07 November 2024
Bilbao Campus
The Uniservitate team of the University of Deusto, as a referent of the Southern European Node, accompanied by the Rector Juan José Etxebarria and the Vice Rector for Learning and Digital Transformation Elena Auzmendi, participated in the V International Uniservitate Symposium on Solidarity Learning and Service: “Transforming Higher Education from within”, which took place at the University of LUMSA, in Rome on November 7 and 8. This meeting brought together students, academics and experts from different Catholic universities around the world with the aim of strengthening the commitment of higher education to solidarity service and the integral formation of students.
The presentations and research shared focused on learning and challenges related to the institutionalization of service-learning in universities, the sustainability of networking and the integration of spirituality in the university community, among others. In this sense, a very enriching space was generated to learn about the research being developed and, therefore, the meeting has allowed the generation of synergies between the participants of the program and the new universities that are joining the project.
The symposium was also an opportunity to exchange experiences and good practices in solidarity service-learning (AYSS), which has made visible the projects that are carried out in Catholic universities in co-creation with the community. Among them, the 14 projects awarded in the “Uniservitate Award 2024” from the different regions. One more opportunity to give voice to the students and highlight their integral formation process.
The meeting was attended by different Unijes institutions (U.P. Comillas, IQS, Loyola and ESADE) as well as institutions belonging to other Jesuit networks (mainly AUSJAL and Kirscher).
In addition to working at the global and regional level, reflecting, sharing and celebrating, the Uniservitate Deusto team was able to enjoy one of the activities planned by the program leaders, Nieves and Maria Rosa Tapia. Specifically, the meeting on Saturday, November 9, with Pope Francis, who emphasized that the “Uniservitate” program responded in a coherent way to the intentions of the Global Education Pact, appealing to the students to be curious and to build with hands, head and heart.
