As part of its mission to promote the institutionalization of service-learning in Catholic higher education globally, Uniservitate formalized a framework cooperation agreement between the Marist International Network of Higher Education (RIMES) and the Latin American Center for Service-Learning (CLAYSS). The agreement, signed on 9th December, 2025, consolidates a strategic alliance of international scope and indefinite duration.
The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration aimed at strengthening the development, research, and implementation of service-learning in higher education. Its main lines of action include the training of management teams, teachers, and students, the promotion of joint academic projects, the promotion of spaces for exchange, and the contribution to public policies linked to higher education committed to social transformation.
Participation in the 11th Assembly of the Marist International Network of Higher Education (MINHE),
which took place from 28th April to 2nd May at the General House of that congregation in Rome.
The signing of this agreement formalises and projects a bond that both institutions have been building in recent years through various joint working initiatives. Among the most significant developments is CLAYSS’ participation in the 11th Assembly of the International Marist Network of Higher Education, a key forum for strategic reflection for Marist universities worldwide. Likewise, collaborations have been developed in the context of academic and dissemination activities, such as that carried out by the Marist publishing house FTD, which undertook the translation and publication in Portuguese of the book ‘Escuelas para el encuentro’ (Schools for Encounter), originally published by CLAYSS and Scholas Ocurrentes.
Nieves Tapia and Paulo Moregola, Deputy Director of Ministry at the Marist publishing house,
presented the Portuguese version of Schools for Encounter, published by CLAYSS and FTD.
This path of cooperation was also expressed in the Marist presence in educational and academic initiatives promoted by CLAYSS and Uniservitate, such as the XXII International Week of Learning and Solidarity Service, and in the participation of Marist institutions—including the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, a member of Uniservitate—in processes to strengthen service learning in the region.
With this agreement, RIMES and CLAYSS consolidate a strategic alliance that seeks to enhance synergies between university networks, deepen the social dimension of higher education, and promote a comprehensive education that combines academic excellence, social commitment, and citizenship building from a perspective of solidarity and transformation.
