The 1st year students of the degree programme in Educational Sciences - Social Education took part in the event ‘From my language you can see the world’, an initiative that was part of the 35th anniversary celebrations of the newspaper O Público. The meeting brought together students, teachers and experts to reflect on the role of the Portuguese language in society.

The event, which marked the 35th anniversary of the newspaper, the 500th anniversary of Luís de Camões and the 50th anniversary of the independence of the PALOP countries, brought up for debate the evolution of the Portuguese language and its cultural, educational and social impact.

During the event, participants attended debates and talks with special guests on the importance of language in culture, education, the media and the economy, as a tool for inclusion and social transformation.

The conference had a number of guests, such as the artist Francisco Vidal, who during the break had the opportunity to demonstrate some of his art and how he expresses it, and the musician Sam The Kid with his podcast ‘Assim ou “Assado”. Perhaps a name better known to the younger generation was the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The students, despite their more discreet participation, represented younger society, leaving their mark on the conference and showing that reading a newspaper is not something old-fashioned, but rather an intergenerational practice.

As students, the inclusion of professionals from different fields and the use of everyday language captured our attention and made it possible for everyone to understand the content covered. The presence of the students strengthened the link between higher education and the media, providing a space for learning and exchanging experiences.

The initiative emphasised the importance of education in building more inclusive and diverse discourses, in line with the values of the course and the challenges of contemporary society.

Special thanks to Portuguese language teacher Lucimar Dantas for letting us know about this event, and to Público for hosting us.

Note: news item written collectively by the 1st year students of the degree programme in Educational Sciences - Social Education as part of the textual genre practices of the Portuguese Language Curricular Unit.