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Livro Comemorativo dos 70 anos da Fundação de Rotarianos de São Paulo - Uma história de ideias e ideais

135 Events: Debate and dissemination of ideas Since their early days, the Rio Branco institutions have dedicated special attention to promoting and supporting events that would create opportunities for their students and professionals to be around new knowledge and ideas. Having very appropriate facilities for lectures, seminars and congresses, Colégio Rio Branco’s space has often been used for events like those over the years, based on the understanding that allowing this to happen would provide an important contribution to society, while at the same time broadening the horizons of its teachers and students. As early as the 1940s, the noble hall, the amphitheater and other Colégio spaces would be made available for courses provided by experts in the most varied of subjects, from endocrinology to oratory. Those activities intensified after the opening of the new Avenida Higienópolis’ headquarters, whose facilities were even better for hosting several kinds of events, especially those focused on education and culture. Among the recent examples of events of great relevance it has hosted, special emphasis is due to many International Seminars on Finland’s Education System held by the Colégio, in partnership with that country’s Embassy, featuring lectures delivered by Finnish officials of the Ministry of Education and important educational organizations. Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco took the same approach of encouraging people to “look outside”, having attracted and held seminars, lectures and even simulated global diplomacy events in its facilities – the so-called ONU Model. Holding those events, which have been international affairs as a rule, reflects and bolsters the prestige of the Faculdades and the Fundação itself, while making a great contribution both from a didactic viewpoint and by giving students access to the state of the art in reflections and technical scientific studies undertaken around the world. A reference in education for the deaf, the Fundação stands out in this regard, too, by fostering the dissemination of knowledge and discussions among experts. Held on the Fundação’s own initiative, the International Congresses on Education for the Deaf – Bilingualism: Practices and Prospects, in 2008 and 2011, have been milestones in this field, bringing together leading scholars in the subject area from Brazil and abroad. The work done on this front also involves the annual commemorative meeting in observance of the Deaf Day, created by Centro de Educação para Surdos Rio Branco. Bringing together representatives of the deaf community and their associations, as well as students from several schools, the event aims to value the opinions of that public and stimulate an exchange of artistic and cultural expressions. With the passing of the years, Granja Vianna had ceased to be a rural area. Starting in the 1970s, in particular, it gained traction as a choice of place to live for people looking to lead a more peaceful life than the one they had in the big city, with houses on larger plots of land, more vegetation and fresh air. It was in that period that residential condominiums designed for the upper middle class increased in number, which also led numerous businesses to be set up there in order to serve that public. At the same time, Cotia and its neighboring municipalities – 1976-1985 Opportunities presented in Granja Vianna


Livro Comemorativo dos 70 anos da Fundação de Rotarianos de São Paulo - Uma história de ideias e ideais
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