This essay discusses the importance of global citizenship and cultural understanding, particularly through multilingualism, within personal, academic, and national contexts. It highlights experiences from outreach projects at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, emphasizing the role of communication in fostering social cohesion and awareness of cultural diversity. The author advocates for multilingualism as a means to break down barriers, build relationships, and enhance opportunities in a globalized world.

1. Sthéfany Cechinel1
Communicate for change
The purpose of this essay is to discuss global citizenship and cultural understanding and the
role that multilingual ability can play in fostering these, reflecting personal, academic, cultural and
national contexts. I cannot talk about personal and academic contexts if I do not define what
citizenship is and how I am exercising my role as a citizen in my country.
Extracted from the Dictionary ( http://www.dictionary.com/browse/citizenship?s=t )
citizenship means: "Citizenship." Noun. 1.The state of being vested with the rights, privileges and
duties of a citizen. 2.The character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in
terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen.
During my course at Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC) I had the opportunity to
know a very nice outreach project called Rondon. According to IFSC, "this project is of a social
nature and involves the voluntary participation of students to promote integration in search of
solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of communities and the expansion of the
population's welfare." (Read more: http://www.ifsc.edu.br/menu-extensao-proj-rondon). I attended
two university operations (editions) and I must say they were awesome experiences. The main
factor is communication. Anywhere we arrive we have to communicate with other people (in this
case could be our team or the secretary of the municipality to ask about the demands of people we
are meeting). During this procedure, we go through a training. We discover a bit more about
ourselves, learn about the others, what my relation with society is and also how to be an agent of
change. We are invited to abandon individualism to join the community and experience the
situations that occur there. We conduct workshops with the themes: drugs, bullying, sexuality,
healthy eating, environmental conservation, composting, recycling, people meeting people, project
design, posture for a first job interview. We also conduct recreational activities for children and
seniors as well as storytelling, theater, music, graffiti, cinema, revitalization of parks, joint effort for
beach cleaning. In addition we talk about the importance of continuing studies and joining a
university. For us, besides providing this awareness to the people of that community, we also came
back with more luggage, knowledge and friends, we heard new stories.
The realities of each environment are different, but can also have similar or even the same
1
Brazilian citizen, 19 years. Graduated in Computer Networks for Higher Education Institute (HEI: IES in
portuguese). I studied Product Design at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC) for three semesters.
Currently studying the second half of the Executive Secretariat course at the Federal University of Santa Catarina
(UFSC)

2. problems; and speaking/understanding other languages help the exchange of information. "Our
national histories as well as our cultural heritage may differ, but our aspirations and hopes for the
future are in perfect harmony" (see more in Muitas línguas, uma só família; p.10), everybody wants
a better world. Communicating with each other makes us aware of what we have in common and at
the same time increases our mutual respect for cultural differences. "It is necessary to understand
cultural diversity as the common heritage of mankind." (see more in A implementação do
multilinguismo em organizações internacionais; p.23 ) Another "project" worked the dimensions of
how I see myself, how the other sees me, how society sees me, and have empathy for others, is the
youth ministry - a religious organization with a program that consists of four steps: call, nucleation,
initiation and militancy. At the moment, my group and I are in the last step of the third stage, which
is the discovery of the social problem and the organization of the pastoral /project life. These types
of projects, added to familiarity at home, the places I attend - church, university, work,
extracurricular classes (language course, dance) - contribute to the way we interact with people, and
cause us to become more active and better citizens.
Earlier, I spoke briefly about the importance of the communication factor in the situation
shown here. But communication, whether verbal or non-verbal, is important to society in many
ways. Some of the advantages are: to help individuals to express themselves, understanding and
cooperating with each other, sharing their sorrows, joys and skills; to facilitate social cohesion; to
promote partnerships; to create harmonious relations, making it possible, through dialogue, abolish
barriers and build bridges; to reflect some values so as to learn to live better together, in a more
ethical, respectful and dignified manner; to reduce the risk of communities closing themselves,
building a society less vulnerable to conflicts. Communication allows us to visit new environments,
to see new views, establish new contacts, and to change something we do not agree with.
"A language is a tool to convey a thought and a specific look at the world, but the use of a
single language is an obstacle to experience the diversity of cultures and points of view, as well as
it restricts citizens access to information concerning you."(see more in A implementação do
multilinguismo em organizações internacionais; p.11-12) Therefore, respect for multilingualism is a
defense against the single thought. Speaking and/or understanding several languages makes us leave
the comfort zone and to adapt better to the globalization process, breaking barriers, turning
challenges into opportunities. It is possible to capture much more information, perspectives,
possibilities, understanding of what is happening outside their environment.
The multilingualism policy is made for the benefit of the citizen who has the right to speak
and understand their own language, as well as the companies which currently believe that
knowledge generates value. Consumers, whether monolingual or multilingual, prefer to

3. communicate in their language and without this knowledge from the part of the employee,
companies often end up losing potential customers.
To conclude, speaking another language in my own country is important, but the expansion
of a perspective will come with practice, this is one reason for the mobility programs to exist, since
it is easier to immerse in culture whose second, third or other languages you have learned is the
mother tongue, also facilitating access to culture. Although I have not had the experience of living
abroad, I dream in traveling the world. I believe that this dream is already an incentive to learn other
languages.
References:
COMISSÃO EUROPEIA. Como aprender línguas. Luxemburgo: Serviço das Publicações da
União Europeia , 2010. 31p. Available on <
http://europedirect.adral.pt/attachments/article/145/Como%20aprender%20l%C3%ADnguas.pdf >.
Accessed 1st February 2016.
COMISSÃO EUROPEIA. Muitas línguas, uma só família: as línguas na União Europeia.
Luxemburgo: Serviço das Publicações da União Europeia , 2004. 22p. Available on: <
http://ftp.infoeuropa.eurocid.pt/files/database/000020001-000021000/000020823.pdf >. Accessed
1st February 2016.
COMISSÃO EUROPEIA . Multilinguismo: uma ponte para a compreensão mútua. Luxemburgo:
Serviço das Publicações da União Europeia, 2009. 22p. Available on: <
http://www.cied.uminho.pt/uploads/MULTILINGUISMO.pdf >. Accessed 1st February 2016.
ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE. A implementação do
multilinguismo nas organizações internacionais: colocar em prática a diversidade linguística.
Paris, 2013. 31p. Available on: < http://www.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/portugais.pdf >. Accessed
1st February 2016.