The training of specialists in socio-environmental education and sustainability as public policy in the capital of São Paulo|Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil there is a great difficulty to access continued professional training, especially with a view to postgraduate courses, either due to the high value of financial investment, or due to the lack of themes that come into contact with community realities and institutions truly committed to training and improving quality of life. The city of São Paulo, capital of the State of São Paulo/Brazil, despite being the richest in the country, is affected by inequalities, discontinuity of policies and low appreciation of teaching professionals. Understanding the need to expand the offer of free courses, the Sustainability and Future Visions Chair of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and the Open University of Environment and Culture of Peace (UMAPAZ) of the Municipality’s Secretariat for Green and Environment from São Paulo, came together to offer a public and free Lato Sensu specialization course aimed at 45 educators from the formal and non-formal education networking aiming to obtain a Specialist degree in Socio-environmental Education and Sustainability. The course methodologies equip students to strengthen and disseminate actions in educational territories, contributing to raising awareness among communities about the main socio-environmental issues. The course has already had a finalized version and there is another, with a class in progress. The article proposes to report the experience, with all the nuances perceived and recorded by the Coordination team made up of employees from Unifesp and UMAPAZ.