Volunteers offer blind hugs, provide a “breathing corner” and deliver water and pens to Enem: “They give positive energy”

In the “rant corner,” volunteers provide emotional support to Enem candidates.

This Sunday, the 9th, a psychological support project was held at a school in the West Zone of the capital of São Paulo, offering blind hugs, a “breathing corner”, motivational messages and even distribution of water and black pens to test takers on the first day of the 2025 National High School Examination (ENEM).

One of them, The Help Project, has been around for eight years and is made up of volunteer psychologists and people who have overcome emotional problems. “Today in Enem, we are here to share a message of overcoming, that they have the ability to take the test and we need to believe in them and show them that we are here to support them,” explains project coordinator Felipe Santos, 38. earth.

The group owns a van and has installed a “ventilation corner” in it. “This is so that if they want to discuss it, they can put away all their anxiety, fear and worry, stay calm, take the test, and get a good result,” Felipe says. “People arrive very anxious and encounter students who are on the verge of having an anxiety attack,” he added.

According to the coordinator, the project was also carried out in other schools in São Paulo that implemented Enem this year. In addition to a space to vent, they offered hugs through blindfolded volunteers and held up signs with positive messages centered around the motto, “I don’t judge you, I help you.”

“Other people are holding signs that say, ‘Are you worried about your results? Hug me.’ And that hug means a lot because we give off positive energy there. We say that the person is going to be able to take the test. All this support, all this help, is going to help that person know that they are important and capable,” says Felipe.

Another group in front of the school was Project Universitarios, which aims to motivate students. “Currently, Project Universitarios has around 5,000 volunteers in all states of Brazil, with an average of 1,500 volunteers here in São Paulo. Our aim is to provide words of encouragement, strength and encouragement,” said coordinator Wellison Alves Nunez, 30.

The project also distributed black pens made of water and transparent materials to candidates. “Each year, we prepare snack kits and deliver them to students. We know some people forget their pens, some left the house in a hurry, some forgot their water bottles. We also have motivational quotes written on post-it notes here. There are some actions we take to keep students as calm as possible so they can take a good test,” Wellison said.

There are two tests on Sunday.

Enem 2025 will be applied this Sunday, the 9th. Approximately 4.8 million candidates have registered to take the test, making it the main gateway to higher education in Brazil.

On the first day of Enem, candidates will write an essay on the topic “Perspectives on aging in Brazilian society” as well as answer questions on languages ​​and human sciences. Mathematics and Natural Science questions will be asked next Sunday, November 16th.

In Belém, Ananindeua and Marituba (Pennsylvania), this year’s edition applies on November 30th and December 7th, as the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) will be held in the region during the regular application period for exams.