Brazil Family Portal

Welcome to the Family Portal for Global Citizen Year’s Brazil program.

On this page you’ll find all the country-specific information you need to follow along your Fellow’s gap year and support them from afar. For information regarding the global cohort, visit our main Family Portal.

VISIT GLOBAL FAMILY PORTAL

COMMUNICATION

Non-Emergency Communications

For questions, concerns, and non-emergency issues, please contact our Fellow Success Coordinator located at our US Office.

Email: FellowSupport@globalcitizenyear.org

Phone: +1 (415) 963-9293 ext. 204

The email and phone line are monitored Monday-Friday, 9-5pm Pacific Time. For non-emergency issues, please allow 24-48 hours during this timeframe for a response.

We kindly ask that you refrain from contacting Brazil staff directly. The Fellow Success Manager will coordinate with US and Brazil staff as needed.

Emergency Communications

In case of an emergency, please call our 24 hour Emergency Hotline.

US Emergency Hotline: +1 (415) 763-5808

This hotline is monitored 24 hours, 7 days a week by staff in Global Citizen Year’s office in Oakland, California. Please use this hotline for true emergencies only, and for all other issues contact the Fellow Success Manager as described above.

We kindly ask that you refrain from contacting Brazil staff directly. The Fellow Success Manager will coordinate with US and Brazil staff as needed.

Contact your Fellow

Phone calls
Fellows must have a working mobile phone with them at all times during the program cycle. Fellows must arrive at Global Launch in California with a mobile phone ready for use in country**, with these specifications:

  • The phone should be a smartphone
  • Phone must be unlocked (able to be used on any mobile network)
  • Phone must have at least one SIM card slot

**Refer to this information on how to prepare a phone for use in country, and the Policy Handbook for more information on the cell phone policy. Fellows who are paying $2,000 or less in tuition and who are unable to secure an unlocked mobile phone for use in country may request a loaner phone from Global Citizen Year.
Global Citizen Year will supply each Fellow with a local SIM card and monthly credit stipend to be used for communicating with staff, host family, and apprenticeship supervisors. Fellows are responsible for purchasing/securing additional cell phone/data credit for personal communication with other Fellows, friends, or family members. Fellows will receive their local telephone number once in country, and will be able to share it with family and friends at that point.

The country code for Brazil is 55. When calling from the US to the Fellow on their local number, dial 011 + 55 + the fellow’s number. Parents in other countries should dial the international access number (usually 00) + 55 + the Fellow’s number. From within Brazil, outgoing calls to local numbers cost around $0.25 per minute. Brazilian cell phone companies do not charge the user to receive calls, international or otherwise.

Other communication strategies
International phone calls can be very expensive. Here are some options to make communication between Fellow and families/friends easier and more affordable:

  • Sign up for a long-distance plan or purchase a phone card that can provide a special rate for international calls.
  • Services such as Skype, Nimbuzz and Truphone also allow users to load pre-paid credit and place international calls to phones for rates that are generally lower than traditional phone service.
  • Whatsapp can be used for free phone calls and texting. Wechat can also be used for free texting.
  • Fellows and their families may wish to arrange communication via options such as Skype and Oovoo, which can be used in a computer-to- computer or computer-to-phone configuration.

Mailing Address

Regular mail generally takes 2 to 6 weeks to arrive in Brazil from the US. All mail should be marked “Air Mail.” The address in Brazil where items can be mailed throughout the program is:

Fellow’s Name
Rua João Antonio da Silveira 442 – Apt. 05
Florianópolis, SC 88062-150
Brazil

It is generally not advisable to mail packages as they generally take a long time to arrive, can be expensive to retrieve, and may very well get lost or “disappear” in the process.

If you do decide to send a package, the US Postal Service is generally the most reliable mail service. Please note that it is the sole responsibility of the Fellow to pick up and pay for the packages. Depending on the contents of the package (listed on the customs slip) the package may have to go through customs, where it is opened and inspected, and can sometimes cost up to $100 or more to receive. To keep the retrieving cost low, we recommend not shipping anything expensive or personally valuable.

An alternative that some families have preferred in the past is to wrap small gifts for the Fellow to pack and unwrap on special occasions throughout the year. Occasionally, parents visiting the field have also been willing to transport small items for other parents.

CALENDAR

Check the table below for the dates during the Brazil portion of the program. Further below you’ll find information about when your family can visit your Fellow abroad.

Brazil Program Calendar

Country Launch

Sep 1 — Sep 6 — Welcome Week

Sep 7 — Sep 15 — Initial Immersion 1: Homestay

Sep 16 — Sep 17 — Reconnect with cohort & staff

Sep 18 — Oct 8 — Initial Immersion 2: Apprenticeship

Oct 9 — Oct 11 — Closing Seminar

 

Learning Block 1

Oct 12 — Nov 17 — In host community

TBD — Regional Reconnect 1

Nov 18 – Nov 22 — Learning Seminar 1

 

Learning Block 2

Nov 23 – Jan 28 — In host community

Nov 28 — Thanksgiving Reconnect

TBD — Regional Reconnect

Jan 29 – Jan 31 — Learning Seminar 2

 

Learning Block 3

Feb 1 — Mar 30 — In host community

TBD — Regional Reconnect 3

Apr 1 – Apr 4 — Learning Seminar 3

 

FAMILY VISITS IN COUNTRY

Global Citizen Year welcomes families to visit their Fellow during the program if/when possible. Although visiting is by no means required and we understand that many families will not be able to undertake such trips, for those who are able, the experience can be rewarding for both the Fellow and the family, as well as for the Fellow’s host partners in-country.

In order to facilitate a meaningful and timely interaction that accounts for the Fellows’ learning and integration process, Global Citizen Year allows family visits during the times specified below.

Family Visit Dates: Dec 15 — Feb 29

(Excluding dates when Fellows will be at Learning Seminars or Regional Reconnects – see above for dates)