TOURISM, BASIC EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITY EXTENSION: A REPORT OF EXPERIENCE

Extension actions and projects can help maintain the relationship between the university and society, in order to meet the needs of the external community, maintaining connections with social demands, public policies and diverse social movements in order to reduce inequalities and promote social inclusion. The project UFS de Braços Abertos, which is linked to the course in Tourism, is one such project. It offers guided tours for visiting elementary and high school students to the university campus, in order to present the university, its courses, the services offered, and the research and extension projects developed, creating a closer relationship between higher education and basic education. Based on this premise, this work analyzes the relationship between tourism, university extension and basic education, through the guided tours conducted as part of the UFS de Braços Abertos project, focusing on specifically on the participation of the Executive Secretarial course. In terms of approach to the problem, this study used qualitative research. The methodological procedures adopted were bibliographic research, and interviews with the head of the Executive Secretarial department and students of the course. We also sought to identify the perceptions of lecturers of the Executive Secretarial course in relation to the importance of the project, and the visits by school students to the University. The project helps to demystify the widely held perception, among students in basic education, that attending a federal university is a distant reality. The school students often arrive with this view, but after the visit, they are able to understand more how this universe works, and can dream of applying for place at university when they leave school. The report of experience presented clearly shows the important role of the UFS de Braços Abertos project, not only for the school students who may enter the university in the future, but also for students of the Tourism and Executive Secretarial courses, as it gives them an opportunity to promote and publicize the courses, stimulating the curiosity of the visiting students and showing them more about the respective professions, which can help them make future career choices.