TEACHING AND LEARNING HEALTH AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A report on the university extension project

Abstract

"Univali Mulher" (Univali Woman) is a program for promoting health and social responsibility, aimed at approximately 60 girls of two schools located at the district of Promorar II in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. The objectives of the program are to prevent violence against women, through teaching and learning dialogical process; to articulate the exchange of knowledge among teachers and students of graduate and postgraduate courses in the area children's and adolescents' health in the community in question; to promote the growth and healthy development of children and adolescents enrolled in the program; provide the children, adolescents, students and teachers with situations which strengthen their potential for a healthy lifestyle and social interaction, focusing on their own well-being and that of the community as a whole; and to develop a critical and environmental awareness, with actions geared towards developing social responsibility. It takes an interdisciplinary, integrating approach: graduates of courses like law, pedagogy, public relations, psychology, hearing and speech therapy, nursing, medicine, physiotherapy and journalism; postgraduates from the Master's degree in health, and teachers from different centers. As a result, it is hoped that the girls who take part in the program will be better equipped to fight for their rights and take on responsibilities, and that the knowledge acquired through the group exchange will provide a springboard for transforming their family relationships.