Before hosting your Oficina Educacional, familiarise yourself with the Litro de Luz mission, values, and social technology. Review the facilitator materials provided, understanding the components—solar panel, LED, PET bottle, battery, and circuit—and prepare clear learning objectives for your specific audience. Coordinate logistics with your school or company: confirm participant numbers, secure an appropriate time slot, and obtain necessary permissions. Set up a comfortable, safe workspace with tools ready for group activity, ensuring adequate lighting and table space for teams of 3–5 people. Plan a brief introduction about energy access in Brazil and globally, using storytelling or short videos to create empathy and context—for example, communities in the Amazon or Northeast that gained light for the first time through solar innovation. This preparation ensures that the session is not just technical but deeply human, helping participants understand that the simple lamp they build represents empowerment and equality for millions living without reliable electricity.

Start with an inspiring conversation about global and local energy challenges, helping participants understand why this work matters. Use examples from Litro de Luz's work—such as communities that gained light for the first time through solar innovation. Present testimonials, photos, or short stories from beneficiaries showing how access to light affects education (children studying after dark), safety (reducing reliance on dangerous kerosene lamps), and economic opportunity (small businesses operating longer hours). Encourage open discussion by asking: How would your life be different without reliable electricity? What would you miss most? Then introduce key sustainability concepts: renewable energy, social innovation, responsible consumption, and circular economy principles—explaining how recycling plastic bottles into functional technology exemplifies creative problem-solving. This step builds emotional connection and prepares participants to see their technical activity as part of a greater social purpose, transforming passive observers into active contributors to global sustainability efforts.

Now it's time for hands-on creation, the most engaging part of the workshop. Divide participants into small teams of 3–5 people and distribute kits containing all necessary components. Under your guidance, teams assemble Litro de Luz's portable solar lamp (lampião), learning how each part—solar panel, LED, battery, and wiring—works together to capture sunlight and convert it into usable light. Guide patiently, emphasising teamwork, safety protocols (especially when handling batteries and wiring), and curiosity-driven learning. Encourage questions: Why does the solar panel need direct sunlight? How does the battery store energy? What makes LEDs more efficient than traditional bulbs? Troubleshooting becomes part of the learning process—if a circuit doesn't work, encourage problem-solving and collaboration rather than immediately providing solutions. When the lamp lights up, there's a collective sense of achievement that reinforces learning. Adapt the language and depth for your audience: simplify concepts for younger groups or explore photovoltaic science and energy efficiency calculations for older students or professionals.
 

After the building phase, guide participants into meaningful reflection that transforms hands-on experience into deeper understanding. Facilitate discussion about what they learned—technically, socially, and personally. Ask provocative questions: What does access to light mean to you? How does it change a community's future? What assumptions did you have about poverty or technology that changed today? Encourage connections between the workshop activity and real-world sustainability actions they can take at home, school, or work—reducing energy consumption, supporting renewable energy initiatives, or advocating for equitable access to resources. Share insights into Litro de Luz's broader projects and invite participants to follow or support new initiatives through volunteering, donations, or spreading awareness. For corporate groups, discuss how their company might integrate sustainability principles into daily operations. This reflection step transforms curiosity into awareness and advocacy, helping participants see themselves as active contributors to a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable world.
 

Close the workshop by celebrating learning and amplifying impact beyond the room. Take group photos with the completed solar lamps and, if possible, record short video testimonials where participants share what surprised them or what they'll do differently. Encourage participants to share their experience on social media using Litro de Luz's official channels and hashtags, helping raise awareness about energy poverty and sustainable solutions. For educators, provide follow-up materials—lesson plans on renewable energy, activities about social entrepreneurship, or resources for deeper exploration of sustainability topics. For corporate groups, suggest ways to integrate this learning into ongoing CSR initiatives, organise volunteering actions with Litro de Luz, or sponsor workshops for schools in underserved communities. Document feedback through brief surveys to improve future sessions, asking what worked well and what could be enhanced. Each workshop contributes not only to individual knowledge but also to sustaining Litro de Luz's broader mission—one bottle, one idea, one spark of change at a time.