Universities, places of openness and peace-buildingA "plus" for Catholic universitiesRecovering the essence of dialogue at the UniversityOn October 27-28, LUMSA University in Rome will host the III Global University Symposium, a program to promote solidarity learning and service in Catholic institutions of higher education (ICES). The initiative is promoted by the Dutch Porticus Foundation with the coordination of CLAYSS, the Latin American Center for Solidarity Learning and Service. It will bring together more than 30 Catholic institutions of higher education from 26 countries on five continents.
As explained by María Nieves Tapia, director of CLAYSS, the activity - which is being supported by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC) and the Australian Catholic UniversityThe event - in close adherence to the Global Education Pact launched by Pope Francis - "will allow us to reflect and debate with a plurality of voices, but above all to share concrete experiences that already show new ways of teaching, learning, researching and connecting with the community.
Participants
The attendees belong to the educational field: directors, teachers and students from Catholic, public and private universities from all over the world. They will participate in thematic panels, round tables and multiple activities, with debates among various speakers., sessions and workshops.
Reflections will be focused on the universities with social commitmentThese will share their experience on how to innovate in university life, implementing learning practices and solidarity service that allow the integration of academic learning with concrete actions of transformation of students and the community as a whole.
For Maria Cinque, director of the School of Higher Education EIS (Educate to Encounter and Solidarity) of LUMSA University, "this symposium is a great opportunity to learn about and deepen good practices that articulate academic education and solidarity action, thus favoring the integral formation of students as responsible citizens, critical and creative protagonists, with a vision of the future".
This third edition of the Symposium will focus on the following thematic areas: 1. Dignity and human rights; 2. Fraternity and cooperation; 3.
Universitate" Award
The meeting will also include a panel led by young people called "The voice of young people: regional experiences winners of the Uniservitate Award" aimed at making visible and making known the protagonists of the best projects of service-learning in higher education, recognized by the Uniservitate" Award 2022 and led by students, teachers and supportive communities from seven regions of the world: Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Oceania, Western Europe North, Western Europe South, the United States and Canada, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
A total of 84,000 euros were distributed in this edition of the award, destined to give continuity to the awarded projects or to initiate others. Two prizes of 5,000 euros each were awarded in each region, and two mentions of 1,000 euros.
Among the Spanish universities awarded are the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas for a project related to the creation of educational resources for children with school difficulties, and the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas for a project related to the creation of educational resources for children with school difficulties. St. George's University in the field of health and wellness (physiotherapy), for active teaching by developing service-learning projects.
