Da Congregação dos Missionários dos Operários “Os Padres do Trabalho” à implantação do IFMG campus Conselheiro Lafaiete: histórias e memórias

This research aimed to reflect on the trajectory of the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais - Campus Conselheiro Lafaiete (IFMG-CL) through the creation of a Virtual Memorial, where the institution’s histories and memories will be made available. The goal is to enhance knowledge, understanding, and support future research on the institution's journey, encouraging a sense of identity and belonging within the academic and local community toward IFMG-CL. Additionally, this research seeks to contribute, through the Memorial, to the consolidation of an institutional identity focused on the concept of an omnilateral, polytechnic, and emancipatory education that guided the public policy behind the creation of Federal Institutes. The study is grounded in the theoretical and methodological contributions of key authors on polytechnic education, such as Demerval Saviani, Maria Aparecida Ciavatta, and Marise Ramos, among others. The methodology involved a literature review on the relationship between history and memory, emphasizing the use of oral narratives as a research tool, alongside documentary research to deepen the historical and contextual understanding of the study’s object. As an educational product, the creation of a Virtual Memorial was proposed—a digital platform that allows visitors to explore historical items such as photographs, objects, and installations from the former Technical School “Os Padres do Trabalho,” which once operated where IFMG-CL is currently located, as well as memorable items from the Institute itself. The collected material and obtained testimonies constitute an essential collection of oral and documentary memory, enabling a partial reconstruction of the history of the school and professional education in the municipality, highlighting its significance.