444
C. P. Finatto et al.
such as in the political, economical and the public life (UN 2020). Thus, it is understood that through sustainable education, the promotion of female empowerment
becomes the accepted norm.
That said, in practice, the Girls in Science Program at Unisul involves five schools
and offers 23 scholarships. Out of this total, 15 for high school students in public
schools, 5 for teachers of exact sciences in public schools, 2 grants for engineering
students and 1 for a cosmetology student at Unisul. As required activities, University scholarship students receive public school students monthly, stimulating them
through workshops to enter engineering, computer or information systems courses
and to acquire a real sense of the possibilities of a professional future in the technological area. The activities include soap workshops and calorie counting at the
Pedra Branca Unit, in addition to activities with 3D printing, in the Fashion course
at the Dib Mussi Unit. In addition, schools receive a visit from the “CiênciaMóvel”
truck with the scholarship holders offering workshops on augmented reality (in the
IT area) (Ximenes 2019).
The program members report some of their experiences on the official website
of UNISUL, local newspapers and social networking pages of the Girls in Science
Program. One of which is that after a few visits by the truck to schools in municipalities in the mountainous region of Greater Florianópolis, they realized that the reality
of young women and adolescents in the schools selected to participate in the program
was removed from the scientific world. In these schools, most of the students did not
aim for higher education before the program, believing that it was an academic stage
possible only for people with high purchasing power (Ximenes 2019).
Even though the Girls in Science program at Unisul does not provide statistical
data or studies on the impact of the actions carried out, authors such as Sousa (2010)
and Dias (2009) argue that the involvement of the university in communities, in
this case at schools, can stimulate the entry of students in higher education courses,
scientific initiation and the opening of the mind to the science as a whole. Therefore,
by providing more access to education it is possible to mitigate several social issues
like gender disparity.
This paper highlights that a sustainable society needs to empower people,
respecting differences and diversities, including gender, race/ethnicity, social class,
sexual orientation and culture. In this scenario, it is possible that the universities,
as centers of higher education, assume their role as transformers and educators and
implement initiatives that lead to reducing the social inequalities.
Thus, the Girls in Science program case is an example of university extension that
allows community interaction and the role of the university in promoting sustainable development through the education and empowerment of women, seeking to
eliminate gender disparities and promote knowledge and technical skills for young
women, as well as encouraging access to quality higher education.
C. P. Finatto et al.
such as in the political, economical and the public life (UN 2020). Thus, it is understood that through sustainable education, the promotion of female empowerment
becomes the accepted norm.
That said, in practice, the Girls in Science Program at Unisul involves five schools
and offers 23 scholarships. Out of this total, 15 for high school students in public
schools, 5 for teachers of exact sciences in public schools, 2 grants for engineering
students and 1 for a cosmetology student at Unisul. As required activities, University scholarship students receive public school students monthly, stimulating them
through workshops to enter engineering, computer or information systems courses
and to acquire a real sense of the possibilities of a professional future in the technological area. The activities include soap workshops and calorie counting at the
Pedra Branca Unit, in addition to activities with 3D printing, in the Fashion course
at the Dib Mussi Unit. In addition, schools receive a visit from the “CiênciaMóvel”
truck with the scholarship holders offering workshops on augmented reality (in the
IT area) (Ximenes 2019).
The program members report some of their experiences on the official website
of UNISUL, local newspapers and social networking pages of the Girls in Science
Program. One of which is that after a few visits by the truck to schools in municipalities in the mountainous region of Greater Florianópolis, they realized that the reality
of young women and adolescents in the schools selected to participate in the program
was removed from the scientific world. In these schools, most of the students did not
aim for higher education before the program, believing that it was an academic stage
possible only for people with high purchasing power (Ximenes 2019).
Even though the Girls in Science program at Unisul does not provide statistical
data or studies on the impact of the actions carried out, authors such as Sousa (2010)
and Dias (2009) argue that the involvement of the university in communities, in
this case at schools, can stimulate the entry of students in higher education courses,
scientific initiation and the opening of the mind to the science as a whole. Therefore,
by providing more access to education it is possible to mitigate several social issues
like gender disparity.
This paper highlights that a sustainable society needs to empower people,
respecting differences and diversities, including gender, race/ethnicity, social class,
sexual orientation and culture. In this scenario, it is possible that the universities,
as centers of higher education, assume their role as transformers and educators and
implement initiatives that lead to reducing the social inequalities.
Thus, the Girls in Science program case is an example of university extension that
allows community interaction and the role of the university in promoting sustainable development through the education and empowerment of women, seeking to
eliminate gender disparities and promote knowledge and technical skills for young
women, as well as encouraging access to quality higher education.