DIST-Shopping Park’s legal advice

university extension in promoting the access to fundamental rights

Abstract

The Integrated and Sustainable Development of Territory in the Shopping Park district (DIST-SHOPPING PARK) is an extension program that operates in the community since 2016, with the support of the Federal University of Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the financing of Caixa Econômica Federal’s socio-environmental fund. It was structured in four thematic axes: Territorial Governance, Socio-cultural Promotion, Economic Dynamization and Environmental Management, which aim at the development of the territory and the community that compose it, promoting its empowerment. For that, DIST has been offering cultural and educational practices, environmental education and professional training, such as dance workshops, visual arts, embroidery on stones, couture, hairdressing, makeup and manicure landscape revitalizations, entrepreneurship courses and others. The project aims, mainly, the emancipation of the residents so that they can continue, on their own, the activities offered today. In addition, the population counts with Legal Advice, in order to assist them in the development of their projects and in the creation of a Residents Association. This work seeks to demonstrate the importance of university extension for the growth and promotion of the autonomy of communities lacking public policies that guide their improvement, focusing on the legal assistance.