The “We Propose!” project in Santa Catarina: different approaches to building a participatory geographic education

Abstract

This text addresses the trajectory and contributions of the "We Propose!" Project within part of the state of Santa Catarina. Southern Region of Brazil, from its initial initiative at the Colégio de Aplicação of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) to its dissemination in other contexts and institutions, with the participation of the project's creator, Prof. Dr. Sérgio Claudino Loureiro Nunes, from the Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território of the Universidade de Lisboa (IGOT-ULisboa), Portugal, in the Postgraduate Program in Geography at UFSC as a visiting professor. The project was incorporated into the Basic Curriculum for Early Childhood and Elementary Education in the Santa Catarina Territory, into the Basic Curriculum for Secondary Education in the Santa Catarina Territory, into the Colégio Universitário of the Centro Universitário para o Desenvolvimento do Alto Vale do Itajaí (UNIDAVI), and into the proposal of a course for international network postgraduate programs on the theme of the "We Propose!" Project. Using a qualitative approach, this writing is based on institutional records, experience reports, and interviews, seeking to understand how the proposal initiated at IGOT-ULisboa was appropriate and given new meaning in the state of Santa Catarina. The project has a nature that articulates education, research, and outreach, as advocated by Brazilian Higher Education institutions, constituting a practice of participatory and civic geographical education, promoting student protagonism and a critical reading of lived space. These results have demonstrated an interdisciplinary relevance, highlighting the relationship and connection between university, school, and community, valuing the territory as a field of learning and social transformation.