Chilean students participated in cultural exchange for an entire week
Photo: Camila Cunha
After an intense week of activities in different areas on the Campus of PUCRS and tours around Porto Alegre, the first Pré-Grad+ Internacional class presented their projects. 24 young students aged 15 – 18 years old, from different schools of the Marist Network of Chile, arrived in Rio Grande do Sul, on Saturday, Nov 30. At the end of the cultural exchange, they presented projects mirroring the United Stations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals to transform our world in the coming years.
The first activity on the students’ schedule was a tour of the Historic District of Porto Alegre, on Sunday. On the Main Campus of PUCRS, they attended a local music performance and tried some typically Brazilian foods. Michele Baglietto Videla, 16, said that the warm welcome made a difference to her adaptation in Brazil: “This is a very welcoming environment. People are very receptive and this is comforting because everyone feels they are participating and building something for the future”, she said.
Chilean students had the chance to take part in a number of activities, from different areas: Humanities, Exact Sciences and Biological Sciences. In addition to the tours around Porto Alegre, they also went to Gramado.
Photo: Camila Cunha
PUCRS planned some surprise activities for the farewell of the Chileans. Each student received a photo of the group as a reminder of their experience into a new culture. Students also received a QR Code card giving access to photos of all activities they participated in during the program. However, they will only have access to those photos when they return home in Chile.
As the crowd was gathering at Living 360° for the closing ceremony, student Camila Jevia, 17, claimed that the program has been a life-changing experience. “I loved the game room and the Humanities activities, it was very good”, she says. The three groups proposed alternatives such as smart cities, sustainable energies, green roof prototypes, conscious consumption, among others, in any of the areas that were chosen: Humanities, Exact Sciences and Biological Sciences.
Pré-Grad+ began ten years ago with eight participants in Porto Alegre. The program has welcomed teenagers from Rio de Janeiro, and this is the first edition with students from outside of Brazil. Chilean students had the chance to learn from PUCRS professors, get in touch with undergraduate students and have a real cultural immersion that includes leisure activities.
Photo: Bruno Todeschini
Dr. Rita Petrarca, Director of Community Affairs of PUCRS, has been working on the project from the very beginning. The way she sees it, it is such a relevant idea. By having the autonomy of digging into a new culture, students will grow both as students and as citizens. “What we really want is for them to go home and think of their program at PUCRS as a life experience, whether or not they can go to school here”, Petrarca adds. She stressed that not only is it important for them to reach their goals in life but also remember the Pre-Grad + experiences.
The UN goals , to be implemented by the year 2030 are: No Poverty; Zero Hunger; Good Health and Well-being; Quality Education;Gender Equality; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Reducing Inequality; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Production; Climate Action; Life Below Water; Life On Land; Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions; and Partnerships for the Goals.
