Using music to forge his own future

Miguel, who participated in the global YouthCan! initiative, is eager to start his own business working with other artists and musicians to launch their careers.

“For me, music is a way to tell stories that I would not get across just by talking,” he says. “There is a whole social, political meaning behind it, so I really want to create spaces for other artists like me to have a stage, to have a spot, to really shine.”

Miguel took part in a YouthCan! employability training held by thyssenkrupp Elevator. The course lasted seven months and included mentoring, life planning, theory classes and a lift technician course. “It gave me a lot of understanding about how the job market works, but also that it’s not going to have space for everybody and not everybody has to be in the formal market. It really encouraged me to be my own boss, that I can have my own business, that I can be as grand as any big entrepreneur, on my own,” he says.

Miguel Moreira speaking at a recent YouthCan! event in Essen, Germany. Photo: Leonora Barclay.

His passion for supporting other artists has motivated Miguel to be part of a YouthCan! project called ‘House of Opportunities’, which encourages young entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. Currently, 50 young people, including Miguel, are participating in the project.

From his experience with YouthCan!, Miguel says the most important thing he has learned is to be himself. He says, “You don’t need to do what everybody does. You can be original, you can have a space on your own, and you need to be in every space, no matter who you are, everything is yours, so reclaim it.”

Main photo: Miguel Moreira. Photographer: Leonora Barclay.

Learn more:

• YouthCan!
• Youth employability
• Our work in Brazil