Our Journey
Our Journey
1994:
The Office for Social Affairs (OAS, in Catalan) was created in response to the emerging social needs of the university community. It enabled university students to get involved in existing social programmes and launched new initiatives outside the UAB.
1995:
The Volunteering Office was established within the framework of the Office for Social Affairs with the aim of promoting the civic value of volunteering among students and offering them training and support in their roles.
1999:
The Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS) was founded to continue the work of the OAS. The FAS took over the promotion and management of the Health Promotion Programme, the Prisoner Integration Programme (PIP) and the Support Programme for Students with Specific Educational Needs (PIUNE).
2000:
The Xiringu was launched — a mobile advisory and information service on health-related topics, available to the entire UAB campus community. The Espai Solidari (Solidarity Space), formerly the Volunteering Office, was also created.
2002:
10th anniversary of PIUNE. The UAB transferred the management of the solidarity fund to the FAS. In response to the Prestige oil spill disaster, over 400 students took part in the emergency campaign in Galicia.
2004:
Volunteers from the Hospital Volunteering Programme participated in the Ciberaula (Cyber Classroom) initiative for the first time. The Youth Centre Programme was launched, working in youth detention centres such as L'Alzina and Els Til·lers.
2005:
The Childhood Programme was launched to support children in their educational and social integration processes. The Immigration and University Programme was also created to promote social inclusion for immigrants by fostering access to higher education.
2006:
The 1st UAB Cooperation Week was held, providing a platform for dialogue and exchange between the university community and various stakeholders in cooperation to promote development.
2007:
A Resource Centre associated with PIUNE is created with the aim of bringing new technologies closer to students with disabilities. A pilot project is also launched to introduce the role of the personal assistant.
2008:
The 4th University and Cooperation Conference is held at the UAB, bringing together over 400 lecturers, researchers, and technical staff. The UAB participates in the United Nations Volunteer Programme for the first time. The Communication Sciences Library opens study booths specially designed for students with disabilities.
2009:
The UAB Impuls Programme is launched, offering grants to support the employment of disabled students or those at risk of social exclusion. The Childhood Programme is extended to secondary schools and renamed the CROMA Programme.
2013:
The “Promoting Development Education at the UAB” project is launched with the aim of fostering Education for Development (EpD in Catalan) across formal university settings.
2014:
The UniX programme is created for secondary school students (widely known by its Catalan initials “ESO”), focusing on strengthening mathematics and English skills. For the first time, the FAS takes over the management of the Campus Ítaca, establishing a socio-educational area and integrating all related programmes (CROMA, UniX and the Campus Ítaca).
2015:
UABImpuls is created, managed by PIUNE in collaboration with Treball Campus to support the employment of disabled UAB students and graduates.
2016:
The Let's Go programme was launched with the aim of turning the Catalan village of Badia del Vallès near the UAB campus into a city that promotes English language learning. Additionally, the Hosting Programme is created, offering support to refugees through a new volunteer initiative.
2017:
The FAS approved its 2017–2021 Strategic Plan to reflect recent changes within the organisation. The plan outlines four priorities: aligning with the UAB’s mission, increasing the social impact of its projects, raising public awareness on a range of issues, and consolidating its people management model.
2018:
The 2018 Festa Major highlights the UAB as a #UniversitatRefugi under the slogan 'The UAB welcomes', marking two years of the university's refugee hosting programme.
2019
The FAS celebrates its 20th anniversary by establishing a new body: the Advisory Council, and appoints Mr Arcadi Oliveres as honorary member.
2020
The outbreak of the pandemic forces the FAS to adapt its activities to the health situation. Special initiatives were carried out, such as the CROMA 2.0 summer workshops.
2021
The UAB's Service-Learning Office, managed by the FAS, gains traction and becomes a key educational initiative for tackling social and environmental challenges. PIUNE supports a record number of students, assisting 384 during the 2020/21 academic year.
2022
Neix el programa Entre Joves, el programa de mentoria de secundària i el Let’s talk. El Campus Ítaca rep el guardó dels Premis Rompe e
The Entre Joves Programme is launched, alongside the secondary school mentoring programme and Let's Talk. Campus Ítaca receives the Rompe el Círculo Award.