The first global symposium for students was held virtually on 23rd October, with more than 300 students and educators from 37 countries participating. Organized by the Uniservitate hub for Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East (CEE & ME), the event offered a preview of the variety of experiences that was shared two weeks later at the VI Uniservitate Global Symposium on 6th and 7th November.
The Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany hosted this five-hour student meeting, moderated by a team led by Olha Mykhailyshyn. At the opening, María Rosa Tapia, coordinator of Uniservitate, and Alina Rusu, professor at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), encouraged young people to be “rays of hope and peace” through their solidarity initiatives.
The service-learning initiatives presented addressed topics as diverse as community health and resilience in Palestine, emotional education and mental health in the Philippines, climate action and carbon emission reduction in India, research on spiritual and mental well-being in Kenya, social justice initiatives in the USA, cultural projects in war contexts in Ukraine, teaching rural children in Tanzania, and digital literacy for older people with disabilities in Argentina.
“When technique combines with empathy, you learn things that aren’t in any book,” reflected Ludmila Papa, a student at the Catholic University of Argentina. Many other students agreed with her. For example, Irma Abu Teen, from Bethlehem University, said: “When I spoke with honesty and passion, people connected with me, and that’s when I realized that communication is about being real.”
The symposium allowed participants to share challenges and lessons learned: the importance of empathy, adapting to difficulties, and the conviction that education can transform both communities and students themselves. The conclusions of the meeting were presented at the VI Uniservitate Global Symposium by the co-moderators of the student’s meeting, Verona Pirger and Mariana Humenna, boths student at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, alongside Mark Bakashaba, from the university of Kisubi (Uganda). Pinger not only proposed the meeting with the students but also facilitated an enriching exchange with the participants during the event.
The participating students who presented their experiences were Shahd Maraqa, Asya Zaru, Entesar Moghrabi, Iman Abu Teen, Nada Fawagreh, Yasmeen Qunbar and Miray Shahin from Bethlehem University (Palestine); Margeau Leanne Gacusan from Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines); George Bobby from Christ University (India); Caroline Nthenya Okumu, Tangaza University (Kenya); Andrea Guzowski, Molly Soehnlen and John Paul McNerney, Walsh University (USA); Lazorko Sofia, Ukrainian Catholic University (Ukraine); Yu-En Cheng, Fu Jen University (Taiwan) and Ludmila Papa, Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.
The students’ presentations and discussions will be available on the Uniservitate Memberships website, accessible to member institutions.
