This week, the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology begins another stage of its continuing education program, this time focused on developing healthy relationships at work. Students and the entire academic community are invited to attend face-to-face meetings with professionals who will provide information and a safe environment for sharing experiences.

The first lecture will be given by psychologist Ana Flávia Remiggi Garcia on Wednesday, September 25. Ana Flávia will address the theme of self-responsibility. “We’re going to explore the idea of man as the author of his own being: by placing ourselves as the protagonists of our story, we can exercise our conscience with freedom, responsibility and consequences. In this way, we can soften the projections and frustrations we place on others, using language, our greatest resource as people, as an instrument of communication, in an assertive and responsible way to facilitate our relationship with the world.”

The following week (October 2), Professor Débora Madeira, from the UFV Law Department, will address non-violent communication, with a focus on building a more fruitful working environment. “Communication is the key to social relationships in a broad sense and when we communicate to satisfy the other person’s interests, the other person’s expectations, without paying attention to our own needs, communication can develop in the form of attack and defense, which can block compassion and, in the case of academic relationships, the learning, productivity and health of the people involved. The proposal is therefore to present general aspects of this tool and to talk to teaching staff and students about it.”

The third lecture (09/10) will be given by psychologist Fernanda Della Paula, who is speaking to the PPG for the first time. Fernanda will address the issue of diversity in the academic environment. “Dealing with what is different for the individual is very uncomfortable. And the more space there is for people who don’t identify with this cis-hetero-normative logic in our society, the greater this discomfort tends to be. That’s why this is such a relevant topic, so that, at the very least, the uncomfortable person can understand that they have to respect those who are different from them,” says Fernanda.

“All these topics were brought to us by the student representatives. It was a demand that arose last semester, and so we started working on finding suitable professionals to address these issues at the beginning of the semester,” says PPGMBA coordinator Wendel Silveira. Each semester, the program has sought to improve its continuing education program, focusing on building skills that go beyond academic knowledge. “Topics such as non-violent communication and self-responsibility are skills that we need to have in our daily lives, in our interaction with colleagues in the program. It’s in everyone’s interest that we have the opportunity to improve these interpersonal relationships.”

The lectures will always take place on Wednesdays at 4pm in the Bioagro Auditorium.