André Gomes
Professor and Coordinator of the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program in the Department of Social Sciences at PUC-Rio. Ph.D. in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio. M.A. in Social Policy from UFF (2015). Holds a specialization in Public Security and Citizenship from CeSeC–UCAM (2009). B.A. in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio (2003). Has professional and research experience in the fields of Public Security, Race Relations, and Education. Served as a consultant for the MJSP–UNDP from May 2024 to February 2025, evaluating a public policy initiative: the “Tô de Boa” Project, which took place in 2023 and 2024 in two favelas in Rio de Janeiro, the Pedreira Complex and Chapadão Complex.
The Distortion of Belonging
This panel proposes a reflection on the explicit and subtle pressures that lead us to erase ourselves to fit into social expectations, especially in youth, when identity and recognition are still being formed. The panel connects this dynamic to entrepreneurship, questioning how many ideas, vocations, and projects fail to emerge because we try to adapt to success models that do not reflect who we are. In an ecosystem that often values performance, trends, and external validation, discussing belonging is also discussing authenticity as a strategic asset. Entrepreneurship, in this context, becomes an exercise in courage: building something in the world without abandoning one's own identity.