Academic mobility and internationalization: UFSJ's experience with the Volunteer Social Tutoring Program

Abstract

Introduction: We analyzed the Voluntary Social Tutoring Program developed at the Federal University of São João del Rei (UFSJ), understanding it as an action that aims to stimulate Internationalization at Home in the institution. Every six months, Brazilian students are selected via public notice by the Office of International Affairs (ASSIN), to escort foreign students in academic mobility. This selection has been taking place since 2017 and has provided cultural exchanges among students, in addition to helping Brazilians and foreigners learn more about the culture and history of our country. Objective: From the above, we seek to understand how the Program is organized and what actions Brazilian and foreign students are involved in. Methodology: We followed some of the cultural activities organized by ASSIN, between 2017 and 2018, we interviewed representatives of the office, we analyzed the documents that conduct the internationalization in the institution and the Program selection notices, as well as we situated the action in a scenario of national effort that aims at cultural exchange between Brazilians and foreigners. Results/Conclusion: Our considerations about this policy highlight the importance of tutoring activities, especially in a context of budget cuts, to promote the mobility of Brazilians, which may constitute a strong foundation for active internationalization practices in the country.