The service-learning pedagogy has existed for a century since its inception in the United States, but it is now gaining significant momentum. While this Latin term momentum requires several words to translate into Spanish—moment, impetus, and impulse—these qualities precisely characterize solidarity service-learning as a modern educational approach.
Parallel to the inception of the Uniservitate programme, but also going beyond it, over the last five years, service-learning has gained unprecedented prominence over the last five years, both internationally and within the Catholic Church.
This pedagogy has the potential to break down classroom walls to reach the community, engaging everyone in a collaborative, non-paternalistic way. This spirit has inspired the inception of Uniservitate, the UNESCO call for the “education of the future” since 2020, and the Church’s vision for its educational institutions. Furthermore, UNESCO and the Church agreed that, given the current challenges facing our planet and societies, education focused solely on individual success is no longer enough. New generations need to learn to solve complex problems alongside those with different perspectives.
Service-learning provides students with direct contact with reality —something virtual consultation cannot replicate— enabling them to ground information in real-life situations and challenging them to reflect on their own spirituality through encounters with “the other”. The experience of walking through a neglected neighbourhood and working with extremely vulnerable communities cannot be replaced by a purely theoretical study of poverty.
Uniservitate has built a highly significant space, not just to propose ideas, but to share and promote real-world experiences. This has been possible thanks to the commitment, loyalty, and creativity of its members, who helped Uniservitate evolve from a programme into a network, and finally into a true global community in just five years.
Continuing its activities in 2026, Uniservitate presents the third edition of the award honoring the best service-learning practices. In addition to the regional and rector meetings, preparations are underway for the International Solidarity Service-Learning Week, to be held in Buenos Aires this August, and the VII Uniservitate Global Symposium, scheduled for late October in Rome.
As Uniservitate also completes its second stage this year, new prospects for its sustainability and development are opening up. We invite everyone to dream and move forward together, during this ‘pivotal’ year: “Towards a new shared path, towards the truth that sets us free (cf. Jn 8:32), towards the fraternity that consolidates justice (cf. Mt 23:8), towards the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5).”