UNISERVITATE is the programme for the promotion of service-learning (SL) in Catholic Higher Education.
Its objective is to generate a systemic change in Catholic Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs) through the institutionalization of SL as a tool to achieve its mission of offering an integral education to the new generations and involving them in an active commitment to the problems of our time.
The most recent Vatican documents on the mission and identity of the CHEIs call for the articulation of science and faith, academic excellence and community service, knowledge production and Christian witness in society, of a socially committed university.
In recent years, Pope Francis has strongly emphasized the need for the Church to "go out to the peripheries" and has called on educational institutions to offer their students the opportunity to involve "heads, hands and hearts" in addressing the challenges and problems presented by contemporary societies.
Focusing on the transformation of teaching practices in CHEIs, service-learning proposes to articulate academic activities with social commitment, thus strengthening the spiritual identity of Catholic institutions. It is fundamentally a matter of involving young people as real agents of social change in the construction of a more just and supportive society that expresses the mandate of the "civilization of love".
UNISERVITATE is a global network and as such, it seeks to establish solid and constructive links between higher education institutions rooted in very diverse social and cultural contexts, with the purpose of expanding dialogue and enriching the perspective of higher education in the acknowledgement of the multiculturalism that characterizes the contemporary scenario. Collaboration, open listening, respect for diversity and collective production constitute the bases on which the programme is built and grows day by day.
UNISERVITATE is an initiative of Porticus and is coordinated by the Latin American Centre for Solidarity Service-Learning (CLAYSS).
Porticus coordinates and develops the philanthropic endeavours of the Brenninkmeijer family whose social commitment dates back to 1841 when Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer founded the C&A company. In 1995 Porticus was born, and has grown to become one of the most committed institutions to work with the challenges of our time and to create a sustainable future where justice and human dignity can flourish.
The Latin American Center for Solidarity Service-Learning - CLAYSS - is a leading organization for service-learning in Latin America, and a reference worldwide. It promotes the development of solidarity service-learning in both formal and non-formal education, and advises policy-makers, NGOs and community leaders, educators and students.
The actions developed by the programme are aimed at multiple actors: higher education authorities, educational planning teams, teachers, students, communities. The participation of each one of them will make possible the transformation of the teaching proposals from the implementation of SL projects.
The programme's grid format will allow 200 universities and higher education institutions to be integrated over three years from the "pioneer hubs". In the first stage, 20 institutions will be added and accompanied in their process of institutionalization of SL.
Coordination
Porticus CHEI
CLAYSS
Academic Sounding Board
Spirituality and Research Team
7 Regional hubs and partner institutions
20 supported universities
Associated Catholic Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs)
• Interact with hubs and other institutions
• Get free access to UNIVERSITATE training platform
• Access to information on events and specialized bibliography about
AYSS regarding the identity and mission of the CHEIs
CHEIs in general
Access to information on events and specialized bibliography about
AYSS regarding the identity and mission of the CHEIs
Public and non-confesional Higher Education Institutions
Access to information on events and specialized bibliography
about AYSS through the open platform
The programme is organised into three main lines or areas of work:
Portfolio manager Catholic Higher Ed, and various regional representatives, Porticus
Paris, France
Minneapolis, USA
Monterrey, Mex
Córdoba, Arg
Madurai, India
Barcelona, Spain
South Africa
Rijeka, Croatia, HR
Spain
USA
Nairobi, Kenia
Representative of ACCU
Representative of ACCU
Representative of IFCU
Representative of IFCU
UNISERVITATE is a global and networked programme that is established through a process of permanent development and the integration of new actors and institutions from a series of regional hubs strategically distributed around the world.