Brazil

The community colleges and universities in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina in the south of Brazil emerged between 1940 and 1960 as community-based initiatives with the intention of engaging the local population seeking access to higher education. The distinctiveness of community universities (often referred to as Community Higher Education Institutions, CHEIs) is reflected in their hybrid state: combining the characteristics of both state and private organizations, they cannot be defined as either. Their non-profit and non-religious status, as well as their hybrid governing mode and their aims of social, economic and cultural development, ensure inclusion and result in management structures that enable local community representation and a democratic decision-making process. (Fioreze and McCowan, 2018).

The Programa de Formação em Serviço (Portuguese for In-Service Training Programme) of Contagem, Brazil, is a network that promotes work-based training and improvement of students’ learning. The initiative was based on the idea that education is linked necessarily with the development of the country and active citizenship. Training the citizens in the construction of knowledge, skills, and competences allows them to plan sustainable personal and professional life. The Community Speaker Project, as a part of the In-Service Training Programme, aims at long-lasting collaboration with local families to support the underprivileged members of the community while promoting the values of lifelong learning.