Two noteworthy projects will be presented during the webinar:
- Pró-Imigrantes [Pro-Immigrants], created in 2015 at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Federal University of Minas Gerais-UFMG), contributes to the access of refugees and migrants to Higher Education institutions in Brazil and to access Portuguese language classes.
- Nossa Casa [Our Home] was created in 2017 by a group of bachelor students from the Universidade Federal do ABC (Federal University of ABC-UFABC) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil to teach Portuguese to refugees and migrants in vulnerable situations, meeting an existing demand around the university. The course is designed to facilitate the student's integration into the country, including the teaching of everyday activities such as banking, work and health. The project is coordinated by Camila Nascimento and Giovanna Miron under the supervision of Prof. José Blanes Sala.
These initiatives exemplify the importance Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU) 2020 places on universities' responsibility to engage with their communities and the recognition of students as key agents of change. These student-led action projects illustrate how universities can effectively collaborate with local communities and civil society to fulfil their societal obligations.