that is consolidating itself as a starting point for future leaders committed to practicing good politics and preserving democratic values.
At the forefront of the initiative is Marjorie Lynn, master in political science and Director of Education at RenovaBR, which explains why training is the “heart of the program” and what makes this edition different, making it a milestone in preparing leaders for the next elections.
In an interview, Marjorie highlights the importance of training, the behind-the-scenes nature of content construction and the inspiration that comes from contact with students who want to transform Brazil — each one based on their own reality.
How long have you been part of the team and how would you define your role at RenovaBR? I joined right after the 2022 elections, two and a half years ago, and I think my role at RenovaBR is to understand and organize the concreteness of the main products and deliverables that we have as a civil society organization.
Together with the Education team, I think about training and what leaders need to develop in their political careers. And now, also with the Community team, I have a role in intersecting the educational aspect with the relationship network, which is extremely important for politicians – I would say that it is one of the things that students expect most from their training.
During the launch event of Seleção RenovaBR, you mentioned that the Leaders 2025 Training is the “heart of the program”. How important is the course for those who want to participate effectively in politics? Training is the heart of the program because RenovaBR is a school of democracy, right? It is the first big step. It is because of training that students enter and it is from there that we sow a feeling of network – a feeling that our students are not alone and that there are many people in Brazil who think in a similar way when it comes to making good politics, even if they think differently ideologically.
The course is a place where people will learn where to start and meet those who can help them in the process of beginning their political career. However, it is not just for those who are just starting out. It is important to say that a good politician is one who is never satisfied and must have ongoing training, always seeking to learn and listen more in order to adapt to Brazil's challenges.
How does the Education team work in the program formation process? In general, we think about every detail and the step-by-step process that students will follow. We conduct a cycle – we evaluate the last training course and, based on that, we point out which topics the students liked the most, evaluating feedback and reading the profile of the students in the next training course. Then, based on this, we put together a schedule to visualize all the activities that will take place. We don't just think about the classes, but also the topics, teachers and also the practical part. In other words, how we will encourage interaction between students and teachers both online and in person. We also think about what is most interesting and strategic for students to practice for the campaign, in this case for 2026.
What is the biggest difference in the Leaders 2025 Training program? The biggest difference in the training, compared to previous versions, is the personalization. In this cycle, we understand that students with different trajectories need different training and levels of assistance. Each student is on a different path in their political career and there are different ways of dealing with these audiences. So, I think that is the main difference this year.
Those who are at the beginning of their careers will receive closer support from the mentor. Leaders who are already in public office or who aspire to higher positions will receive a different level of assistance from the mentors. And we also have the group of those who are already in political positions with high national visibility – people who need less theoretical content and more specific help with their specific difficulties in political practice, aiming both at reelection and at promotion to new positions.
What inspires you most about interacting with RenovaBR students? What inspires me the most is that every time I meet a student, hug them and talk to them, it's like realizing that it's possible to have hope, you know? Sometimes we get so caught up in planning, but when it's time to open the classroom and start a new class, things take a different shape.
We realized that there are many people who are already promoting incredible things throughout Brazil and that these people believe that there is a way to do good politics. In other words, there is a way to defend issues without giving up values, such as integrity, ethics, diversity, and at RenovaBR people find this path.
When we have this contact with students, I feel hopeful that we will have competent leaders, who are based on data and evidence, have critical thinking and who know how to position themselves so that, one day, they can make decisions that will affect thousands of citizens across the country.
In this sense, can you tell us about an unexpected lesson you learned since joining RenovaBR? It happened in 2024, at the end of a class period for the municipal elections. We were in the context of the end of the course and some students had late submissions. So, Jun Tanikawa – also from the Education team – and I opened an online room, every night, to talk to students who were having difficulties. This moment was important to realize that we were dealing with people from very different realities.
One of the students opened the microphone and introduced himself. He was a quilombola from a quilombo in the interior of the state of Bahia who began to be persecuted when he declared his candidacy for city councilor. He was a student who was taking risks to enter politics and defend the interests of the quilombo where he lived.
I tell this story to show that sometimes we are not aware of the experiences of students and that people who want to enter politics are dealing with issues that go beyond their education. Our goal is not to be a burden, but to provide support and a place where they can find open arms to talk about their difficulties. RenovaBR is a place where they will find people who can advise them politically and in the rest of their lives. This case and others have shown that we are dealing with people's dreams and these dreams come from different realities. So we need to always be aware of the students' social and economic context as well.
Finally, what excites you most about this new edition of the program? Ah, in this new edition I'm really excited that we're coming up with some new features, like personalization, and I'm also excited about the three in-person meetings we'll have.
In face-to-face meetings, we will be able to promote greater interaction between students, because we know that online has limitations. So, I am very happy that we will be able to have this consistency of meetings in the second semester.
I am also excited about the week-long training program that will be very focused on the elections. The goal is to give students that final boost so they can have a pre-campaign and campaign aligned with their purpose and with a well-designed strategy, aligning mind and heart. I think that in this 2026 cycle we have been able to plan to address both topics. In addition to designing a strategy map to understand how to raise funds and make the candidacy viable. So, it is a bit of the rational and emotional tied together in this edition.
