The importance of university outreach in disseminating affirmative action policies

the experience of ‘Se liga nas Cotas!’

Abstract

This text reports on the experience of the extension project ‘Se liga nas Cotas!’, developed at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) between the years of 2022 and 2024. The aim of the project was to expand knowledge about affirmative action policies, particularly quotas, and related topics, such as racial equity and affirmative actions, among teachers, administrators, and students in basic education. The initiative was structured around two main fronts: a continued education course, which trained educators to critically address quotas and their social implications, and visits to public schools, where direct dialogues with students were held, debunking meritocratic narratives and reinforcing the importance of quotas as a hard-won right. The text details the organization of the project, its geographical scope and the positive impacts generated both in teacher training and in raising awareness among young people about access to higher education. Ultimately, this study seeks to demonstrate the relevance of university outreach as a tool for strengthening public policies that promote rights and, in the specific case of ‘Se liga nas Cotas!’, expand the horizons of possibilities for hundreds of young people in public schools.