RURAL EXTENSION AND SUSTAINABILITY: REPORTS FROM A UNIVERSITY EXTENSION PROJECT IN EASTERN AMAZONIA

Abstract

This article is a report on the experiences of an outreach project that involved meetings between veterinary medicine and pedagogy faculty and students from UFPA and families from the Nova Esperança PA. The objective of this work is to report on the exchange of experiences during the meetings and activities of this outreach project. The methodology employed throughout this experience was based on popular education. Meetings were held at the Nova Esperança PA, in the municipality of Castanhal, Pará. The topics covered included lectures on pet care, a biojewelry workshop, and a literacy course for young people and adults. It is believed that extramural activities, promoted through outreach projects, allow students to complement their training as health professionals while fostering health, environmental, and educational initiatives, facilitating access to information for rural populations, often characterized by low levels of knowledge due to limited access. It was possible to experience the collective construction of other perspectives on care, environmental education, and literacy for youth and adults, enabling the exchange of knowledge with rural populations and social movements, expanding autonomy and social participation based on popular knowledge and customs. It is evident that the exchange of experiences during the two-year project enabled the academics and settler participants to enrich themselves through their mutual learning.