Innovative experience approaches foreigners and the Portuguese language

Eighteen days of a lot of learning about the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. This is the proposal of Univates for students of Elementary School of the Colegio Hacienda Los Alcaparros, of Bogota, Colombia, that are taking a short course in the Institution. During this period, 22 students from the 7th and 8th grades and two teachers are accompanied in classes, workshops, pedagogical visits and sports activities, which seek to improve the knowledge of visitors in the Portuguese language and the deconstruction of stereotypes about the people and traditions of Brazil.

The proposal was made by a school teacher who already knew Univates. The action, which counts on the planning of the Language Program, is guided by the International Relations Office (DRI). Univates International Relations Director Viviane Bischoff says that DRI has been constantly pursuing the development of actions that will allow the greatest number of international experiences to students and teachers.

“Besides the opportunity to those who go abroad, we have worked with the arrival of foreigners who live with our academic community - the so-called internationalization at home”, Director of International Relations at Univates, Viviane Bischoff.

The work carried out with the students of the school, according to Viviane, fits in a new niche of business, that can become routine in the offer to foreign partners. "The Portuguese language has stood out in the world; in addition to the Chinese who increasingly seek to learn the language, Latin America has also shown increasing interest”, she says.

In addition, the Language Program coordinator, Kári Forneck, and course coordinator, Flávia Zanatta, reinforce the importance and role of the language in the knowledge of cultures and experiences with people from other countries. "The proposal of a Portuguese Language course for foreigners converges with one of the presuppositions of Language Program itself, which is to provide learning opportunities to promote interaction through language", they say.

Since Saturday, the 10th, when the participants arrived in Brazil, the groups have already visited the cities of Lajeado, Colinas, Teutônia and Bento Gonçalves. In addition, students will visit Porto Alegre's cultural and tourist attractions, know the Gaucho Traditions Center (CTG) Giuseppe Garibaldi, from Encantado, and participate in workshops of Brazilian rhythms, capoeira, cinema and gymkhana. Jerônimo Cuervo, a 13-year-old student, reveals he has enjoyed all the visits he has made so far, failing to choose a single favorite place.

“I liked everything. This experience will help me to improve Portuguese and to know a little more about Brazil”, student Jerônimo Cuervo.