Giancarlo Moreira Gama (MPP 2023) joined the Blavatnik School after being elected as one of the youngest elected City Councillors in Brazil at just 20 years old. After a year at the Blavatnik School, he has just launched his Mayoral candidacy bid, hoping to make even more of a mark in public service.
Giancarlo joins the Blavatnik School as a Fundação Estudar and Lemann Scholar, which invests in the development of high-potential young people who will transform Brazil through work in various sectors. Indeed, Giancarlo has already started to make some transformations in his home country. Growing up in an area that was deeply affected by inequalities, he decided at the age of 12 that he wanted to become a politician to help change the reality for those around him.
“I grew up in a low-income community, in the countryside near Sao Paulo. There was a lack of drinking water, energy, and many other resources. It was a very politically aware community which connected a lack of rights to a lack of political responsibility. I thought, if politicians are the people that can change things, I want to be one of them.”
He was in the second year of his social sciences course at the University of São Paulo when he decided to formally run for office. It was becoming clearer and clearer to him that politicians were making the most important decisions that affected the lives of his community and he saw an opportunity to engage more young people through social media. What followed was an innovative, whirlwind campaign that thrust him into the role of one of the youngest city councillors in Brazil at just 20 years old.
As city councillor, Giancarlo represented over 50,000 citizens, which he describes as “one of the best experiences” of his life, adding that it also came with “great responsibility”. In this role he saw both the importance of making change, but also keeping the public interest at the forefront of policy decisions.
He also wrestled with challenges, including powerful populist narratives, “seeing everyday how hard it was to fight against traditional politics” and becoming “more aware of my identity and its intersections as a black, gay man.” He wanted to prepare himself better to govern fairly for everyone, which is what drove him to apply for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course at the Blavatnik School.
He didn’t want to take too much time out of politics so the one-year course at the School suited him perfectly.
“The Master of Public Policy course in Oxford was the only MPP course I could find that looked at the intersection of politics and policy. If you want to be a political leader, you need to study how to be a leader first before you can apply this to the biggest policy challenges.”
At the School Giancarlo found himself learning about leadership from all angles, including through meetings with government ministers from all over the world. He found the Foundations of Public Policy course with Professor Jo Wolff particularly illuminating, sparking questions about the impacts of a utilitarian approach to public policy and how to govern fairly for minorities.
Another fantastic lecturer was Dr Ẹniọlá Ànúolúwapọ́ Ṣóyẹmí who was able to ground theory skilfully in political realities. Giancarlo also gained a lot from conversations with his peer group.
“My first impressions of the School were very impressive. Meeting all my peers at high levels of public service encouraged me not to underestimate my potential and my place in the world.”
He is now looking forward to embarking on a summer project back in Brazil, examining the potential to remove cost barriers around public transport which builds on his interest in innovation in the public sector and urban policies. It also fits neatly with his political ambitions, given that this will become a key policy in his manifesto as Mayor.
Reflecting on the course, he notes “it’s the best I have done in my entire life”. It’s given him the “strength to talk about what I think” and re-affirmed his passion for public good and positive transformation in Brazil.