Estratégias para o fomento do cooperativismo estudantil: uma proposta de plano de ação com base no mapeamento de experiências e na consulta a estudantes da UFFS Campus Chapecó

Abstract

The cooperativism became increasingly important along the last decades. Its principles, as well as its existential purpose, turn the co-ops into unique organizations, focusing on the collective action and mutual help. Founding a co-operative capable of producing financial and sociocultural returns to its members requires a long planning and collective building, that enables the members and overall society to have a sustainable alternative. Therefore, it was sought to define strategies to foster the cooperative behavior among the students of UFFS campus Chapeco for the constitution of a student co-op. So, interviews were conducted with representants of six student co-ops in the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Also, it was conducted a survey with the students, intending to understand their profiles, and their perception and predisposition towards cooperativism. The research is of qualitative and quantitative nature, with descriptive goals and field study methods. There were two stages of data collection, the first through an semi structured interview, through convenience sampling, and the second through the collection of data from the students of UFFS campus Chapeco through a closed survey. As results, the first findings are that the student co-op experiences are important for keeping and promoting the education. The analysis of student data at UFFS shown that the cooperativism knowledge is still superficial, but the perception, consuming propensity and membership predisposition are highly positive. To make viable the consolidation of a student co-op at UFFS campus Chapeco, necessary measures were proposed in an action plan, like disseminating knowledge about cooperativism at the university, defining its business line, its main activities and benefits to the members, and its constitution process.