Participação no evento “Research with International Students Conference”, da University of Manchester
O trabalho SINTEGRA as an initiative to integrate international students from the Global South at a Brazilian public university, de autoria de Fernanda Leal, Elisa Schemes, Elka Lima e Lígia Feitosa, será apresentado no evento Research with International Students Conference, da University of Manchester, Reino Unido, em dezembro de 2023.
O Projeto de Extensão SINTEGRA – Trajetórias estudantis internacionais: Acolhimento e integração, desenvolvido a partir de uma parceria entre a Secretaria de Relações Internacionais (SINTER) e o Departamento de Psicologia da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), visa a promover espaços de acolhimento e fortalecer a integração universitária dos estudantes internacionais na UFSC.
Abstract do trabalho aprovado:
SINTEGRA as an initiative to integrate international students from the Global South at a Brazilian public university
Given the increased immersion of internationalization of higher education in a competitive, economy-oriented paradigm, this work highlights the importance of intentionality to link this process with the broader purpose of global social justice (de Wit, Leal & Unangst, 2020). Focusing on the Programa Estudante-Convênio de Graduação (PEC-G), an initiative aimed at the education of international undergraduate students from the Global South in Brazilian universities, we present the project “Academic integration service for the international university community: SINTEGRA”, conducted by the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). PEC-G is one of the oldest international programs in Brazil and at UFSC. In 2023, there are 75 PEC-G students from 22 different partner countries enrolled in undergraduate programs at this Institution. The literature has pointed to a number of challenges they face in Brazil, such as housing and food; cost of living; social integration; racism; and lack of previous knowledge about the higher education system (Leal, 2019). Created in 2021, SINTEGRA has developed group activities for PEC-G students with a focus on building bonds and supporting their arrival; bringing veteran students closer together to support the academic life of incoming students; training the technical team that support international students at UFSC in regard to the educational dimension of welcoming in higher education; producing informative materials for the PEC-G student community and maintaining a social network to provide guidance on academic, institutional and cultural life at UFSC and its surroundings. By 2023, the project has reached around 45 PEC-G students and has been expanding in terms of proposal and offered services. By sharing the Project experience, we provide insights on ways to overcome challenges faced by international students from the Global South at the institutional level, highlighting the relevance of partnerships and, above all, the importance of these students` voices.