Strategic communication in contexts of socio-environmental disasters: collaborative methodologies of university extension in Maceió, Brazil

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of collaborative methodological approaches in university extension projects in the area of ​​communication, more specifically for strategic communication in contexts of socio-environmental disasters. To this end, see the actions of the extension project for the Public Relations course at the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil, the Collaborative Communication Laboratory. It starts from an understanding of university extension as the exchange of knowledge —academic and popular— resulting in the democratization of knowledge, the effective participation of the community in the university’s activities and a production resulting from the confrontation with reality. It is argued that collaborative processes, which are distinct from cooperatives, generate learning for everyone involved, paving the way for the appropriation of actions, languages ​​and technologies, in addition to enabling collective problematization of social issues.